Page 92 - Designing Ways 257

Cristo Rey BEFORE

St. Martin College Prep

Waukegan, United States

he Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep (CRSM), a member
of the national network of Cristo Rey schools, is a new high
Tschool campus as progressive as its students. As their current
facility no longer meets the basic needs of their students, CRSM
looked towards their neighbour, an abandoned department store,
to become their new home. JGMA selected CRSM to complete the
renovation and construction assignment for its new high school
campus in Waukegan, Illinois.

The renovation and construction assignment of Cristo Rey St. Martin
College Prep required the comprehensive transformation of an
abandoned big box store into a contemporary educational facility
serving over 400 students. The former building structure had no
identity and no physical or emotional connection to the community.
The design-build team’s challenge was to break down those barriers
and develop an innovative design that would inspire the students,
faculty, administration, and community.

The expectation of CRSM students is already elevated to that of a
college student; therefore, they deserve a facility that emulates this.
The new facility strives to match CRSM’s innovative pedagogy, giving
students the high-quality campus they deserve.

Looking past the stigma of a big box retail store, the tall volume, open
floor plan, and northern wetlands become immense opportunities
in the transformation of the perceived eye-sore into a beacon for
CRSM. In order to make the deep floor plan suitable for a learning
facility, daylight must be integrated into all learning spaces, which is
accomplished by slicing the building with sawtooth light monitors
and skylights that extend the limited building perimeter.

92 Issue 257 • dw