School district leaders and a clinical psychologist share travails and triumphs during the COVID-19 pandemic Though COVID-19 numbers have begun to wane, school districts across the nation continue to face pandemic-related stressors: communicating with parents, ensuring appropriate social distancing, masking, and air quality protocols, and striking a balance between remote, hybrid, and in-person learning. Legat […]
Hawthorn Elementary School South expansion and renovations to emphasize arts, nature, collaboration
Forthcoming Hawthorn Elementary School South building projects designed during pandemic dodge costly site work, highlight robust arts program When students return to Hawthorn Elementary School South (Vernon Hills, IL) after summer break in 2022, they will be greeted by a renewed setting where light, art, and nature unite. Abstracted tree canopies stretch over a new […]
Lake Behavioral Hospital advances mental health in Lake County, Illinois
US HealthVest’s Lake Behavioral Hospital addresses shortage of mental health and addictions inpatient/outpatient services in Lake County, Illinois According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in five U.S. adults suffers from mental illness, while only 43% of adults and 51% of youth get treatment. Worse, a USA Today report shows that only 10% […]
Augustana College’s Lindberg Center to launch kinesiology program, new natatorium
Peter J. Lindberg, M.D., Center for Health and Human Performance to house Augustana College’s new kinesiology program, support expanding public health program, and usher in larger and brighter natatorium According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, positions for physical therapists are anticipated to grow by 22% over the next decade. Accordingly, Augustana College in […]
The art behind the Arlington Heights Police Station
A closer look at how designers used brick and stone to fit the Arlington Heights Police Station into a traditional municipal campus The Village of Arlington Heights’ (Illinois) new police station has improved efficiencies, storage, safety, and training capabilities. It even received an American Public Works Association national Project of the Year Award for its […]
North Scott High School practice facility benefits athletes, community members
New cost-effective practice facility at North Scott High School serves multiple sports, reduces scheduling conflicts, offers more equipment storage When the weather turned sour, the North Scott High School Lancers boys baseball team would take batting practice in an off-campus building known affectionately as the “Silver Bullet.” With its two batting cages, the old farming […]
Chaddick Institute/Legat Architects Think Tank to explore post-COVID resilience
Registration opens for free weeklong lunchtime lecture series that investigates resiliency for healthcare, transit, educational, and sustainable design Overcome Adversity to Thrive 2020: Healthcare providers walk on pins and needles. Airline, bus, and rail agencies wrestle with finances. Schools struggle to find a balance between in-person and remote learning. And everyone is scrambling to get […]
How buildings teach kindness: inspiring social-emotional learning through design
A call for educational institutions and architects to design school settings that create a clean slate and help all students achieve their success threshold Discrimination is an ugly word. In some way or another, we’ve all been a victim to it, and we’ve all seen it happening to someone else. When it comes to educational […]
Zach Wiese celebrates 20 years at Legat Architects
From intricate details to whole buildings: Zach Wiese accomplishes two decades of mentoring architects and helping building owners achieve code compliance, avoid costly repairs, and complete major projects. Generations Healthcare Network wasn’t sure about Zach Wiese leading the first major project it hired Legat Architects to do: additions and renovations at Generations at Neighbors skilled […]
Joliet’s Laraway School wins John Shaw Award for design and community planning
Laraway School in Joliet, Illinois takes top spot in 12-state John N. Shaw Award competition sponsored by Association for Learning Environments’ Midwest Great Lakes Chapter Two years ago, a Laraway School girls basketball player walked into a gym at another school and said, “Are we allowed in here?” She had noticed how much better that […]
Arlington Heights Police Station named national Public Works Project of the Year by American Public Works Association
Arlington Heights Police Station earns 2020 APWA Project of the Year Award in American Public Works Association’s national competition For more than five years, a pile of 500 ash logs sat at a public works yard in Arlington Heights. The logs came from trees the village’s public works department had to chop down during a […]
Newark High School Innovation Center gives students jump-start on STEM careers
Design minimizes costs to transform Newark High School’s underused library into in-demand Innovation Center and STEM makerspace in less than two months Last year, residents at the Inn at SharonBrooke in Newark, Ohio were delighted when six Newark High School students, accompanied by Newark City Schools Director of Curriculum and Staff Development Maura Horgan, stopped […]
