Outstanding Design Awarded to Student-Centered Addition & Remodeling at Middle School

DLA Architects, Ltd. announces that the Gemini Middle School Addition & Remodeling Project in Niles, Illinois has been awarded outstanding design in Penton’s American School & University 2020 Educational lnteriors Showcase. It is featured in the August 2020 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.

The project aligned an existing Jr. High School to a new Middle School curriculum with over 45,000 square feet of renovations. Additions of more than 60,000 square feet allowed the school to increase enrollment from 600 to more than 1,000 students. Read more about the innovative project in Making a Middle School

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-two projects 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.

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 the life-cycle costs of project materials?
  • Does the project enhance the learning environment?
  • Timelessness of design
  • The functionality of the space

Making a Middle School - Read more...

The Hangout Space is perfect for independent, introspective work. Flexible furnishings and writeable walls open it to group work as well.