Perkins+Will, Chicago, designed the Early Learning Center, a $9 million, 37,000-sf addition to Barrington Middle School in Barrington, Ill., to create an easily accessible and safe learning environment for pre-kindergarten and special-needs students. A central corridor provides access to common areas, making the commute to the classroom āvillagesā shorter, and each classroom has access to its own private, secure play area. All classrooms have a north-south orientation for optimum natural light, and hallways have south-facing clerestory windows. For safety, the corridor and classrooms are separated from the controlled-access entry.
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BIMĀ school, green school: California's newest high-performance school
Nestled deep in the Napa Valley, the city of American Canyon is one of a number of new communities in Northern California that have experienced tremendous growth in the last five years. Located 42 miles northeast of San Francisco, American Canyon had a population of just over 9,000 in 2000; by 2008, that figure stood at 15,276, with 28% of the population under age 18.
