Unity Junior High School
Cicero, Illinois

Architect: FGM Architects/Engineers

2003 Community Impact Award Winner Achievement of Excellence in Brownfield Redevelopment

To alleviate overcrowding caused by strong growth patterns in this western suburb, the School Board needed capacity for additional students. Landlocked, and with no room to expand, it seemed they were faced with the prospect of condemning large tracts of existing housing to make room for a school, with the attendant disruption to residents and erosion of tax base. Instead, they determined to reclaim a 16 acre site that once served as the headquarters of the Danley Tool Works but had been abandoned for almost twenty years. Extensive Remediation and Demolition was required to prepare the brownfield site to receive the new 3600 student facility.

The 442,000 square foot building features two 4-story classroom wings designed to operate as separate schools, each with its own administrative area and specialty classrooms. The two wings share a central 1-story structure that houses a common lobby, physical education complex, and media center. Separate locker rooms and a cafetorium also are provided for each grade in the central structure.

Site work includes parking and roadways for cars and bus dropoffs as well as sidewalks, plazas, playgrounds, playing fields, and extensive landscaping