Page 14 - School Planning & Management, December 2017

EDUCATION DESIGN SHOWCASE • ELEMENTARY
PROJECT OF DISTINCTION
WEST AURORA DISTRICT 129 AURORA, IL
HILL
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
ONE OF THE oldest operat- ing buildings in the State
of Illinois, the 129-year-
old Nancy Hill Elementary School in Aurora had long served students and the community. As part of a successful referendum,
the community and district supported a vision for a new Hill Elementary School that would educate the next generation of students. The new Hill is located on the same site as the previous school building, and was designed and constructed in a way to maintain the full-time occupancy of the existing building during the school year.
As a neighborhood school with a long his-
tory and rich nostalgia, the design of the new build-
ing supports modern-day student learning while respecting the old building’s historical character. Select components from the exist- ing building were salvaged, restored, and reinstalled as accents in the new building, including WPA tile and wood murals, original 1888 mill- work closets, doors, casings, and the original Nancy L. Hill School limestone plaque. The school features flexible learning environments, including project-based collaborative rooms and a Learning Commons that sup- ports and provides space for STEAM and active learning modules. It also features a full geothermal heating and cooling system, reducing energy costs and improv- ing building efficiencies and indoor air quality.
ARCHITECT
StudioGC Architecture+Interiors PATRICK CALLAHAN,
AIA, LEED-AP 312/253-3400
PROJECT INFORMATION
CHIEF ADMINISTRATOR
Dr. Jeff Craig
COMPLETION DATE
August 2014
GROSS AREA
72,296 sq. ft.
AREA PER STUDENT
96 sq. ft.
SITE SIZE
3.97 acres
CURRENT ENROLLMENT
648 students
CAPACITY
750 students
COST PER STUDENT
$19,187.56
COST PER SQ. FT.
$199
TOTAL COST
$14,390,667
JUDGES’ COMMENTS
The learning walls are a nice touch. They managed to meet the challenge of building on an occupied site. Saving and including pieces of historic building is a nice feature.
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2017 EDUCATION DESIGN SHOWCASE