Designing for the Future:
A Master Plan with a Sustainable Legacy
Adlai E. Stevenson High School District 125
Lincolnshire, Illinois
As district architect and design partner for Adlai E. Stevenson High School District 125, one of Wight & Company’s (Wight) first assignments was to develop a comprehensive, long-term outlook of the District’s needs. The resulting master plan integrates maintenance and life cycle projects with educational and student wellness support upgrades while accommodating capacity needs. Initial implementation of the facility master plan has included renovated department offices, an updated food servery/kitchen, a dining commons, an east building classroom addition, an expanded fieldhouse and a wellness facility addition.
East Building Addition
The $27M classroom addition addresses growing enrollment and provides new learning environments aligned with the school’s educational paradigms. The new facility includes world language classrooms, maker labs, and multi-purpose presentation spaces for conferences and extended learning, as well as five advanced physics and engineering program labs. Unique aspects of the science spaces include reconfigurable labs with multiple teaching surfaces and a two-story atrium for vertical drops and robotics experiments. Rooftop teaching spaces to support biology and botany include a greenhouse and exterior gardens, where food is produced to demonstrate a farm-to-fork approach.
Adlai E. Stevenson High School took specific steps to invigorate their food service program, by incorporating next/best practices such as “eat-entertainment” components—putting food prep on display in a theater-like setting—that increased student participation in dining programs and encouraged healthier day-to-day food choices.
The building has cutting-edge sustainability features not found in any other education facility in the world and has achieved Zero Energy certification from the International Living Future Institute (ILFI). The school is also the first verified Net Zero Energy building in Illinois as acknowledged by the New Buildings Institute (NBI), LEED Schools Platinum, and the first Living Architecture Performance Tool (LAPT) Platinum certified project in the world.
Patriot Wellness Center
The $60M health and wellness improvements include an expanded field house and the addition of an 83,000-square foot wellness facility called the Patriot Wellness Center. Features of these projects include an indoor turf field, a 200-meter track, cardio and strength training areas, state-of-the-art trainer facilities, locker rooms, and multi-purpose rooms. A healthy foods cafe with corresponding space for nutrition instruction rounds out the programmed space geared toward overall student health and wellness. Several sustainable features are integrated into the project to help reduce energy consumption, improve indoor air quality and generate on-site renewable energy.