Mannheim Middle School Gymnasium Renovation

Melrose Park, Illinois

Firm

SPM Architects, Inc.

Client

Mannheim School District #83

Area

20,000 sq.ft.

Total Cost

$3,780,000

Completion Date

09/2021

Michael Bober, SPM Architects Inc.

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Design Team
Ron Carleton (Director of Buildings, Grounds, and Transportation), Mannheim School District 83; Guenther Schmidt (Partner, Architect of Record), Michael Bober (Project Manager), SPM Architects Inc.; Tom Mazur (Construction Manager), Mazur & Son; Ed Chrzastowski & David Deering (MEP Engineers), Consolidated Consulting Engineers

The gymnasium at Mannheim Middle School was constructed in 1966 and has had minimal upgrades since then. The school wanted to update the gymnasium for the student body as well as its athletic teams, as the gymnasium hosts several events yearly. The original wood floor was refinished, and workers upgraded the court layouts and added school logos. New gym equipment was added to the space, along with drop-down curtains to separate the large gymnasium space into three smaller classroom spaces. LED lighting and controls were provided, and windows were added to the west elevation to bring in natural light. The existing dropped ceiling was removed, and existing construction was left exposed for a more industrial look. Adjacent classroom spaces were retrofitted to provide additional exercise and weightlifting spaces. A new mechanical mezzanine space was provided to accommodate energy-efficient mechanical equipment including an air handler, boilers, and water heaters; this brought air conditioning to the gymnasium for the first time. Large industrial fans were provided in each classroom bay to circulate air.