Project: School Addition and Renovation
Client: Fairmont School District 89
Location: Lockport, IL
Case Study: Fairmont Elementary School
Challenge: Fairmont School in Lockport, Illinois faced a challenge not uncommon in lower income neighborhoods throughout our country. Its aging school could no longer accommodate the number of elementary and junior high students it served.
Made up of two buildings, the elementary and middle school, Fairmont administrators and the Illinois Board of Education sought our help in expanding one of its buildings to include additional classroom space and a larger cafeteria. Aware of their budget constraints and their ambition to please multiple parties, we proposed bringing the two schools together with expansive and engaging common areas that would ease their congested hallways and make their students proud.
Solution: Fairmont School is now one unified building. Classrooms have been added to each wing of the common spine of the school, but it’s the spaces in between that have transformed its image and environment in the eyes of students and staff. The peak at the main facade marks the entryway on the school’s renovated exterior and carries through to its new Gathering Lobby, Learning Resource Center, Courtyard and Cafeteria. Tall, exposed ceiling structures blend with creative colors and lighting to promote bright minds and a welcoming atmosphere. In the evening, when the school’s Learning Resource Center is used by members of the community, its vivid tones and textures retain the light and its double doors suppress any external noise.
While still dividing elementary and intermediate instruction, the inventive renovation of Fairmont School enhanced the school’s size and spirit by establishing common ground.
