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he John W. Cook Academy is a prekindergarten through 8th-grade public elementary school located in Chicago’s Auburn-Gresham neighborhood. In 2017, the Healthy Schools Campaign and Openlands selected Cook Academy as the 12th schoolyard in Chicago to be transformed through the innovative “Space to Grow” program. The program selects schools in communities with significant flooding concerns to transform into inspired play and learning spaces for students. These places become vital outdoor spaces for the whole neighborhood to get together and reconnect with nature. The initiative is a collaboration with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, Chicago Department of Water Management, and the Chicago Public Schools. Before the transformation, Cook Academy’s expansive asphalt lot was flooded throughout most of the year and created a hot and unpleasant environment that left little room for creative play. The new schoolyard includes a lush landscape with native plants, walkways, and seating areas, recreation opportunities, and play spaces for children of all ages, including a multi-purpose artificial turf field surrounded by a running track, and two half-court basketball courts. A custom playground nested into hills
Honor Award
and mounds supports children ages 2-12 through a range of challenging and exploratory play features, including climbing structures and a multi-user swing. Chicago’s longest hopscotch court – nearly 100 feet long – guides visitors from the playground to the field. Nearby, game tables attract students and community members alike for study sessions, dominoes, and games of chess. A series of colored concrete seating blocks provide a casual gathering area or outdoor classroom, serving as an extension of the classroom for lessons ranging from science experiments to nutrition education. Green infrastructure addresses neighborhood-scale flooding issues through permeable surfaces and native plantings. A dry riverbed serves as dry stone stormwater storage and infiltration between the playground, basketball court, and multi-purpose field. Since its opening in the fall of 2018, the John W. Cook Academy schoolyard has become the highlight of the school day for students and has helped engage and educate the nearby community. Space to Grow is bringing wideranging benefits to Chicago neighborhoods through a unique partnership and communityfocused process that has garnered attention across the nation.
TEAM / SITE • APPLIED GEOSCIENCE, INC. • RELIABLE & ASSOCIATES CONSTRUCTION CO. • S.M.P. GROUP DESIGN ASSOCIATES, LLC • TECMA ASSOCIATES, INC.
CATEGORY / DESIGN CONSTRUCTED LOCATION / CHICAGO, IL
CLIENT / CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS. • HEALTHY SCHOOLS CAMPAIGN. • OPENLANDS COMPLETION YEAR / 2018 13