Holland Heights Elementary School is embarking on an exciting transformation to create updated learning environments and to enhance nature-based learning. This $21.2 million project, funded through a bond passed by voters in May 2021, will bring new classrooms, a media center, and updated playground to K-5 students.

The oldest portion of the building, originally opened in 1952, will be demolished to make room for new construction. The project will retain and renovate key existing facilities such as the gym, cafeteria, and main office, while creating new specials areas including a music room, STEM lab, and art room.

The Lake County campus of Ivy Tech Community College (ITCC) will be undergoing extensive renovations in East Chicago. ITCC has made a significant investment in the community and the educational programs it offers. The main building on campus, the De La Garza Building, was originally designed by architect Helmut Jahn and the upcoming renovations will remain true to the spirit of the initial design concepts, which emphasize open spaces, natural lighting, and ample glass.

A reconstruction of the entrance will create a predominate, accessible front entry space featuring an exterior canopy that will be visible from the street and will enhance the building user’s entry experience. The renovated two-story lobby will include flexible seating and gathering areas, an express enrollment area, and space for the college’s career development services. The large mezzanine on the second floor with a new open staircase invites views directly into the labs spaces and creates an impactful entrance experience with visibility and connectivity between students and activities on multiple levels. The graphics, furniture, and building materials will reflect both an industrial and technical aesthetic that will balance against a wooden accent wall to create a warm and welcoming lobby. The lobby renovation will extend down the long corridor on both floors. On the first floor several program entrance “front porches” off the main corridor are included in the design to increase visibility of the programs and break down the journey of the long corridor. 

The Project NEXT program at Forest Hills Northern (FHN) High School is a project-based collaborative learning program that began as a pilot initiative in the media center in 2018. 

At the time, a modest investment was made in the pilot program by designing and refreshing the school’s media center with new, flexible furniture more conducive to next-generation, collaborative learning. In Project NEXT, students learn the state-required high school curricula in a series of both individual and group assignments throughout their four years at FHN. Students tackle real-world problems and fuse science, social studies, English, art and design, and math to produce innovative learning and projects.

Wyoming Public Schools wanted to create spaces that gave students the opportunity to explore, create, and collaborate with one another in an environment that is both safe and inviting. 

At Wyoming, finding ways to foster changing perceptions and instill community pride are at the heart of what we were trying to accomplish with the newly designed high school. Located in the largest suburb of metropolitan Grand Rapids, two high schools in the Wyoming district were merged several years ago, and they were struggling to build an identity with a new mascot, colors, and branding. Transforming a severely aging building with small classrooms and narrow corridors into an environment that is both safe and inviting, through the creation of new spaces that give students the opportunity to explore, create, and collaborate with one another, required a multi-phase renovation and new construction. The district wanted the new high school to create a sense of pride in the community and change the way students and faculty identify themselves – and the community sought to invest in the future success of the students enrolled in the district’s schools.