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<>Architect:
OWP&P
Architects, Inc. School Data: Associate firms and products are listed below Planning Principles. Planning Principles: U.S. Department of Education Criteria 2. How does the design reinforce the school as a center of the community? Community use and site constraints shaped the plan. While the main entrance is centered on the school’s long west façade and focuses on academics, the facility is anchored with performing arts and athletic facilities at opposite ends to properly zone student and community use. Community groups, including local performing arts groups, regularly reserve auditorium space. Less than one year after occupancy, the school has become a symbol of success for the community, attracting some of the city’s top students. 3. Describe the planning/design process and who was involved. CPS wanted the school to be designed and constructed in a two-year period. Planning involved a solution that allowed the school to be constructed between existing utilities and buildings scheduled to be demolished. To create a comprehensive high school, planning also included the opportunity to construct the auditorium and natatorium later as funds became available. In addition to CPS and OWP&P, the planning and design team included a program manager, the managing architect for new construction and the construction manager. 4. How does the project provide for health, safety and security, beyond standard approaches? Controlled access points and teacher/student integration are key to the overall security plan. Staff workrooms with windows looking onto corridors are located on every floor. Strategically located at corridor intersections, workrooms enable staff to monitor and supervise student activities. Independent entrances at both ends allow use of facilities by the community for theater groups, athletic events, and other after-hour activities, while maintaining security of the academic areas. 5. How does the project enhance the use of all available resources? The surrounding environment significantly influenced design. The north branch of the Chicago River forms the site’s eastern border; the design provides panoramic views of nature from multi-functional or public spaces. A river walk to benefit the school’s science program and the community will be developed in collaboration with the City. Classes will use this important resource for a variety of educational activities. A natural woodland and prairie grasses will also be developed for students to maintain and study. 6. What unique strategies allow for flexibility and adaptability to changing needs? Design focuses on flexibility, both functionally and technologically. In the academic spaces, the main hallway widens to form breakout spaces where up to three classes can gather for joint programs, allowing interdisciplinary collaboration. Classrooms and science labs feature a newly specified flexible furniture package that allows a variety of organizational and curricular scenarios. The school’s fiber optic backbone links computers in administrative and academic areas into a high-speed network including network connectivity at every seat in the media center. Associate
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