Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Kennedy Elementary School: Addition and Renovations to Inspire 21st-Century Learning

  • 09/01/17

Kennedy ElementaryDLA Architects is currently leading classroom renovations at Kennedy Elementary School in Schiller Park, Ill. The school will be redesigned and remodeled to accommodate progressive 21st-century learning and the technology that accompanies it.

The ultimate goal of the addition and renovation is to encourage active learning, with easy to rearrange furniture and break out spaces for small-group collaboration. The redesign will also offer more opportunity for educators and students to be collaborative and experience hands-on learning. Transparent walls will be implemented to provide further security while simultaneously putting learning on display.

“Our primary focus when partnering with educational institutions is to stand behind our philosophy ‘Form Follows Learning’ and implementing it to fully meet the needs of 21st-century learners,” states Carrie Matlock, president of DLA Architects. 

The multi-phase project includes an addition geared toward transforming traditional learning to 21st-century learning and helps to solve capacity and code issues. The preschool classrooms were completed in Fall 2016 and the remaining addition was completed in Winter 2016. 

The project included extensive stormwater management improvements with the installation of a massive detention tank StormTrap under the fields to hold rainwater and release it slowly back to the city’s system, as well as completely rerouting bus and parent drop off/pickup to ease congestion and improve safety. 

Major interior remodeling of the Second grade classrooms will accommodate current and future digital learning for students, and was completed at the end of summer 2017. This also included a complete renovation of the Kitchen to accommodate services to the kids and give them more time to eat. 

Interior remodeling and redesign of the First grade classrooms and Main Office are currently scheduled for Summer 2018. Remodeling of Kindergarten classrooms is scheduled for Summer 2019.

DLA Architects is a full-service architectural firm located in Itasca, Ill., and partners with educational institutions to fulfil the needs of 21st-century learning. The firm has provided comprehensive architectural/planning services for 68 school districts representing 197 elementary schools, 80 middle schools and 70 high schools. 

For more information on DLA Architects’ current projects, visit www.dla-ltd.com.

Featured

  • Wisconsin District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    The School District of La Crosse in La Crosse, Wis., recently broke ground on a new elementary school that will consolidate the students and staff of two existing schools, according to local news. Funding for the school comes from a $53-million referendum approved in 2024.

  • UT System Approves First Funds for New Campus

    The University of Texas System Board of Regents recently approved funds to build the first facility of a new campus in far west Fort Worth, Texas, according to university news. UTA West will serve as a branch of the University of Texas at Arlington and is scheduled to open in fall 2028.

  • Stanford Completes Construction on Graduate School of Education Facility

    Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., recently announced the end of construction on a new home for its Graduate School of Education, according to a news release. The university partnered with McCarthy Building Companies on the 160,000-square-foot project, which involved two major renovations and one new construction effort.

  • Northeastern University Breaks Ground on New Housing Community

    Northeastern University recently announced the groundbreaking of a new student housing community on its campus in Boston, Mass., according to a news release. The university is partnering with American Campus Communities (ACC) for development of the project, which will have the capacity for 1,200 students and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.