A district wide master facility plan (MFP), facilitated by ARCON Associates, identified a number of large scale additions and renovations at Edison Elementary School that would help better align the district’s curricular goals with the existing school. Student and teacher design workshops informed the modernization and replanning of this 3rd thru 5th grade elementary school. A number of design principles grew out of the MFP which included circulation issues within and around the facility, re-zoning of the public/active spaces and the academic spaces, safety and security at the main entrance, growing capacity for competitive sports and group gatherings, and the desire to better implement specialists with the grades they serve.
The final design solution included a new addition which helped provide better circulation between the classrooms and the shared spaces; the creation of a large gymnasium that could serve the entire district; a cafeteria that could be split for various sizes of groups; and a relocated main entrance that provided a more secure access. In the existing facility, renovation work focused on elective spaces such as a new art room, life skills, band/music spaces, a new learning resource center, and small group specialist rooms throughout the building. The site was redeveloped to separate parent and bus traffic on the site, allow for better queuing of vehicles for pick up and drop off, and the creation of a new, age appropriate, playground space.
Students, parents, community members, administrators, teachers, Board of Education Members, the Village of Morton Grove, local police, and the local fire department all participated in the planning process.
