Ridgewood High School Gymnasium Addition

Color and Movement

The concept of an active and engaged life was a central theme to the program for the LEED® Gold certified Ridgewood High School Gymnasium Addition. The design team met this challenge by creating a space that is about connecting student life with fitness and demonstrating visually that life needn’t be compartmentalized.
Upon entering the gym, the eye is drawn up to the highly reflective ceiling, punctuated by colorful and dynamic truss style light fixtures. Adding to the rhythm of visual activity is a running track suspended from the joist structure above. The track itself opens to a cardio-fitness area featuring a curtain wall that draws natural light deep into the space and connects the interior fitness areas to the synthetic turf football field and outdoor running track.

The expansion provides space for team practice and community adult athletic leagues before and after school hours.
The track itself opens to a cardio-fitness area featuring a curtain wall that draws natural light deep into the space and connects the interior fitness areas to the synthetic turf football field and outdoor running track

A celebration of Heritage

In honor of the school’s 50th anniversary, Ridgewood High School District 234 built a new gymnasium addition with sustainable attributes to benefit the students and the surrounding community of Norridge, Illinois. The expansion provides space for team practice and community adult athletic leagues before and after school hours.

Filtering out the Noise

Located above the fitness area is a vegetated green roof designed to reduce noise and vibration from the large, nearby airport, absorb rainfall which reduces detention requirements, lessen the heat island effect, and diminish deflection and vibration from the running track.
This addition is the crescendo of a multi-phased, multi-year renovation for the entire building. Each addition and renovation project was designed and built to meet the sustainable design standards engrained within the culture and curriculum of School District 234.

Upon entering the gym, the eye is drawn up to the highly reflective ceiling, punctuated by colorful and dynamic truss style light fixtures
Adding to the rhythm of visual activity is a running track suspended from the joist structure above
The space accommodates a variety of fitness programs
The space accommodates a variety of fitness programs

National Recognition: AS&U Magazine www.schooldesigns.com

Project Featured in AS&U Magazine www.schooldesigns.com

Related Works

Other stunning projects for our amazing clients

Future-Ready and Net Zero STEM Spaces
Revitalizing Creativity: Culinary and Fashion Interior Renovations to Empower Next-Gen Innovators
Developing Career Skills in a Future-Ready Learning Environment
Ignite Creativity with a Student-Centric Approach to Design Thinking
New Elementary School Designed for Anywhere, Anytime Learning
Master Facilities Plan to Guide Innovative 21st-century Upgrades
New Elementary School designed to make learning more flexible
New Early Learning Center is Child-Centered, Nature-Inspired, and Energy Efficient
Changes at Nearly 100 Year Old High School Create a 21st Century Education Environment
New Nature-Inspired Playground
Addition provides much needed space for vibrant Fine Arts programs
Making a Middle School
New Indoor Aquatic Center
Play Doesn’t End at the Playground
Renovations and New Amenities at Existing Park
Reimagined Learning Spaces
Putting the Cool in Culinary Arts
Fieldhouse Rises from the Rubble
Fieldhouse Addition at Hononegah Community High School, Rockton, IL
Transforming an Existing High School for Today’s Learners
Share Our Work