Page 49 - spaces4learning, Fall 2024

gram for Exceptionally Gifted Students (PEGS), who attend five
days a week, and elementary school students in Lindbergh’s LEAP
program for gifted students, who attend once a week. (A new high
school library was built as part the high school renovation project.)
Apart from its shape, the Idea Center is unrecognizable from the
former library, which featured conventional study tables on both
floors, stacks of books along the perimeter, a short staircase between
floors, and a color scheme of beige and light green. Now, the space is
a bright, swirling hub of activity, with the oculus-like dome bring-
ing in natural light and enhanced with folds of ceiling panels with
embedded lights. Students for both programs—PEGS on the first
floor, LEAP on the second—enter through a secure reception area
that leads to the core of the building, a central commons area.
The commons with its brightly colored orange, green, and
blue soft seating provides flexible options for students to gather
informally in small groups or to study. Stadium-style seating
on the learning stair opens opportunities for lectures and pre-
sentations. Another standout feature: a glass enclosed room un-
derneath one of the staircases for student-teacher meetings. All
told, the central space promotes collaboration and learning by
doing, two of the main tenets of the Idea Center.
“The new design shifts geometries from perfect circles to
more complex parabolas inspired by the St. Louis Gateway Arch
and orbits of planets,” said Steve Turckes, Perkins&Will prin-
cipal in the PreK-12 Education Group. “Focus shifts from the
singular to a space where multiple elements start to influence
and interact with each other. A new parabolic learning stair is in
dialogue with small group spaces and a new ceiling that spirals
into adjoining spaces.”
Multi-functional classrooms line the perimeter of the first
floor. Classrooms contain both dedicated space with traditional
desks and chairs for focused, teacher-led instruction, together
with flexible areas where students can work independently or
explore and collaborate on projects that bring their ideas to
life. Exterior windows look out on the playground and adjoin-
ing outdoor areas; many interior walls are transparent glass,
allowing a direct sightline to the center of building, further
promoting the concept of community throughout. “Clean lines
of sight allow teachers and staff to respond quickly to children’s
needs,” said Dr. Tracy Bednarick-Humes, gifted education co-
ordinator for Lindbergh Schools.
Two winding staircases lead from the commons area to
the second floor, where there are six additional classrooms for
LEAP students. The classrooms and open spaces are designed
to support enrichment opportunities for district students with a
curriculum of thematic, multidisciplinary units that encourage
exploration and investigation, critical thinking, problem solv-
ing, and creativity.
Classrooms are primarily “maker spaces” facing each oth-
er with co-teaching opportunities. Students can move easily
between these spaces, adapting to different course material
throughout the day, creating an environment of learning in mo-
tion. All glass-enclosed classrooms open into a wide hallway
with a variety of spaces for small group discussions and hands-
on learning following co-led instruction.
“This is exactly what we wanted to see emerge from a new
flexible teaching and learning environment,” said Dr. Tara
Sparks, chief academic officer for Lindbergh Schools.
A key benefit for students is the facility’s links to the high
school. A breezeway connects the Idea Center to the high school
campus, where LEAP and PEGS students use the gym and ath-
letics fields for PE and recess, art studios for related-arts classes,
quiet rooms for testing, and the cafeteria for lunch. The prox-
imity to the high school fosters collaboration with high school
students, who volunteer and lead programming, such as virtual
reality and coding days, with the students at the Idea Center.
“The biggest impact that our new Idea Center space has had
is how the space fosters teamwork among the students,” said
Bednarick-Humes. “Our students have affectionately named
the open space in the middle of our building ‘the donut hole.’
This space fosters collaboration, but also allows for quiet inde-
pendent learning. In fact, the overall open concept encourages
collaboration amongst the teaching staff as well. It's really great
having our entire elementary gifted team together in one space!”
Nick Perry, AIA, LEED AP is a senior associate with Per-
kins&Will in Chicago. Nick believes in the power of design to
inspire, educate, and enrich the lives of others. As an experienced
architect, Nick has collaborated with K–12 and higher education
institutions across the country to transform their learning envi-
ronments to agile and dynamic places to learn and grow.
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