Riverside Brookfield High School

Restore, Renovate or Rebuild?

School Planning & Management
by Craig Berry and Christian E. Helgesen, RA

As our culture embraces the concept of reuse or recycling in its many forms, it is only appropriate to focus on how some school districts have tapped the creativity of board members, architects and/or planners to restore, renovate or rebuild some their local structures to serve as educational spaces. Not only has this concept served them in the “green” sense by recycling the structures and adding eco-friendly components, but the projects also saved them some green in the form of lower expenditures for the amount of square footage they now use to serve their students.

These types of stories are always interesting, but this is also a subject that proves the adage “a picture is worth 1,000 words.” So, we present a few examples of school facilities that have been recycled with a short description and several photos to give you a better sense of just how useful these building have become.

An Ambitious Plan

Riverside Brookfield High School


In March of 2006, the communities served by Riverside Brookfield High School, outside of Chicago, Ill., voted to fund a $65-million public referendum to fulfill an ambitious plan to renovate and expand the school. Although the 90-year-old building had undergone many major additions and renovations throughout the decades, it had not had any significant improvements since 1978. The school district administration selected Wight & Company to update the historic school with a four-year multi-phase project that included the demolition of about 70,000 square feet of building areas, the renovation of the remaining 295,000 square feet and the addition of 110,000 new square feet.

In summer of 2007, construction began on the first phase of work. A courtyard was in-filled with a new music department for band rehearsal and choir. The results were acoustically perfect rooms for each function that provided the first glimpse at the future look of the new high school.

The following school year, the existing outdated swimming pool and locker rooms were removed. After complete demolition, the space was rebuilt into a new pool and locker rooms enclosed in a 14,000-square-foot addition. The new six-lane, extended-length pool has a movable bulkhead that enables the school to hold competition events in swimming, diving or water polo simultaneously with recreational swimming or athletic warm up.

During these first two construction phases, Wight & Company continued working with school administrators, faculty and the community to plan, design and document the work for the final phase. Working in partnership with McHugh Construction, the team was able to fast-track the design and construction process, which allowed the school to minimize total time for construction and maximize time for selecting and budgeting the majority of the work.

 “The involvement of the many project stakeholders during the design process resulted in a modern educational facility enveloped in the beautiful historic exterior that everyone identifies with this community,” says Kevin Havens, senior vice president and design director at Wight & Company.

The final project phase featured the development of a new primary entrance that maintained the historic character of the school. This was part of a 40,000-square-foot, two-story addition that also included atrium space, classrooms and administration offices. The cafeteria was expanded, the science department was enlarged and the library was gutted and rebuilt. The project also included new computer lab classrooms, renovation of a 300-seat theater and a 700-seat auditorium, and an updated and reconfigured art department. The athletic department benefited from a 20,000-square-foot fieldhouse addition that doubled the amount of enclosed athletic space available; rebuilt basement athletic spaces for wrestling, weightlifting and PE locker rooms; new synthetic turf and a new track for the athletic field.

Today, the Riverside Brookfield student body attends classes in a modern, expanded facility designed to fulfill the referendum goals. The new school has a total of 405,000 square feet and can accommodate more than 1,800 students. The building renovations, additions and system upgrades have had a positive effect on the general learning environment and also have made it greener. Energy efficient mechanical systems, white roofs and permeable pavers have reduced costs and raised environmental awareness.

“The completion of the high school renovation marks the end of a four year design and construction project that was made possible through the generous support of our community,” says interim superintendent, Dr. David Bonnette. “The beneficiaries of the project are not just the fortunate students who will enjoy the new and progressive learning environment, but also the community that has expressed its appreciation for the preservation and sensitive expansion of this landmark building.”

To read the entire article, please visit the School Planning & Management website.




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