Public schools can be among a community's most potent symbols, especially in immigrant neighborhoods, where education is the key to assimilation. The Little Village Academy was received so warmly that the local school council named it not for a historic figure but for the neighborhood itself, and local politicians include the school on tours for visiting dignitaries.

The functional and symbolic heart of the school is the semicircular stair tower whose flat interior wall features a sundial. This sundial is of necessity keyed to Chicago's latitude, giving the school a specific sense of place. The sun motif, symbolic of Mexico, is carried through in the lobby flooring and extends outdoors to the plaza.

The sundial also symbolizes learning, as do elements of the building's facade. These include the white outcropping of the library, the horizontal sunshades that filter light to the computer room, and the angled fiberglass walls that create greenhouse space in the science room. This unity of interior and exterior is one reason the school won a Distinguished Building and an Interior Architecture award.

By creating an efficient structure, the architects were able to specify good quality materials and still meet a tight budget.



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