A.E. Stevenson High School
Lincolnshire, Ill.
OWP/P

Bold entrance becomes students' launching pad

© James Steinkamp

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The top-ranked public school in Illinois, and a four-time winner of the U.S. Department of Education's Blue Ribbon Schools Award, Adlai E. Stevenson High School is the centerpiece of educational excellence in its community. OWP/P developed a master plan for Stevenson in 1988 and continues to collaborate with the school as it grows—most recently designing an energetic new entry for the building.

Constructed on the site of a deteriorating concrete bridge that spanned a dreary courtyard, the new entrance brings an iconic element to the ever-evolving building, solves a life safety issue, and symbolizes Stevenson's ethos of providing students with resources for self-directed learning. Five different floor levels meet in an 11,000-square-foot atrium that is flooded by daylight through clerestory windows.

The atrium contains a flexible mix of open and intimate spaces. The architects liken it to an ancient Greek agora: a democratic place of collaboration, discussion, and interaction. Stevenson's student body numbers more than 4,500. The agora serves as a student union, providing meeting space for many of the school's 100 co-curricular clubs and activities, as well as for college and career events, the bookstore, and a credit union.

Perforated fin-shaped panels on the interior ceiling, which also extend outside, reduce sun glare and maintain transparency between indoors and outdoors. The entrance comes to a sharp peak—its canted rigid steel members give the appearance that it is always in motion, barely tethered to the ground, on the verge of flying away. The architects believe this uplifting structure symbolizes the children's energy and ambitions.

Formal name of Project:
A.E. Stevenson High School, District 125

Location:
Lincolnshire, Ill.

Gross square footage:
698,000 sq. ft. (excluding free-standing admin. building); 11,160 sq. ft. (new entry and agora)

Total construction cost:
$4 million

Owner:
A.E. Stevenson High School District 125

Architect:
OWP/P
111 West Washington St. #2100
Chicago, IL 60602
312-332-9600 tel.
312-332-9601 fax
www.owpp.com

Top, from left to right: Rick Dewar, AIA, Trung Le, AIA, Geoff Walters, AIA
Helen Fantini, AIA. Bottom, from left to right: Wendy Watts, Justin Cafferty,
Mary Ford Cavanaugh, AIA , Tom Meyer, SE