Chicago Public School Design Competition, Chicago, IL

In 2000, the Chicago Public School System sponsored a competition to design a universally accessible grade school that could accommodate a large percentage of physically impaired students. The program of the school also involved the “small school” concept, meaning that several disparate schools of lower population would coexist in one structure. We extended this idea to explore the metaphor of the city and their relationships to the individual neighborhoods.

Located on Chicago’s North side on a long and narrow lot, the plan utilizes a “spine” parti with services along one side and two main classroom wings projecting into the play yard space. Gathering nodes at junctions and a large main entry space were designed to provide the opportunity for the different school communities to meet and feel a part of the whole.