CPS Competition

• Location Chicago, Illinois
• Design 2000 - 2001
• Construction unbuilt
• Client Chicago Public Schools

STL submitted an entry to this competition for a 120,000 SF public school on the south side of Chicago. Instead of creating one large single volume the building intends to occupy the entire site by filling it with both built and unbuilt program extending the into the surrounding neighborhood. The Classroom is the heart of the school. While traditional classrooms are enclosed and isolated from the outside, this classroom is designed to allow nature into the each school through the creation of a patio leading to an outdoor classroom. Within the patio, a theme is established expressed by a particular type of tree growing within its confines. Classrooms are paired to share common elements, but have distinct identities in elevation and section. One of these distinct aspects is that the windows within each classroom vary in height and proportion to acknowledge the age of the student.