A district-wide initiative to update every school's library (now called Innovation Centers) into bright, engaging, & collaborative learning environments for students, staff, and community members drove the renovations at this school. The outdated, underutilized space did not support the district's forward-thinking curriculum, so we were challenged to push the envelope and create an environment that captured the district's goals.
The Innovation Center is zoned into five unique spaces: collaboration lounge, critical thinking lounge, presentation area, large group seating area, and think tank.
The Think Tank, outfitted with a movable partition, and a retractable projector screen, allows flexibility in a space that supports digital production. The Presentation Area has both a retractable projector and green screen to allow flexibility for digital production, art performances, and guest visitors, such as authors. The Collaboration Lounge provides enough seating for an entire class while offering a variety of seating postures to foster student-choice. The Critical Thinking Lounge, outfitted with tiered seating, provides a secondary space so that multiple groups can utilize the library concurrently. This area is also used for professional development after hours. In addition to the five main zones in the library, alternate student-centered spaces were provided such as nooks, nestled in between bookshelves, to offer a quiet and cozy zone for students to read.
Western Trails Elementary School
Category
Early Childhood School/Elementary School
Description
Project Location:
Carol Stream, IL
Architecture Firm
ARCON Associates, Inc.
Lombard, IL
https://arconassoc.com/
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Photography By:
@2021 Robert McKendrick Photography
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