District 113 Selects Architecture Firm to Develop Long Range Plan

District 113 hired Perkins+Will as its architect to develop a master plan for Deerfield and Highland Park High Schools based on long-term needs established over the past year. The decision was approved by the Board of Education during its meeting on Monday night.

The architecture firm was founded in Chicago in 1935. Its Chicago office is home to more than 250 architects, interior designers and planners. K-12 educational facilities are one of the firm’s areas of expertise.

In May, District 113 called on community volunteers to serve on study groups and help analyze and prioritize the needs at both DHS and HPHS. Perkins+Will will be using those recommendations to guide them in creating a Long Range Facility Plan for District 113’s schools.

Perkins+Will has worked successfully with other school districts in the area. Architects added on new facilities to older buildings at Lake Forest High School. “They used a lot of natural light that flowed through the entire building. They also rehabbed older rooms into new flexible teaching spaces,” Barry Bolek, Assistant Superintendent for Finance, said. Bolek, along with other District 113 administrators and community members, many of whom were architects, toured Lake Forest High School. Several other neighboring high schools were toured as well.

“Perkins+Will also ran a very successful Long Range Facilities Plan for District 86 in Hinsdale,” Bolek stated. “Their campus and buildings’ are very similar to those in our District.”

The approval of this firm is the latest step in the long-term process of evaluating the District’s needs. On May 21, the leadership team will present the study groups’ recommendations to the Board of Education. The public is welcome to attend the meeting in Highland Park High School’s auditorium at 7:30 p.m.