Elkhart High School Phase 2

After assisting Elkhart Community Schools (ECS) with their initial phase of renovation work, JPR provided design services for the second phase as part of the strategic plan to merge two high schools and provide a higher quality of education in Elkhart County.

Phase 2 of the Elkhart High School project aimed to address additional needs and challenges created by the merger. Four new departments were created per the newly developed curriculum and needed to be incorporated into the existing building infrastructure. In partnership with Jamie Lake Architecture, JPR played a pivotal role in guiding the now combined staff. At the onset of the project, needs were identified but the space requirements were well above the budget and existing space constraints.

JPR assisted the ECS staff in identifying critical program elements and opportunities to provide flexible, shared spaces to make the best use of the available renovation area. The project scope included renovation of several areas throughout the building to account for new classroom and lab space, the creation of “hubs” as central access points for each department, and improvements to HVAC and lighting systems.

In addition to the spaces specific to each department, special emphasis was put on creating student commons with amenities – where informal meetings between students or student-teacher could take place and provide for more of a campus atmosphere. This became a critical balancing act between the formal educational classroom space that was needed and carving these common areas out of the limited available real estate.

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