Bolingbrook High School

Bolingbrook, Illinois

Firm

Wight & Company

Client

Valley View Community Unit School District 365U

Area

562,000 sq.ft.

Total Cost

$84,000,000

Completion Date

08/2004

The new comprehensive high school organizes a 3,600-student capacity into two separate academic houses that contain separate administration and student-service teams. A naturally lighted concourse, bringing daylight into all levels of the school, connects the fine-arts and athletics wings with the academic houses and centrally situated library.
Site development for the 70-acre site, which contains a small creek, wetlands and a nearly 28-foot grade change, allows the three-level school to cascade down the grade change, minimizing the number of students across each level of the school. The fieldhouse is buried partially in the site’s high point to reduce scale, and the fine-arts wing is positioned on the north side of the site to take advantage of indirect, natural light. Situated between the two academic wings, an outdoor amphitheater is landscaped to support an array of activities including gatherings, performances, leisure and instruction.
The school has been designed with a special sensitivity to human scale. The application of multiple masonry products, horizontal banding, texture and color was detailed carefully and proportioned to make the user feel comfortable and welcome. The interior color palette of earth tones was selected to emphasize the environmental components and connection to nature.