Award Description

Project Participants

Owner – Elgin Academy, Elgin, IL
Architect/Designer – DLA Architects, Ltd., Elgin, IL
Structural Engineer – Pease Borst & Associates, Barrington, IL
General Contractor – Pepper Construction, Barrington, IL
Concrete Contractor – K Keup Concrete Construction, Batavia, IL
Concrete Producer – Prairie Materials, Bridgeview, IL
Masonry Contractor – G Porter Co, St. Charles, IL
Masonry Supplier – Quick Brick & Belgard Hardscape, Mundelein, IL
Masonry Supplier - Northfield Block, an Oldcastle Company, Mundelein, IL
Other – PCI/Spec Mix, Elburn, IL
Other – C.R. Schmidt Brick Paving, Warrenville, IL

Elgin Academy, founded in 1839, is an independent day school that serves Pre-School through 12th grade students. The design of the Harold D. Rider Family Media, Science & Fine Arts Center provides the 150 year old campus with a new cutting edge, environmentally friendly and energy efficient facility. The four story, 41,380 sq. ft. building is nestled into a hillside on an urban site that was previously a brown field along a primary entry corridor into Elgin’s downtown. The building houses a 300 seat Black Box Theater and Math Classrooms; and Music, Fine Arts, Computer Graphics and Science Labs. The project is registered with the USGBC under LEED-NC 2.2 and is seeking LEED certification at the Gold Level.

The site design features an exterior concrete terrace on the west side of the building, with a commanding view of the Fox River Valley. On the east side is a concrete courtyard facing the campus quad. Concrete was used for its high solar reflectance index contributing to the reduction of the project’s heat-island effect. These outdoor spaces also maximize the open space of the campus, providing usable program spaces for outdoor events and educational programs. Concrete landscape block retaining walls shape planting beds, making the steep hillside site functional and providing a buffer between the pedestrian orientated campus and the busy street below. Indigenous, drought-resistant plant materials were used so supplemental irrigation would not be required.

High levels of thermal insulation in the exterior walls and roof, along with the energy efficient mechanical system design, contribute to the energy efficiency of the building. The white membrane roof reflects solar heat reducing the heat-island effect and reducing the building’s cooling loads. Architectural concrete brick was chosen for the exterior for its appearance and cost. It also contributes to a LEED credit because it was manufactured locally. Interior concrete materials were selected for their high recycled content, regional origin and low VOC emissions. Concrete masonry unit walls with slag aggregate filled cores provide acoustic isolation around the Black Box Theater and the Music Labs. This material is comprised of 100% post-industrial recycled material. Other sustainable features include lighting occupancy sensors and exterior sunshades that shield spaces from direct sunlight while maintaining exterior views.

The original foundation design required 27 ft. tall concrete buttresses be built on the east side of the two-story Black Box Theater wall to anchor the building into the hillside. The construction manager suggested redesigning the foundation system to eliminate the buttresses by building further into the hill. The Design Team expanded upon this idea by eliminating the buttresses and creating a storage room to the east of the Theater so the concrete slab floor of this room could act as a diaphragm to brace the foundation wall. This creative teamwork produced 1,200 sq. ft. of storage, and provided future program space for no additional cost to the project.

In extending Elgin Academy’s mission and sharing its facilities with the community, the Elgin Opera has been chosen as Elgin Academy’s Resident Artist program. It maintains offices in the building and holds most rehearsals and productions in the Black Box Theater. Another community group, The Elgin Theater Company, has been named as an “In Residence Ensemble."