row: Greening Chicago Public Schoolyards

Dirksen
ry School

Master Plan Spring

Prepared for: Chicago Public Schools
125 South Clark Street
Chicago, Illinois 60603

Approved: ____________________________, ________

Openlands Date

Approved: ____________________________, ________

Healthy Schools Campaign Date

Approved: ____________________________, ________

Capital Architect and Design Manager Date

Completed by: Course Faculty Advisor

Chandi Aldena Landscape Architecture Studio 8 Professor Lois Brink
Sydney Karpowich Landscape Architecture 6605-8 Instructor Eric Crott
Quan Liu Spring 2013
Alexander Taft
University of Colorado Denver
Graduate Students College of Architecture & Planning
of Landscape Architecture Campus Box 126 Denver, Colorado
 1 Part 2: The Master Plan 19
1 Possible Elements 20
1 Spatial Diagrams 21
2 Lessons Learned 24

2 Organizational Concept 25

esent Situation 3 Schematic Design 26

d Culture of the O’Hare Neighborhood 3 Smart Tools 31

Part 4: Appendix 33
mentary 5
Photo Survey Results 33
hics of Dirksen Elementary 6
Design Development Documents 37
olders 7
Storm Water Analysis 60

rograms 9 Challenge Course Elements 61

ndition of Dirksen 11 Playground Equipment 62

er & Drainage 13
Desires 15
The Challenge City Infrastructure
Studies show that a well-planned and equipped exterior play Chicago built a stormwater conveyance sys
area enhances the learning environment resulting in improved control runoff and reduce flooding. Like most
learning and achievement. Such play areas provide physical Chicago built one underground system that c
and mental challenges that translate to improved health and wastewater and storm water. However, as the
cognitive abilities. One of the principle goals of schools is to more and more hard surfaces, such as roofto
provide a focus for the community - a place to gather and to exist resulting in increased levels of runoff pa
meet, a place to enjoy, a place that enhances the community’s floods. The city infrastructure has not kept u
appearance. and when storm water volumes exceed the s
the combined sewers overflow and release u
Chicago Public Schools (CPS), as with many urban school and storm water into the Chicago River. This
districts, is the second largest landowner in the city. The district the health and habitat of the river. As the Met
has 400,000 students housed in 681 buildings. The district is Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MW
faced with under utilized resources coupled with financial issues to reduce storm water, greening schoolyards
while striving to improve the quality of K-12 education. With the opportunity to develop a larger innovative sc
implementation of the Full School Day which started last fall, that supports the use of schoolyards as effect
CPS brought back recess. The 2013 draft capital budget proposes and recreation resources by designing and i
a the multi-year investment to ensure that schools have new effective play and learning spaces critical to a
or improved playlots. The playgrounds compliment recess and community health.
the newly proposed full day Kindergarten. CPS is also in the
process of consolidating it’s resources in order to better serve its
students.

“Every child in every neighborhood in Chicago deserves access

to a high quality education that prepares them to succeed in life.
For too long, however, children in certain parts of Chicago have
been cheated out of the resources they need to succeed in the
classroom because they are in under utilized, under-resourced
schools. By consolidating these schools, we can focus on safely
getting every child into a better performing school close to their
 n The Intent
Space to Grow: Greening Chicago This school-community design model will be developed out of
Schoolyards is a three-year campaign with sustainable schoolyard pilots in three Chicago schools. This work
a long term goal to transform Chicago will be done through a master planning approach that involves
schoolyards into safe and sustainable students, parents, teachers and the broader community in
places that support student health developing a comprehensive plan for the schoolyard. This report
and wellness, address the city’s green was part of a University of Colorado, Department of Landscape
infrastructure needs, engage the broader Architecture design studio conducted over an eight-week
community, and support play, learning, period in the Spring of 2013. This studio was funded in part by
raction with nature and environmental Openlands.
ds and Healthy Schools Campaign, in
icago Public Schools and others will develop The master plan is a written report and set of schematic
yard planning, financing and construction drawings set forth the structure for future campus
s funding from a variety of public and private improvements. Each school has a vision that speaks to the
een infrastructure dollars. desires of the school and surrounding community. The vision is
further delineated into goals that identify the major components
olyard is a safe and sustainable center for for implementation. These goals are defined through the use of
e children can play, learn and interact with text and imagery. A programmatic list of uses is also developed.
hysical space that addresses the city’s green Lastly, each master plan sets forth the aesthetic ordering system
. While each schoolyard will be designed to or systems that will be used in the design phase to organize
e specific school and community, elements programmatic uses. As a pilot project this report is a hybrid of
thering spaces (big and small); a community both master plan and a set of schematic design drawings which
ose fields; hard surfaces for games and will provide a framework for fund raising and future construction.
s; a natural habitat; an edible garden; and,
Section 1: History and Culture of
the O’Hare Neighborhood
O’Hare neighborhood, located in the Northwest corner
of Chicago, is a multicultural community near the O’Hare
International Airport. The community was not heavily
developed until after World War II and the expansion of the
airport. In the 1840’s, families started to settle in the area.
German immigrants moved into the area and established a
church and cemetery there called, St. Johannes. 1942 marked
the opening of Douglas Aircraft, an American aerospace
manufacturer that built cargo planes for the war. After the war,
however, the facility became a commercial airport, named for
aviator Edward H “Butch” O’Hare, O’Hare International Airport.
Everything was removed except for St. Johannes Cemetery. The
city began to annex parts of DuPage County to better connect
the airport to the city, including the forest preserve areas.
essway (completed in 1956) further
etween the airport and the rest of Chicago.
a small bedroom community for airport
into a very family oriented community
nearby land values.

ulation of O’Hare neighborhood grew

e war, moving from the original Ukrainian
orthwest Chicago. In 1977, after twenty
and construction, St. Joseph’s Ukrainian
opened, a trademark of the O’Hare
ore people began to move into the
-rise apartment buildings, 2 and 3 flat units
ancies quickly turned into family units.
St. Joseph’s Ukrainian Catholic Church (photo courtesy of St. Joseph’s Ukrainian Catholic Church)

tion (2010 Census): 12, 756

unity Origin:

: 32.0% Italian: 25.6%

an: 13.4% Irish: 7.5%

: 3.8% English: 2.0%

graphics:

: 77.18% Hispanic: 9.5%

: 3.16% Asian: 8.29%

: 1.87%
Section 2:
History of Dirksen Elementary
Dirksen Elementary is named after Everett McKinley Dirksen,
an American politician representing the Republican Party.
During his time as Senate Minority Leader, he played a key role
in helping to write and pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the
Open Housing Act of 1968, both landmark civil rights legislation.

Dirksen Elementary was built in 1971 to serve 400

prekindergarten through 8th Graders. A one story module was
constructed in 1972, closing off the back of the building and
creating an interior courtyard. Currently, a module classroom
located on the south eastern side of the lot houses four more
classrooms.

“I came of immigrant German stock. My mother

Island as a child of 17, with a tag around her ne
that she be sent to Pekin, Illinois. Our family had
in Illinois, and the essence of what we’re trying t
civil rights bill is to see that others have opportu
country.”
emographics of “We strive to ensure that all students achieve individual
mentary academic success and become lifelong learners.”
-- Chicago Public Schools

t Population (2012-2013)
enrolled

pulation Statistics:

: 74.8%

cation: 12%

th Disabilities: 12.9%

guage Learners: 48.3%

mographics (2012-2013)

% (highest) Dirksen School Zone (Source Chicago Public Schools)

.5% (second highest)

rican
 Teacher Collaboration
Section 4: The Stakeholders
Students: Dirksen received a Level 1 rating in the 2012 Progress Report.
Level 1 is the highest rating at CPS. Currently, the school is not on probation.

Growth Details

Courtesy of schoolreports.cps.edu

Subgroup Growth School Safety Survey

s
eported for Grades 3-8 at Dirksen Elementary Math Reading Science
verage, Dirksen’s scores were higher than
Math, Reading and Science. Grade 3
90% 78%
(Dirksen)
Grade 3
88% 76%
(State)
Grade 4
93% 87% 86%
(Dirksen)
Grade 4
88% 76% 80%
(State)
Grade 5
89% 81%
(Dirksen)
Grade 5
84% 78%
(State)
Grade 6
86% 83%
Student painting at Dirksen Elementary (Photo courtesy Lois Brink) (Dirksen)
Grade 6
85% 82%
(State)
Grade 7
93% 79% 74%
(Dirksen)
Grade 7
85% 78% 80%
(State)
Grade 8
67% 84%
(Dirksen)
Grade 8
85% 86%
(State)
Section 5:
School Culture and Programs
School Mission
“Our school community mission is to provide educational
programs that support all, including special education and
ELL, students’ literacy enrichment by committing to a high
quality academic instructional program. All students will
have an extensive opportunity to learn the skills of effective
communication, analytical thought and creativity, All students
will develop into adults who value and promote education and
who contribute generously to our society.”
ley Dirksen School’s vision is to provide an
tudents not only regular education students
l education and ELL students, to realize their
e an active and responsible role in their own

Activities
Chicago School Reform Act each school
ngual Advisory Committee (BAC) as part
nal Bilingual Education and Instructional

C is to help parents of ELLs develop Heritage Without Borders Celebration at Dirksen Elementary School

ffective participation in schools and a

alf of all ELLs.

ized as a standing committee of the Local

standing committee, the BAC reports to
gual education.
Section 6: Physical Condition of Dirksen
Dirksen was built in 1971, and an annex was
added in 1972. Below, are original drawings
for the building. Although the school isn’t
as old as other schools in the Chicago Public
School District, it is over capacity and over used.
Leaving the interior and exterior of the building
in need of major work.

Original drawings of Dirksen Eleme

“The childhood environment con

enormous workshop of the senses a
integral part of learning and an activ
in it. It is difficult to design flexible, c
spaces that are continually altering a
simultaneously, to provide these pla
identity.”
-- The T
Original drawings of Dirksen Elementary (courtesy of CPS)
 40 year old annex ADA Entrance

Teacher
Parking Lot
ECE playground

West Foster Ave

Main entrance

Module Dumpsters
ECE, Pre-k, and Kin-
Playground dergarten pick up area

North Delphia
Ave
Site Information Section 7: Storm Water
The ADA entrance is located on the Southwest side of the building in the
annex. In order to enter through that door, you must go through the parking Calculations and documentation were done as per
lot and walk a short distance along a path between an apartment complex IEPA for the Illinois Green Infrastructure Grant. Accordi
and the school. the installation of the BMPs included in the design, the
be significantly reduced, as will the impermeable area
quality of the water leaving the site will also improve b
through the permeable concrete and CA-7 stone in th
many others the water will filter through as it infiltrate
it. The volume of water that this project will retain is as

Givens
Accessibility Vehicular Access Service & Maintenance 1. It rains approximately 27.1 inches per year in the
project disturbs 101,175 sf. of surface area(2.4acres).
2.10-year storm, 1-hour duration (3 in/hr).
The only vehicular access is in the middle of the school site into the
3. Type A hydrograph (duration = time of concentr
parking lot. The parking lot is used by faculty and staff. Currently contains
4. The pavement acreage includes the property sid
more parking spaces than necessary. Parents normally park on the street
four streets surrounding the site.
and pick up their child, or stop along West Foster Ave to drop them at the
front entrance. The school administration strongly advises against this due to
the high volume of traffic along Foster. The main service areas are along the
Calculations
western side of the building. Dirksen has 5 dumpsters on site and are located 1. Modified Rational Method – Qp = C * Ca * I * A,
near the entrance to the parking lot. - Qp = peak rate of runoff
- C = runoff coefficient (pavement = .95 & grass =
- Ca = antecedent precipitation factor (1.25)
- I = rainfall intensity – 3 in/hr
- A = area in acres (pavement = .45 & grass .01)
Pavement Qp = 1.6 ft3/s
Grass Qp = .15 ft3/s
2. Volume = ft3/s * seconds = ft3
Pavement volume = 345,600 ft3
Grass volume = 3240 ft3
Poor drainage on Dirksen schoolyard (Photos taken by Alexander Taft)
3. City of Chicago required release rate = .30 ft3/se
4. Volume-storage = inflow – outflow
Pavement - 345,600 ft3 – 1080 ft3 = 344,520 ft3
 Storm Water Analysis
poor drainage on site where the slope does not
in and storm water pools in most areas of the
nd turf. This makes the playground slippery and
is of water on and off site was completed, as well as Area prone
ipes to the best our ability from the given survey. The to flooding
ore around 3500 acre feet of water underground
storm sewer system.

Area prone
to flooding

Area prone
to flooding

Possible Storage Areas

Area used for

recess. High traffic
has turned grass
into muddy area.
Section 8: Needs and Desires Photo Survey Results
Students, teachers, and staff were surveyed to asses
Students and teachers filled out a survey to decide program programmatic interests were for the playground. Stud
elements that they would want included in the schoolyard imagine their ideal playground. Next, they were given
design. Some of top picks among both students and teachers the design of playgrounds from which they chose 4 th
were a challenge course, basketball court, climbing structure and incorporated in to the Dirksen playground design. Whi
completed, there were discussions of each picture abo
swings. do not like, and why. The following results show the d
students which are visually represented in the Wordle/
Survey Results within the Dirksen Master Plan docume

Wish List

Proposed map provided by

s Student Results
Stakeholder Workshops
On Thursday April 12th, an all day community workshop was Teachers - Wave A
set up by Openlands to solicit stakeholder input for the work that
the CU graduates had prepared to date. Students prepared three
boards of their work to date. The schedule was as follows:

7:30 - Eric Crotty, Chandi, Alex, Syndney

and Quan arrive at Dirksen to set up
10 am parent meeting in the Dirksen Library
Teachers meet in their grade level teams throughout
the day. Team Meetings begin at 8:45 and go hourly
OUR IDEAS FOR YOUR SC
until 10:45 and resume again at 12:25. POSSIBLE ELEMENTS
PLAY EDUCATION/TECHNOLOGY ENVIRONMEN
Track and field Mobile classroom Community gar
Four square Science plaza Cultivated gard
Hopscotch Outdoor classroom Rain garden
Play equipment k-2 ECE mentoring area ECE garden
3:30 – 4:30 Student Council Meeting Swings (Designed by Jen Lewin: http://jenlewinstudio.
com/community-sculpture/play-module-2012/)
Basketball court
Challenge course
Climbing structure
ECE play area
somewhere in the day too.
5:00 Exit interview with Principal
CHALLENGE COURSE C

Stakeholders were given dots and sticky note pads to share

ideas and identify elements they liked and disliked. Blue dots PERGOLA

represent elements they do not like and yellow green dots are QUOTE FROM PATRICK KUBIK, STUDENT SMART
I would like a soccer field on 1/3 of the parking lot. Also, a small NATURE: S
place where we could have class outside. This would be nice for PHOTOCHR
the kids. If the kids want to play football, they could just play on
When photo
the field.
to major sun
color. “The
elements they like. Play equipment catalogues where also Me gustaría tener un campo de fútbol en 1/3 de la playa de esta-
and put on y
cionamiento. Además, un pequeño lugar donde podíamos tomar
BELOW)
fuera de clase. Esto sería bueno para los niños. Si los niños quieren
jugar al fútbol, que sólo podía jugar en el campo.
available for review.

Chciałbym boisko na 1/3

z parkingu. Ponadto, małe
ACTION: M
miejsce, gdzie mogliśmy na
zewnątrz klasy. To będzie CASE STUD
dobre dla dzieci. Jeśli dzie- The work ha
ci chcą grać w piłkę nożną, paper. The L
mogą po prostu grać na abstracted “
boisku. reveal them
“This whole neighborhood STORMWATER ANALYSIS
“In the school garden I would like “We can work as a team to
plays basketball and we al-
to enjoy the classrooms or lunch. It accomplish a vegetable garden.
ways have to go to gyms to
would be so nice to do projects and It would also be nice to have a
play. Most of them are far
51

have class outside.” track for exercise”

52

away.”
52
53

-- Jane Mahas, student -- Ewa, student

-- Arnel Grozdonic, student
NORTH DELPHIA AVE
eB Student Council

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE... Education & OUR VISION... WHAT DO YOU THINK?
ORGANI ATIONAL CONCEPTS Technology E This master plan creates space for play, learning and community life. The design integrates all available space
E
within the school boundaries to incorporate the following five design principles: culture, education and technology,
V environment, play and safety. V
CULTURE: The design celebrates the cultural diversity of the students.
Play Environment E E
ENVIRONMENT: The design creates hands-on experiences for scientific discovery.
EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY: The design incorporates smart tools to encourage interests in math, science, and
R literacy.
R
PLAY: The design promotes physical physical and mental health by improving the recreational opportunities.
Culture Safety
E SAFETY: The design will improve the circulation and access while maintaining a safe and secure school campus.
E
SPATIAL DIAGRAMS T YOUR DRAWINGS T
Protected Schoolyard
T T
M M
C C
K K
GOAL... Does it align with yours?
I The goal of this master plan is to create an innovative design that incorporates play, learning and community to support I
the school vision for education and inclusion of all students at Dirksen. The design will provide students with opportunities
N to learn the skills of effective communication, analytical thought and creativity. The spaces are designed with both the N
students and their families in mind creating an engaging landscape for the Dirksen community.
L WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT YOUR SCHOOL... L
How would you like us to
represent Senator Dirks-
E en at your school? E
CIRCULATION YOUR SCHOOL STATISTICS
pervious surface Performance Rating: Level 1,
I prefer the smaller elements on the edge to create hierarchy Y excellent standing Y
to the gathering spaces in the center- Alex Number of students: 2
Grades: ECE- th grade
I like the track on the back corner of the site- Chandi
impervious surface Mascott: Senator
Can we make a new ADA entrance?

D D
impervious surface

Which one do you like and why? What would you change or add?
I I
Transformed “Backyard” R Everett McKinley Dirksen was an R
American politician representing the
Republican Party. During his time as
Senate Minority Leader, he played a
K key role in helping to write and pass
K
the Civil Rights Act of 1 and the
Open Housing Act of 1 , both
landmark civil rights legislation.
S S
YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD HISTORY
1 : Wisconsim Central 1 : Renamed
E RR created a stop, and 1 : Orchard Place Chicago O Hare TODAY:
E
1 s: German immigrants 1 s: More residential
settled in community Orchard Place was created Airport opened International Presentation on
buildings constructed,
Airport your school
N increase in population N
Master Plan 1 2 : 2 sq. miles given of 1 : St. Johannes 1 2: Orchard Place was 1 s: 1 1: Dirksen
Master Plan
what would be the O hare Cemetery was built chosen for new air base Kennedy Elementary
Studio Spring Studio Spring
2013 community was purchased manufacturing facility, Expressway opened 2013
Orchard Place Airport constructed

YOUR THOUGHTS...
Chandi Aldena Chandi Aldena
Sydney Karpowich Sydney Karpowich
Quan Liu Quan Liu
Alexander Taft Alexander Taft

Lois Brink Lois Brink

Eric Crotty Eric Crotty
CIRCULATION

I like the parking in the front- Quan

Vision Goal
This master plan creates space for play, learning and The goal of this master plan is to create an
community life. The design integrates all available space within that incorporates play, learning and commun
the school boundaries to incorporate the following five design the school vision for education and inclusion
principles: culture, education and technology, environment, play Dirksen. The design will provide students wit
and safety. learn the skills of effective communication, a
and creativity. The spaces are designed with
Culture: The design celebrates the cultural diversity of the and their families in mind; creating an engagi
students. the Dirksen community.
Environment: The design creates hands-on experiences for
scientific discovery. Concept Diagram
Education & Technology: The design incorporates smart tools to
encourage interests in math, science, and literacy.

Play: The design promotes physical and mental health by

improving the recreational opportunities.

Safety: The design will improve the circulation and access while
maintaining a safe and secure school campus.
 ments
st of possible program elements to be included in the schoolyard makeover. The list was developed in
ksen’s school vision and what is currently being taught at the school, as well as the results from the photo survey.
of possible program elements that are approved for schoolyards, which are included in this list as well.

EDUCATION/ SAFETY ENVIRONMENT CULTURE

nd field TECHNOLOGY Visual/noise buffer Learning Garden Gateway
uare Mobile classroom ADA entry Rain garden Parent gathering
tch Science plaza Teacher parking ECE garden space
uipment Outdoor Butterfly Garden Mural
ngs classroom
all court ECE mentoring
ge course area
structure
y area

CHALLENGE COURSE CLIMBING GROW FOOD

Spatial Diagrams
Protected Schoolyard
The Protected Schoolyard design places the outdoor side. That area is currently only used during r
classrooms and basketball court in the middle of the schoolyard. of the time it can’t be used because it gets so
The ECE play area remains in the central courtyard with minimal the presentation, teachers felt the parking wa
change. With the addition of a second module, it was thought preferred to have the basketball court closer
that it could work in the front of the school on the Northwest schoolyard to monitor what was going.
 ackyard
s a open transformed schoolyard, all the
want and need are located in the back of
o a new “backyard”. Concerns during the
er, were that the parking in the front of the
o small for the number of spaces needed.
arents wanted protected pathways for
the mobile classrooms.
Final Spatial Diagrams
Based on the feedback received from the faculty and because it is past the CPS 25-year module/an
students, a new spatial diagram was designed. During designed with that in mind, making the back
the presentation, we learned that the back of the building 2 story annex and keeping the current modul
was never part of the initial construction (pg. 18) and that parking to the southwest end of the site allo
it should be torn down and a new annex should be built area for play and learning.
 rned
ration of whether or not Dirksen should turned into Openlands and CPS, and the students were charged
nt a school nearby, or get 4 modules put on with creating a new spatial diagram addressing this. However,
add a new module on the southeast edge our initial vision and goals are still very evident in the new
is summer, and in 2-3 years tear down the diagram and hopefully our plan will be implemented in some
ill be a 3 story addition, adding a multitude way in the new schoolyard at Dirksen. Nevertheless, the news of
r Dirksen. The information was brought a new annex is great news for Dirksen faculty and students. The
ek before final documents needed to be overcrowded school will soon find much more room to breathe.
Organizational Concept
To guide us through the design process, we chose Polish and These specific patterns also relate to Dirkse
Russian textiles to inspire and design our layout and structures Senator. Although it is a trojan, similarities in
at Dirksen. The O’Hare neighborhood is historically Eastern found within these patterns. The curvilinear
European and has remained so, while welcoming in a number patterns influenced the path system that Dirk
of different cultures and ethnicities into the neighborhood needed on site. The leaf shapes influenced s
and school. The Polish textile tradition reflects the historic specific pockets within the ground for garde
intertwining of cultures in the region. As a result, there are many and sit.
different patterns, techniques, styles, and textures that fall within
the well-known Polish textile and pottery tradition.
Design
collected from the presentation and first hand site knowledge
irksen Elementary, a detailed plan was designed and drawn.
to detail the specific areas of the schoolyard.

ucture
atured in the design submittal: Porous Concrete, Rain Garden,
Basin, and Other (Trees & Engineered Wood Fiber).

ere will be approximately 5,574 sf of permeable concrete in

ard and 5,432 sf of poured rubber playground surfacing in &
th materials act under the same principle of being permeable to
underlying aggregate bases to collect water and convey to an
detention system.

in garden was designed to be approximately 2,345 square

on the west side of the site, on the south side of the main
he rain garden contains very permeable soil/sand mixture with
se to convey water to an underground aggregate detention

ntion System: The artificial turf field will have an average of 3

ion underneath the approximately 9,456 square feet of turf. This
the provided & required detention for the site.

neered Wood Fiber): Per the IGIG agreement 10 trees are

which utilizes on-site material instead of exporting the
e engineered wood fiber with underlying aggregate to collect
y it to the underground detention system.

ions, with the installation of the BMPs included in the design,

ill be significantly reduced, as will the impermeable area of
y of the water leaving the site will also improve because of the
Illustrative Enlargements
argements
The students were very adamant about having
a basketball court. The court is standard size
for high school. The area also includes 2
tether ball areas.

Outdoor classroom area.

A berm adds seating
as well as another
play element to the
schoolyard. The shade
structure helps define
the classroom.

The mobile classroom will

have vertical living walls on all
sides. This will soften the visual
appearance of the mobile units
and offer an interactive way for
kids to learn more about plants.

Creating a track was one of the most important aspects of the schoolyard. Dividing the play areas for
Although the shape of the track is unique, it is a 200 meter track. The center is an ECE, primary and intermediate
additional field for activities. students was important.
Illustrative Enlargements

The natural play area is a garden

to explore native plants and learn
about ecology.

Hopscotch and foursquare

will be painted on concrete for
more opportunities of play.

Concrete bench seating will be

A large gateway that also acts as placed around the schoolyard.
a shade shelter defines the new
kindergarten and ECE entrance,
as well as an entry into the back
A new path connects the main entrance of
of the schoolyard.
the school to the back of the school. The
new path will be much safer for students
walking to the mobile classroom.
argements

The northeast corner of the school will house a Learning

Garden. A Learning Garden is a modular planter
ional Astroturf fields system that includes planter beds, art poles, and a
ated in the front of the The Senator mascot adds additional school shade structure, This area will be used to grow edible
This allows for more spirit to the schoolyard. The Astroturf will be plants and can also serve as an outdoor classroom and
e during recess, and prefabricated with all the designs and rolled community gathering space.
ss for gym classes to go out on the field.
his design is based on
Smart Tools
Living Walls
The image to the right utilizes the module in a much more
interesting way. Adding vertical gardens to parts of the module
soften the hard lines of the building and offer more opportunities
for students to learn about plants.

Woolly Pockets
Woolly Pockets are made from 100% recycl
bottles that easily hang on indoor and outdo
pockets would be a perfect and easy way to
dimension to the module.

Woolly Pocket
ic Paint
aterials change color with changes in light
ey are colorless in a dark place and when
t radiation is applied, molecular structure
ges and it exhibits color. When the relevant
ed, the color disappears.

gital Plant Care Sensor Black and Decker

asure sunlight, temperature, moisture, soil

ides feedback. The feedback is given when
into a computer. The sensor works in shrubs,
rees, grasses, flower and many other types of
students could monitor the school plant life
his tool.
Black and Decker
Part 4: Appendix
Parent/Student Photo Survey Results
Design Development Documents
Stormwater Calculations and Specifications
Challenge Course Elements
Playground Equipment
 WARD 41

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ER

BERTEAU RE BELLE PLAINE

FO BELLE PLAINE
CUYLER
LAWLER

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FT BELLE PLAINE
TA
LAPORTE

IRVING PARK DAKIN DAKIN DAKIN

R VE DAKIN BYRON BYRON BYRON
MOBILE

SE BYRON BERENIC E BERENIC E

NATCHEZ

BYRON E BERENIC E
PR GRACE GRACE
NORMAND Y

ST GRACE
LAMON

RE
NORA
SAYRE

FO
PACIFIC
NEWLAND

NORD ICA

PONTIAC
NOTTINGHAM

Legend
Firehouses Blue Line Subway
Hospitals Blue Line Elevated/At-Grade
Library Brown Line
Police Facility Brown, Purple Lines
La ke
Mic

U S Post Office Green Line

higa
n

Green, Orange Lines

Schools
Pink, Brown, Purple, Orange Lines
Cemetery
Parks Pink, Brown, Purple, Orange, Green Lines

METRA Lines Orange Line

Railroads Purple Line
Red Line Subway
Red Line Elevated/At-Grade
Red, Purple Lines
Red, Purple, Brown Lines
Yellow Line
Copyright © October 2007, City of Chicago
DIRKSEN: CIRCULATION
 PERVIOUS SURFACE
IMPERVIOUS SURFACE
N
BUILDING FOOTPRINT
 r Analysis

Area prone
to flooding

Area prone
to flooding

Area prone
to flooding

NORTH DELPHIA AVE

Possible Storage Areas

Area used for

recess. High traffic
has turned grass
into muddy area.

FL
Challenge Course Elements

Mobius Climber, available from Landscape Structures

Curved Track Ride

Dirk
 Dirksen Elementary Sch
Equipment Chicago May 15, 2013 1781

tions for the new playground. By placing

nd the schoolyard, specific play structures
in grades. All of these products are supplied
ures. Dirksen Elementary School
Chicago May 15, 2013 2294

Dirksen Elementary School

Chicago May 15, 2013 3028

Dirksen Elementary School

Chicago May 15, 2013 3756