Legat Architects
← Back to All Work

A School That Welcomes Its Community

During town meetings and planning sessions, there was a strong focus on involvement of community members with the new school. The gym and cafeteria are located immediately off the entry. Classroom corridors can be locked off from these more public spaces, enabling the school to host a variety community programs.

Expansive Vistas

The design offers views of the school’s uniquely Chicago community. For instance, the gathering area outside the library displays the neighborhood.

mariano-azuela-elementary-library

“All students, parents, and teachers know what excellence means at Azuela. The facility is a neighborhood treasure that promotes respect and collaboration.”

mariano-azuela-elementary-lobby

Visual Connections

In the foyer, a circular opening creates a visual connection between the first and second floors.

Azeula Architecture Club

Since the school was completed, Legat has led the Azuela Architecture Club. The sixth through eighth graders in the club gather regularly to learn about design and construction. Members of the architectural project team visit the club to discuss famous architects, Chicago architecture, and the design of the school.

A School That Teaches

An architect on the project team shows members of the Azuela Architecture Club the Fibonacci Sequence in the school’s brick pattern.

mariano-azuela-elementary-architecture
mariano-azuela-elementary-green-roof

Noise Reduction

Chicago’s Midway Airport is located less than a mile from the campus. The school’s green roof makes noise from jets negligible.

Renewed Playfields

Students, little league players, families, and seniors all benefit from the renewed nine-acre Michael J. Madigan Sr. Park.

mariano-azuela-elementary-site
mariano-azuela-elementary-internship

Student Participation

During design of the school, a Chicago Public Schools high school student joined Legat as a paid intern. He worked at a station right next to Tom Kikta, the Mariano Azuela project manager. The student helped with wall sections and details for the green roof of a school in his own district.

Sustainable Pioneer

When students look out the library reading nook’s large window during warmer months, they see the green roof and quite possibly, the butterflies that have made it their habitat. This feature exemplifies the sustainable environment at the school, which achieved LEED for Schools certification from the US Green Building Council. It stands among the first five Chicago Public Schools facilities to achieve the credential at the Gold level.

mariano-azuela-elementary-sustainable
Related Projects
Hamilton Elementary School
Stevenson High School Expansion
Research | Equality Seat
Niles North Aquatics Center