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

  • 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.

  • Ohio State University Opens 26-Story Hospital

    The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center recently opened in Columbus, Ohio, standing 26 stories and covering 1.9 million square feet, according to a university news release. The project marks ten years of effort and is the university’s largest single-facility construction project ever.

  • El Paso District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    The Canutillo Independent School District in El Paso, Texas, recently announced that construction has begun on a 119,000-square-foot elementary school, according to a news release. The district partnered with Pfluger Architects, Carl Daniel Architects, and LDCM Solutions on the new Davenport Elementary School, which has an expected completion date of 2027.

  • College of the Desert Hits Construction Milestone on New Campus

    College of the Desert recently announced that the construction of its new Palm Springs Campus in Palm Springs, Calif., recently reached a major construction milestone, according to a news release. The college is partnering with general contractor C.W. Driver Companies, which recently “topped out” the facility by placing the final beam in its structure.