SPECIAL RECOGNITION
DISTINGUISHED BUILDING
Chicago, Illinois
| Architect: | Ross Barney + Jankowski Inc. |
| Client/Owner: | Chicago Public Schools |
| General Contractor: | UBM Inc. |
| Consultants: | Beling Consultants |
| Photographer: | Hedrich Blessing, Steve Hall |
This 58,000-square-foot public school serves Chicago's gritty, gang-infested Back-of-the-Yards neighborhood. The site is extremely small and narrow. To avoid an alley-like environment and maximize the area available for play space, a three-story, single-loaded linear building hugs one perimeter of the site. As a result, all classrooms face the front yard which allows for supervision of the grounds from the building. A lighted pyramid apex acts as a beacon to the community.
The spartan construction budget dictated utilitarian interior finishes. To add warmth and hierarchy, the interior palette was expanded from concrete block to include inexpensive durable materials such as particleboard, precast concrete and vinyl tiles. In the three-story structure, the basic scheme for all classrooms is natural wood and white walls so that the spaces become a personal canvas for students and teachers. The school's gymnasium, cafeteria, multipurpose room, and library are housed in two-story pavilions that connect to the classroom block. The exuberant colors, textures and forms convey excitement about education. This school serves its clients, the students and teachers of Chicago, but also the community of which it is a vital part.
