WINSTON kNOLLS BEGINS CONSTRUCTION OF NEW SCHOOL

ELGIN, Ill. (June 2021) – Kraus-Anderson (KA) Madison has begun construction on a new $2 million school committed to specialized education programming and professional services for children with autism. The Winston Knolls Foundation purchased the school for its supported organization, The Winston Knolls School. The new school is located at 1500 Executive Drive in Elgin, Ill.

Tucked in a quiet neighborhood on 2.5 acres, the new school’s layout and building flow have been purposefully planned for the needs of its students and staff. Winston Knolls School will include three courtyards, an activities field space, and a specifically designed playground inside the walls of the exterior courtyard. The building also will have advanced safety and security features.

Designed by Haley Bender Patton & Been Architects, the unique architecture of the 18,176-square-foot building will provide students and staff with total privacy without sacrificing natural light. Every classroom faces an exterior courtyard, with sliding glass doors to allow access to the private exterior courtyard so students can be close to nature and green space without sacrificing privacy or security.

The second floor will include a dedicated gymnasium and a large, flexible multipurpose space that can be configured for adapted physical education activities, after-school events, and celebrations. The new site also features a private parking lot without through traffic, and with student drop-off and pick-up in a safer closed-loop system.

The financial leader for this project is IFF, an organization supporting nonprofit-sponsored facilities projects, from affordable housing to community centers, through real estate development and consulting. The School will be operational beginning the Regular School Year (RSY) 2022-2023. The Winston Knolls School at is one of dozens of major K-12 construction projects KA will work on this year during its “Summer Sprint,” a critical, concentrated time during the summer months when school is not in session and when crews can perform work that ranges from new school construction to upgrades to deferred maintenance projects.

KA continues to lead the field of regional education construction projects and is currently ranked 12th in the nation in the construction of K-12 facilities by Building Design and Construction magazine. Over the past five years, KA has completed over $1 billion in K-12 projects. KA’s comprehensive school construction services include facility analysis and budget approaches, leading to informed and successful referendum initiatives.

Please click here to see full press release and renderings of the new construction

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