The building was designed to replace several small, aging elementary schools with one larger facility that accommodates small learning communities and future education changes through its unique modular design. There are three 200-student learning communities and one hybrid community combining early childhood and district-wide special education programs. Each standard community is designed to accommodate 200 students and be subdivided into two 100-student neighborhoods. The four neighborhoods all share a common-size module to accommodate future use and expansion throughout the district.
How do we re-imagine this building with traditional school spaces to accommodate large populations and serve as a headquarters to the district's entire child services efficiently?
Traditional school spaces such as the library, cafeteria, stage, and lobby, had to be re-imagined to maximize their potential. This challenge was met by arranging three of the small learning community modules, as well as a unique module housing Kindergarten. Emotional, physical, and behavior development programs connect through a large 2-story flex studio.
- Student learning communities
- Early Childhood and Special Education learning communities
- Flexible Spaces
Asymmetric layout and playful ceiling fixtures add a vibrancy to students' usually-repetitive flow between classes.
The use of vibrant color-coating throughout the space creates an imaginative environment, and viscerally aides students as a way-finding tool.
Wide hallways with integrated accessibility ramps provide continuous, unimpeded stress-reducing traffic flow.
Built in 1924, South Side Elementary is the oldest elementary facility in the Champaign School District. The original facility was designed during a time when children would walk to and from school, and aside from technological upgrades, few changes had been made to modernize the building since its original construction.
Expanding the junior high into a 5-8 facility, a 5th grade wing will be added to the junior high to accommodate growing enrollment, adding five highly functioning learning spaces and a new unit office. New lockers will be added to the 6th grade wing, which will also be the new home of the enhanced junior high weight room.
With an already thriving program, the planning of this facility and its location needed to be tightly knit into other district programs, such as athletics and general education. A key consideration was also the ability to expand program offerings in the future, through enlarged facilities and features which could include on-site gardens, crops or additional livestock support.