The new South Loop Elementary school is located on a less than two acre tight urban site. This 4-story facility is arranged in an L-shape to reduce its  footprint while maximizing natural light and visual supervision. The school contains typical CPS elementary school program spaces as well as a roof top playground.

 

The thoughtful use of color, material, and form deployed throughout the design helps minimize the building’s scale to suit the surrounding urban neighborhood. A new pedestrian plaza leads to the transparent main entry, which is located at the intersection of the two primary volumes of the facility. 

 

Personalized learning spaces are incorporated throughout each grade level. The first of their kind in the CPS district, these flexible learning environments support diverse educational programs and experiences for individual students as well as small groups.

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Photography by Tom Rossiter  |  SMNGA Architects  |  Multivista