8748 S.
Street
Hansberry College Prep
Aberdeen
Hansberry College Prep
Project Type: Charter High-School in a high poverty neighborhood
Year Completed: 2013
Location: 8748 S. Aberdeen Street, Chicago IL 60620
Building Area: 59,000 sf (21,000 sf renovation, 38,000 sf addition)
Grades Served: 9-12
Capacity: 1,100 students
1
After Before
2
With grounds measuring a full city block, the parish of St Kilian and the Archdiocese of Chicago were faced with the escalating costs of maintaining a former parochial school that was decaying at the hands of a series of negligent tenants after the school closed in 1993.
to the north on a site formerly pockmarked by broken pavement and abandoned foundations.
With a long term land lease and a philanthropic capital investment by Noble, the former school gymnasium building became the cornerstone of a new 1,100 student high school. A singlestory addition, punctuated by three street-facing courtyards, quadrupled the size of the former school
In an area previously characterized by decay, the school’s transparency to the street and the lushly planted courtyards boldly invite the neighborhood to take part in the regeneration and growth. No learning space or corridor is exempt from supporting Noble’s mission to change the academic trajectory of every student who enters. Each space was designed with intention. Nothing was blindly adopted from a prototype.
3
Located in a neighborhood with the highest drop-out rates in Chicago, Hansberry College Prep was developed through a creative partnership between the Noble Network of Charter Schools and another not-for-profit.
5
They range in size from a 12-student advisory to a 60-student lecture hall. Many spaces were programmed for more than a single purpose to support diverse learning opportunities.
Most important, enough spaces are provided so that students can meet with their four-year advisor twice a day, concurrently in groups no larger than 18.
These spaces are critical so that those most responsible for personally monitoring student progress and lowering hurdles (inside or outside of the school) can effectively complete their work.
7
In contrast to typical district high schools, where similarly sized classrooms repeat along doubleloaded corridors, a broad array of learning spaces were established at Hansberry College Prep.
8 1a Main entry 1b Auxilary entry 3 Classroom 4 Advisory 5 Shared lecture hall 6 Garden courtyard 7 Workspace overlook 8 Faculty lounge 9 Administration Phase 1: Major Renovation 3 3 3 3 5 3 3 3 14 3 3 3 3 8 9 7 3 3 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 13 3 3 1b 3 3 16 4 15 3 3 10 10 10 3 3 10 10 3 4 4 3 3 3 3 6 6 6 1a 7 7 7 Existing Parish Buildings 10 Science lab 11 Multipurpose space 12 Storage 13 Fitness room 14 Church 15 Rectory 16 Garage 11 12 Phase 2: Addition Site Plan 0’ 90’ 30’
9
Worktops, built into the window walls along the courtyards, provide sunlit breakout areas for students and faculty. The courtyards, in combination with the glass facing the street, subvert the fortress-like, paternalistic appearances of traditional Chicago schools.
workspaces line full height window walls facing the street at each courtyard, allowing generous views into and out of the school. Each courtyard features different types of native tree species, offering different types of structure, seasonal color, and shade.
In lieu of a typical monolithic school building that towers over the surrounding residential neighborhood, the mass of the 38,000sf addition north of the gymnasium building was held to a single-story and punctuated by courtyard gardens that open to the street. Student and faculty
A 370-foot long hallway, which straddles all three courtyards, serves as Hansberry’s “college corridor”, where 435 college logos, geographically organized, emblazon hallway lockers surrounding a central alumni map.
11
Instead of towering over the surrounding bungalows, the school’s unorthodox low profile dissolves into the neighborhood. The trees planted in the courtyards, each of a different native species, hover below the mature tree canopies that arch over Aberdeen Street.
12
13
The map, which depicts the US and an enlargement of the Midwest, is surrounded by digital displays which scroll the stories of current faculty and alumni. Hansberry students can read the abbreviated biographies of faculty or former students who may have faced hurdles similar to their own and then identify colleges they attended on the map.
15
Credits:
Owner: Noble Network of Charter Schools 1 N. State Street, 7th Floor Chicago, IL 60602 www.noblenetwork.org t: 312.521.5287
Architect: Wheeler Kearns Architects 343 S Dearborn St. Suite 200 Chicago, IL 60604 www.wkarch.com t: 312.939.7787
General Contractor: Bulley & Andrews 1755 W. Armitage Ave Chicago, IL 60622 www.bulley.com t: 773.235.2433
Developer: Archdiocese of Chicago 835 N. Rush Street Chicago, IL 60611 www.archchicago.org t: 312.537.8200
Precaster: Spancrete N16 W23415 Stoneridge Dr Waukesha, WI 53187 www.spancrete.com t: 414.290.9000
Structural Engineer: Thornton-Tomasetti 330 N. Wabash Ave, Suite 1500 Chicago, IL 60611 www.thorntontomasetti.com t: 312.596.2000
Photography: Steve Hall - Hedrich Blessing 400 North Peoria Street Chicago, IL 60642 www.hedrichblessing.com t: 312.491.1101
Aerial Photography: Aerial Impressions 1321 Upland Drive, Suite 2049 Houston, TX 77043 t: 877.533.9003
Awards: 2014 - ULI Vision Award, Innovation in Education
2014 - PCI Design Award K-12 Schools, Honorable Mention
2014 - Good Neighbor Award, Chicago Association of Realtors
17
19