John Ronan Architects

Chicago Illinois This private elementary school responds to the reality of the school’s requirements for economy and speed of constructionby using industrial building techniques to explore the issue of identity. Hebrew letters cast into the precast concrete panelson the building’s exterior ennoble a construction typically relegated to industrial uses. This technique gave the building a sense of being permanently rooted in the community and also allowed the building to be built in phases around the academic calendar. The precast concrete panels havean exposed limestone aggregate finish, creating a dialoguewith the existing adjacent preschool building.

The heart of the school is an adaptable space on the ground floor used for indoor recreation, school assemblies, community dinners, and via a deployable stage, plays and pageants.Initially programmed as separate spaces, the design proposes accommodating these various functions in one flexible space,to allow the school to make the most of its limited propertyand funds.