Page 47 - spaces4learning, Fall 2020

spaces4learning BUILDING BLUEPRINTS
LISLE ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL
With climate resiliency and safety top-of- mind, Lisle Elementary School’s design is composed of environmentally responsive elements that optimize transparency, daylighting and security.
By Mark Jolicoeur and Rick Young
AS MORE SCHOOLS CONSIDER HOW TO INCORPORATE sustainability into daily life, Lisle Elementary School is tak- ing it a step further by having their new building designed
to standards that will allow their site to be classified as an arboretum. With 26 different species of trees and six differ- ent species of shrubs planted at grade, including an accessible balcony-level garden, Lisle Elementary provides views, outdoor space, and hands-on student learning areas for general use
or for students’ science curriculum. Bringing two previously separate school communities together under one roof and part- nering with the park district to act as a local resource, the new building creates a warm and inviting school community that celebrates learning and the surrounding natural environment.
The new two-story, 100,000-square-foot Pre-K - 5th grade building opened for the 2019-2020 school year. The building is located in Lisle, IL, a suburban town west of Chicago known as the “The Arboretum Village” for its lush greenery and prevalence of native trees, wetlands and the iconic Morton Arboretum. The design intent for the school was to create a dynamic, collabora- tive learning environment that incorporates sustainable practices while fitting within the context of the surrounding residential neighborhood and the site’s adjacency to regional wetlands.
“Lisle is an active, tightly-knit town,” says Keith Filipiak, Superintendent of Lisle School District 202. “This is a build- ing for our entire community.”
Due to limited available space in their two smaller schools, students in the district previously alternated between two school buildings every couple of years as they advanced through elemen- tary school. The primary design driver was to bring these two separate school communities together under one roof, creating a cohesive elementary school experience for students and parents. A single school has reduced busing routes, enhanced efficiency and reduced parent driving time. The building is programmed to accommodate a range of uniquely scaled learning and common spaces that can adapt to various teaching styles and after-hours community uses. With climate resiliency and safety top-of-mind, the design is composed of environmentally responsive elements that optimize transparency, daylighting and security.
Learning Spaces
The learning spaces throughout Lisle Elementary School are varied to allow instructors the flexibility they need to teach to a variety of student needs. To adequately prepare students for their futures, open floor plans and flexible classrooms encourage collaboration and teamwork. Users can rearrange furniture as needed throughout the day and see into other classrooms via interior windows: a strategy meant not only to bring as much natural light into the building as possible, but also to encourage students to be inspired by their classmates’ work. The hum of activity in the school adds to the energy that students experience throughout the day.
The library is the heart of the school, centrally located and easily accessible. It is ringed by two stories, providing connectivity to classrooms, wide corridors, and a large central staircase on which students can gather. It contains centrally located support spaces for tutors, social workers, and other specialists, as well as intimate areas for small group work and quiet spaces for independent study. The library and surround- ing classrooms are encircled by large windows, making these spaces bright and inviting.
Classrooms are connected to transparent breakout rooms where small groups of students can work on projects, further adding to the diversity of learning spaces within the building. A computer lab called the SmartLab familiarizes students with collaboration and project work through technology. All learning spaces and breakout rooms are easily visible to teachers, providing passive security and supervision while also allowing students the indepen- dence they need to develop confidence and social-emotional skills.
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