Innovative Elementary School Addition Awarded Gold Citation

DLA Architects, Ltd. announces that Kennedy Elementary School Addition in Schiller Park, Illinois has been awarded a Gold Citation for outstanding design in Penton’s American School & University 2017 Educational lnteriors Showcase. It is featured in the August 2017 edition of the magazine and also online at SchoolDesigns.com. An annual competition honoring excellence in educational interiors and facility planning, the Educational lnteriors Showcase spotlights today’s most effective learning environments.

From top to bottom, the addition is student-focused, designed to support all types of learning. Especially notable is the innovative “learning corridor,” a mash-up of circulation and media center, welcoming students to linger with a book or technology.

A jury of American Institute of Architects (AlA) members and education administrators evaluated submissions from architectural firms, schools and universities across the country and outside the United States. Seventy projects in eighteen categories were chosen for publication in AS&U, an educational facilities, purchasing, and business administration magazine reaching 57,000 facility planners, school and university administrators, and architects with this issue. This is the 27th year the competition has been held.

  • Each project was considered based on the following criteria:
  • How successfully does the design address the project vision?
  • Does the project create a healthful indoor environment?
  • How well did the designers take into account life-cycle costs of project materials?
  • Does the project enhance the learning environment?
  • Timelessness of design
  • Functionality of the space