LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill.—The approximately $27 million addition to Stevenson High School’s East Building in Lincolnshire, Illinois—approximately 33 miles from Chicago— was completed in time for the start of the 2019-20 term in September.

Wight & Company was the architect, and Gilbane Building Co. served as the general contractor on this project that included adding 56,900 square feet to the previously 870,000-square-foot school that was built in 1965. Funded by loans, district savings and a state grant, most of the rooms in the addition are classrooms.

Far from traditional educational spaces, the table and chairs inside each room are on wheels to encourage small group work. Each room also contains multiple digital screens, in addition to individual temperature controls and lights that can be dimmed or brightened.

The additional classrooms throughout the school also have different uses. For example, the first and second floors contain classrooms that can be used for a variety of subjects. The third floor primarily houses specially designed science labs.

The roof features gardens and a greenhouse that will be used by science, art, foods and special education classes.

“We’re going to get a lot of use out of it,” said Stevenson spokesman Jim Conrey told the Daily Herald.

Shatterproof glass panes—which lets in more natural light—also run from floor to ceiling and separate the classrooms from the hallways. They also serve as security role in this era of mass shootings.

The primary purpose of the glass is to protect students from bullets or other objects,” said Conrey.

“Shatterproof glass includes layers of polycarbonate that, when struck by a projectile such as a bullet, would prevent it from exiting the other side. The glass basically absorbs the energy of the projectile upon impact, significantly slows its momentum and keeps the object within the glass layers.”

On the first floor, a courtyard with brick walkways, plants that are native to the areas, and curving concrete benches was built to draw students outdoors.

“It’s just meant to be a nice space where kids can catch a breath of fresh air if they want,” Conrey said.

Approximately 4,400 teens are expected at Stevenson this year, up from about 4,300 last year. Officials predict the student population will exceed 4,600 by the 2025-26 term.

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In the Austin neighborhood on Chicago’s far west side, Wight’s team used sledgehammers to kick off a major performing arts center renovation project for client Catalyst Circle Rock. The K-8 charter school partners with local nonprofit organizations, including the Chicago Children’s Choir and Ravinia Festival, to provide a fine arts enrichment program for students. Wight’s assignment is to transform an auditorium that has been mothballed since 1973 into the new Kehrein Center for The Arts. The new space will seat 1,000 for performances by student groups, including the largest African American elementary school orchestra in the U.S. The building is slated for completion in late 2018.

On Chicago’s south side, Wight recently joined with students and officials at De La Salle Institute to mark the launch of an athletic field renovation project. Located three blocks from U.S. Cellular Field, home of the Chicago White Sox, De La Salle Institute is operated by the Archdiocese of Chicago. Using its integrated Design & Delivery model, Wight will design and provide construction management services to create a multipurpose turf field and spectator seating for this historic school. The project is scheduled for completion in August 2018.

Another groundbreaking took place for an addition at Downers Grove Grade School District 58’s Lester School in Chicago’s western suburbs. The new space will form three classrooms, ADA-compliant bathroom and a flexible resource space at the elementary school, which has been at capacity for several years. The project is slated for completion in time for the 2018-2019 school year.

The fourth project getting started is a renovation of Hadley Junior High School, also in Chicago’s western suburbs. This revamp for Glen Ellyn Elementary District 41 will provide highly needed additional classroom space for music programs and flexible learning spaces. The district has accommodated overflow by using portable classrooms for many years. The expanded school will open its doors to students for the 2019-2020 school year.

Launched in 1939, Chicago-based Wight & Company is a pioneer of integrated design and delivery, and one of America’s most-established planning, architecture, engineering, construction, and transportation and infrastructure services firms.

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When a major renovation of the Lake Bluff Middle School campus in Lake Bluff, Ill., was unveiled in time for the fall 2016 semester, the transformation was dramatic. Designed by Wight & Company of Chicago, the design process completely reimagined the existing mid-century modern school building. The design experience provided an opportunity for Wight & Company to step back and consider how educational environments are being shaped for both current and future students.

New Design Drivers

Efficiency and effectiveness have long been driving themes of successful school design solutions. In the past, this meant identical classrooms lined up with metronomic regularity down hallways. Variety in finishes and materials was minimal to allow for easy maintenance and clean up, the unfortunate side effect: sterile, clinical learning environments.

Perhaps that approach aligned with the unidirectional, drill and practice teaching and learning techniques of the past, but times have changed. Preparing students for the complexities of an increasingly accelerated, interconnected world — one in which they’ll be expected to absorb and analyze complex concepts, and work both independently and collaboratively to formulate creative solutions to real-world challenges — has forced significant changes in modern educational practices.

Given these dramatic changes, how can the environments in which education takes place remain unaffected? This is an era in which speed is a valued commodity. Instead of efficiency and effectiveness, school designers increasingly turn to drivers such as immediacy and relevance. New norms include adaptability, personalization and comfort.

Renovate vs. Build

Given that often both physical and financial resources are finite, wiping the slate clean and building new is often impractical and/or impossible. Sometimes it’s not even desirable, as a community’s emotional attachment to a school building may be a motivating force. In this context, capturing the spirit of place through sensitive remodeling efforts becomes the optimal solution.

These are the issues that Lake Bluff residents wrestled with as they sought to revitalize their children’s middle school experience. As the community had neither the physical nor the financial resources to construct a brand-new building — and taking into account the strong community connection to the existing structure — members opted to transform the existing school facility.

Once a decision was made to renovate the school building, community leaders, school officials and design team members engaged in focused, rigorous dialogue to develop the following renovation priorities:

• Refresh the school’s exterior while improving accessibility and staging options
• Enhance security and accessibility
• Reimagine the function and supportive characteristics of the library media commons
• Refurbish existing science labs to reflect evolving program standards
• Revitalize the interior to enhance flow and connection between spaces

Creating Cohesion

A series of additions over the years had left Lake Bluff Middle School’s identity in a confused state. Five distinct types of masonry and three different window styles as well as awkwardly placed entry stairs and ramps worked against any kind of unified statement. The district took this opportunity to refresh its public image and provide greater cohesion of the building elements. The scale and proportion of the new construction — as well as the color and size of the materials chosen — references the original building, but with a contemporary twist. At the main entrance, a waiting plaza and gathering stair hint at the unique transformation on the inside and invite students to enter.

The district’s No. 1 priority was the transformation of Lake Bluff’s Library Media Commons. The new design eliminated the existing library’s perimeter walls and reorganized the primary services. Adding a variety of mobile seating options and rooms for small group activities facilitates student interaction and allows the space to host community functions in the evenings.

To align the school’s learning spaces with its STEM curriculum and Next Generation Science Standards, the project team transformed existing science laboratory classrooms into science studios. New built-in bench seating and large windows provide a view into the remodeled studios so that learning is placed on display. Extended views to the outside infuse natural light into the further reaches of the interior, contributing to the open feel of the school.

A gathering stair now provides a physical and visual connection between levels. In conjunction with the new Library Media Commons and adjacent STEM labs, the three elements form a dynamic social and academic hub.

Forging Connections

In addition, the district wanted to improve dining spaces, staff support areas and other instructional areas on the main level. All spaces were designed and equipped to serve multiple functions and heighten daily student and staff collaborative opportunities. These bright, easily adaptable and highly flexible spaces can be reconfigured at a moment’s notice, which enabled the district to maximize its physical resources while staying within budget.

To better connect the school with its natural environment, Wight & Company took its inspiration from the nearby bluffs over Lake Michigan. The design team chose an interior color palette with hints of warm wood tones. The palette grounds the building in its surroundings and provides a soothing backdrop for the dynamic educational activities occurring within.

Since its completion, the school has been warmly received by students, teachers and the community at large. A number of education professionals from across Illinois have also asked to tour the school to see the possibilities that might be hidden within their own mid-century modern buildings. The Lake Bluff staff has welcomed this opportunity to share their experiences and show off the “new” old building.

Craig R. Siepka, AIA, LEED AP, is vice president and design principal at Wight & Company of Chicago.

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Along with a 2.5-story glass atrium, dining hall, several outdoor terraces, and student life areas for gaming, recreation, media and club activities, the new student center will also reference the university’s aviation heritage. For example, Wight & Company, the project’s Chicago-based architect, designed the facility to incorporate cables that suspend a vintage plane from the atrium ceiling, according to a statement by the firm. Lewis University also has its own airport and has been recognized as having one of the country’s leading collegiate aviation programs.

Robert C. DeRose, CPA, MBA, senior vice president for finance & facilities/chief financial officer for Lewis University, said in a statement that the student center is “the realization of a vision for this campus that has been many years in the making.” DeRose added that the university will name the new building for its recently retired president, Brother James Gaffney FSC, in honor of his 28 years of service to the university.

Steadily increasing enrollment at Lewis University has driven a significant amount of new building and renovation on the main campus, much of which has been designed and built by Wight & Company. Since 2004, the two organizations have partnered on more than 50 individual expansion and improvement projects. Wight & Company was chosen to lead the project using its integrated Design & Delivery model, which means that in addition to designing the new student center, the company will also serve as construction manager and will provide civil, structural and MEP engineering services.

Wight & Company is targeting LEED certification for the new structure, which is slated for completion in August 2018.

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