Cicero SD 99 Lincoln School

ICI was contracted by SD 99 to deliver a 70,995 square foot addition and 62,720 square foot renovation at Lincoln School. The project was completed with a fast track schedule, with the added complexity of an occupied school during portions of construction.The addition to the existing school more than doubles the size of the original school. The project site was a full city block in the center of a dense residential community. The design for the addition tied together the historic architecture from the original 1930’s school building and a more contemporary addition that was completed in 1952. The scale and massing of the addition related to the traditional bungalow style architecture of the surrounding neighborhood.

The design solution included enclosing the existing courtyard and creation of a new courtyard with the addition. The shared spaces such as the gymnasium, learning resource center and cafeteria frame the courtyards and connect the newly formed east and west wings.

New specialty classrooms, including a computer lab, music classroom and art classroom are all centrally located within the new layout. The new layout also allows for classrooms to be grouped by individual grade in their own wings of the building. The building has a flexible infrastructure for current and future technology.

The existing school, originally constructed in 1931 with additions in 1952 and 1970, required major upgrades such as a new roof, new ceilings and flooring, as well as a new fire sprinkler system. A total of 17 classrooms were also renovated and the entire mechanical system was replaced which included a new air conditioning system; a major upgrade from the existing antiquated boiler-fed heat only system. Asbestos abatement was also required throughout the renovated portion of the building.