Legat Architects designed the LEED for Schools Gold registered Niles North High School Aquatics Center in Skokie, Ill., which recently won an Award of Merit from the Illinois Association of School Boards and received an honorable mention from the Steel Joist Institute.
The center, which has had a major impact on the area, was designed by community members, as well as student athletes who joined board members, district staff, architects, and engineers in a design charrette. The design and construction of the facility was also incorporated into the school’s architecture/engineering class curriculum.
The sustainable building design reduces energy use by 44% compared to a standard code-compliant building of similar size, which will result in annual energy savings of 31.5%.
Other project components include a competition “cold” pool, a community “warm” pool, a public connecting corridor, locker room renovations, coaches’ offices, and meeting/storage space.
