Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Monastery Converted to High School Science Wing with Planetarium

  • By Yvonne Marquez
  • 08/26/19

Marist High School, a Chicago-based Catholic school, transformed a former monastery into a high-tech science wing with a planetarium. The $15 million project was funded by two major donors and also by parents, alumni and friends of Marist. Renovating the 28,000 square foot former monastery increased the school’s learning space by 20 percent.

Marist High School, a Chicago-based Catholic school, transformed a former monastery into a high-tech science wing with a planetarium.

The new science wing was created to provide hands-on learning experiences and collaboration. "I want [students] to have their hands on something every day,” Science Curriculum Coordinator Carrie Spano told a local news reporter. “I want them to be able to learn by doing."

With that goal in mind, the building includes:

  • Ten new science labs dedicated to a specific branch of science including two bio labs, two chemistry labs and one AP lab;
  • An anatomy and physiology lab with a glass-walled space that looks like a hospital room;
  • Two physics labs with direct access to the courtyard for outdoor experimentation;
  • An observatory dome for astronomy studies;
  • A forensics crime lab;
  • An environmental science lab and green roof;
  • A collaboration center for teachers to meet and plan cross-curricular STEM lessons;
  • Mobile furniture that allows classes to change quickly from lecture to group work to lab experiments;
  • Student and teacher access to labs for independent research and experiments; and
  • A walkover path from the existing school hallway.

The planetarium was designed and installed by Spitz, the same company who installed the Adler Planetarium in downtown Chicago. In addition, students will have access to a 3D viewer created by Zygote that allows them to use a touch screen to explore human anatomy including the muscular or skeletal system.

Fox and Fox served as architect and construction was completed by Henry Brothers. The project was managed by Jones Lang LaSalle and landscaping along the exterior and in the courtyard was done by Quattrocki.

The science wing debuted on Aug. 23, the first day of school.

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Round Rock ISD Completes New Early College High School

    Round Rock ISD near Austin, Texas, recently announced that construction is complete on a new, 46,500-square-foot campus for Early College High School, according to a news release. The new facility will allow the school’s students and staff to move from portables into a permanent building and increase its enrollment to 500.

  • Full Sail University Announces First Student Housing Facility

    Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla., recently announced that development has begun on its first student housing community, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Nvision Development for construction and long-term management of the facility, which will stand five stories and have the capacity for more than 570 beds.

  • University of Oklahoma Announces New Campus Master Plan

    The University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., recently announced that it will soon launch a new, comprehensive Campus Master Plan to guide the campus’ physical development during the next decade, according to a news release.

  • 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.