New Field Area Elementary School
This is a new Chicago public elementary school constructed in the dense urban neighborhood of Roger’s Park. With a building area of 83,000 square feet, it provides classrooms for 900 students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. One of the objectives was to capture the feel of the neighborhood with its courtyard-style apartment buildings and brick detailing. The materials utilized on the exterior are two colors of modular brick masonry, natural and synthetic limestone, with aluminum windows and entry systems. Part of the brick detailing around the windows mimic design schemes developed by a former Board of Education architect Dwight Perkins who worked in the Prairie School style with Frank Lloyd Wright. The site has a natural slope, an 11-foot drop from west to east, which created a design challenge for accessibility. All entries in the building are accessible by ramps. Landscape features add appeal along the sides of the school. The kindergarten, the typical classroom, administrative offices and multi-purpose spaces all have their own color schemes. The result is a functional campus that successfully links the look of the school with the surrounding area in style and in spirit.Opened in the fall of 2003
Construction Cost: $12.5 million
