Reducing Runoff, Growing Student Spaces

  • 05/01/18
Unilock Pavers

Orozco Academy in Chicago was able to reduce the possibility of future flooding, while also giving students more space for recreation—all with the help of Unilock Pavers.

Orozco Academy in Chicago, Ill., is a fine arts and sciences elementary school dedicated to fostering student engagement and creativity. The Academy has been transformed with the help of Space to Grow, an innovative public-private partnership program that develops Chicago schoolyards into centers for school and community life to support active healthy lifestyles, outdoor learning, physical education, and engagement with nature.

The City Department of Water Management and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District are funded to reduce flooding and combined sewer overflows but often have no available land to temporarily store runoff. The Chicago Public Schools have land but limited budgets, which are typically targeted to classrooms and teachers rather than playgrounds and parking lots.

The Space to Grow program partners these groups for mutual benefit. The stormwater management improvements at Orozco include 10,000 square feet of Unilock Eco-Optiloc permeable pavers and have the capacity to hold more than 303,000 gallons of water. Additional site improvements include: a multipurpose turf field, play equipment for younger and older students, an outdoor classroom area, a rain garden with native plants, and seating throughout the schoolyard.

Students now have a much-needed play space while runoff rates and volumes are significantly reduced eliminating the likelihood of future flooding and greatly reducing the pollutant load to local waterways.

www.unilock.com

This article originally appeared in the School Planning & Management May 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • zSpace Imagine Learning Solution

    zSpace Introduces Headset-Free AR/VR System

    Immersive learning company zSpace has debuted the zSpace Imagine Learning Solution, a headset-free AR/VR laptop system designed for elementary education. The all-in-one platform integrates hardware, software, and hands-on lessons to create dynamic learning experiences for young students.

  • OpenStax Celebrates 25th Anniversary of Providing Open Educational Resources

    OpenStax, which expands access of K–12 and higher-education resources and research-informed educational tools, is celebrating its 25th anniversary as 2024 comes to a close, according to a news release. The educational initiative from Rice University has served almost 37 million students in 153 countries and saved students nearly $3 billion in educational costs since its launch in 1999.

  • Oregon Institute of Technology to Construct $35M Mass Timber Residence Hall

    Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls, Ore., recently announced the construction of a new, $35-million mass timber residence hall, according to college news. The facility will stand four stories, have room for 517 students, and cover 86,710 square feet to address the college’s need for more on-campus housing.

  • Quadient Achieves 25,000 Locker Installations Worldwide

    Global automation platform Quadient recently announced that it has acquired Package Concierge, a U.S.-based parcel management solutions provider, according to a news release. The acquisition pushes Quadient over the 25,000-unit milestone of global installations.