Edgerton Trails Elementary School is an innovative addition to Rockford Public Schools and is their first new school in nearly 25 years. This state-of-the-art PK-5 facility was made possible through the community’s support of a $174 million bond issue passed in 2019. Designed to accommodate the growing population on the west side of Rockford, Edgerton Trails alleviates overcrowding in neighboring schools. The school is a testament to the district’s mission to provide safe learning environments that give students the academic and social skills needed to be successful, lifelong learners in a global society.

The school’s colorful interior is inspired by Rockford’s elementary science curriculum, with each grade level housed in distinct “neighborhoods” that reflect local habitats. The neighborhoods — The Pond (DK), The Woodlands (K-1), The Lakes (2-3), and The Dunes (4-5) — provide age-appropriate and fun environments that connect back to what they are learning. Students can feel emotionally and physically safe as the layout ensures they interact primarily with their peers in spaces designed specifically for their developmental stage. The integration of natural themes also extends to the building’s outdoor learning spaces, which includes a small classroom amphitheater and access to the district’s nature center. Two playgrounds on site also cater to the needs of lower and upper elementary age students.

After nearly seven years of visioning and planning, Grand Haven Christian School (GHCS) is undertaking its most substantial facility expansion since the 1990s. The phased project is designed to support the school’s ongoing growth, strengthen its Christian learning environment, and welcome more students into the GHCS community. 

This thoughtful addition includes a large new gymnasium with a stage, designed to serve not only athletic events like basketball, volleyball, and pickleball, but also worship services, student productions, and community gatherings. Retractable bleachers and moveable nets offer flexibility, allowing the space to easily adapt to a wide range of uses. The gable shape of the roof provides north facing clearstory light while reducing the volume of the space so the building can thoughtfully integrate into the neighborhood context and complement the existing school.

The renovation and addition project at Chicago Christian High School was guided by five key principles: capturing a holistic campus vision, meeting each student where they are through 21st-century learning, creating strong connections, providing a facility that is accessible to all and establishing a lasting and durable impact. These principles informed the design of the updated high school, while accommodating a growing student body and ensuring modern learning environments.

This project includes an eye-catching addition and renovation to improve the cafeteria and adjacent commons area, creating a multifunctional space for eating, learning, and gathering. The new addition, which serves as a visual and welcoming entrance, integrates the school’s new branding throughout and features a learning stair at the entrance, lounge areas, and accessibility ramps that connect seamlessly with the architectural design.

As part of Calvin’s 2015 Master Plan, a student-focused Commons Union and library refresh project created a dynamic hub for the campus, containing a new open staircase, offices for student organizations, lounge and multipurpose spaces, and supportive administrative offices all under one roof.

Updating the Hekman Library to a Learning Commons model has created a collaborative and communal environment. Improved traffic flow for students using the library building was achieved by the integration of an open, communicating stair that connects the first three levels of the facility together. The first level is home to staff offices and a casual student engagement space with coffee area, small group performance stage and computer lab. The goal of the Commons Union project was to better serve learners by creating easy access to resources and support services, while fostering socialization and connection.

GMB partnered with Centerbrook Architects and Planners as the design architect for this project.

As part of a larger bond program, Comstock Public Schools will begin construction of a new K-8 STEM Academy to replace a 75-year-old facility with a purpose-built STEM school. The new school will feature intentional design that celebrates the future of STEM and ensures that the programming is thoughtful, inclusive, and relevant to today’s technology and resources. The new Academy is set to become the area’s go-to facility for STEM education while creating opportunities for future partnerships with organizations.

The project team held a design workshop with multiple stakeholder and community groups to develop a functional and flexible design that can evolve and adapt to the changing needs of students. Situated on a 30-acre campus next to the existing elementary, the new STEM Academy will house up to 450 students to support the growing program. This will be the first new building for the Comstock Public Schools district in more than 50 years.

Lake Orion Community Schools’ new Blanche Sims Elementary School replaces the oldest elementary building in the district with a new, modern facility serving students in DK through 5th grade. The 68,875 SF school consists of 19 classrooms, a secure entry and office spaces, extended learning spaces throughout the building, a new kitchen with servery, cafeteria with stage, gymnasium, STEM center and media center. 

The building was designed into grade-level pods with classrooms, interior extended learning areas and covered outdoor learning spaces. The classrooms will be larger than in the previous facility and were designed to fit more flexible and collaborative 21st century learning styles. An emphasis on integrating indoor and outdoor spaces together will now allow students to easily engage with outdoor learning. Outdoor access points are included in each pod and classrooms offer unobstructed outdoor views with as much natural light as possible inside the building. Elementary specials, resource rooms and bathrooms are located off the main central spine of the building, with good proximity to new playgrounds. 

With an increase in enrollment in their business department, Calvin University sought to add onto their existing DeVos Communication Center to create the new School of Business. This new building focuses on student spaces, classrooms, breakout rooms, and shared spaces which demonstrate a commitment to the latest innovations in business.

More conducive to collaborative learning, these spaces provide a flexible, creative, and welcoming environment to foster students in their journey to become excellent, engaged, and faithful leaders of business. The facility and its proximity to other buildings on campus serves as a catalyst for creating innovative new academic programs while continuing to foster connections with other Calvin programs along with the broader campus and community.

Since 2018, Hudsonville Public Schools has added around 125 students per year in the district and needed educational facilities to accommodate their current and future growth. As part of the district’s long-term master plan, the community approved a 2019 bond proposal to build new school facilities, including a new school for fifth and sixth graders, as well as renovate and add onto existing buildings, to address the district’s population needs. The high school has undergone a complete transformation to create additional classrooms, expand athletics and arts facilities, and connect campus buildings with multifunctional spaces.

With a total of 104,000 square feet, the new Hudsonville Fieldhouse serves as the new athletics and training hub for the high school. Located south of the existing high school building, the fieldhouse includes locker rooms, a 1/9 mile running track, two-levels of fitness and strength areas, a multipurpose tennis court, and three full size basketball courts for athletics events with spectator seating for 3,700 people. The unique top-loading design of the fieldhouse delivers a 360-view of the court floor and connects spaces on the upper level, making the facility ideal for hosting competitions, expositions, and community events. High-performance lighting in the fieldhouse provides an elevated spectator experience complemented by ample daylighting, a center-hung video board, and interactive district branding throughout.

To support an influx of K-8 students, Grandville Public Schools built a new 7/8 middle school which will allow them to repurpose the existing middle school into a 5/6 facility and open space in their neighborhood elementary buildings as part of a $94 million bond proposal.

The new $57 million 7/8 building is located adjacent to the current high school and addresses capacity issues at the district’s elementary buildings with the increase of new developments to the area. Treating this shared location as a campus allows room for future expansion and creates a combined location for community amenities.

The new, multi-story facility boasts more than 200,000 square feet of teaching and learning space that is flexible and student focused. A large learning staircase with adjacent technology creates a space for students to socialize, have small group meetings, and eat lunch. Corridors are spacious and act as extended, active learning areas with movable furniture and technology. Emphasis on creating external and internal transparency with safety glazing gives the facility ample natural light but maintains student focus and security with sight lines for adequate supervision. A large media center with presentation spaces and multiple soft seating options fosters a sense of collaboration and innovation. Breakout rooms and large group spaces create flexible learning opportunities in a non-traditional setting to boost creative thinking.

Ludington Area School District was looking to consolidate their three elementary schools into one new, centralized facility due to aging buildings that would have required significant renovations. 

As part of the planning process, our team collaborated with the district and the community through an extensive two-day Design Workshop to develop initial concepts and establish Guiding Principles for the project. School staff, board members, and community members conducted visioning exercises around the student experience they wanted to create in this new facility. The workshops also created cohesion among the teams and staff of the three buildings who were coming together into one, generating empathy among all participants for each other’s perspectives and vision for the community. Many of the teachers and staff from the different schools had never met, and the workshop helped to build camaraderie and collaboration among staff for creating spaces and curriculum together–genuinely putting learning and the student experience at the heart of the project. As education continues to evolve, it was important for the design to be efficient and adaptable and provide a flexible place to inspire growth and stimulate education for the present and the future.

21st Century Learning

The existing buildings were over 50 years old, and not only did Ludington aim to bring the district into the 21st century, they took a forward-looking approach to push the envelope in facilities and classroom design for future teaching and learning models. The approach was to create more than a school building, but a learning ecosystem within the community.

Recognizing that learning doesn’t only happen in the classroom, but also in other spaces like media centers, outdoor areas, and hallways, Ludington recognized that the current school environments were limiting the opportunities for staff to be innovative as it relates to teaching and learning. The team designed the new elementary school spaces to be flexible and transitionally appropriate for each age group, as well as accommodating for learning in every space.