Addition provides new school for pre-K and special-needs kids outside Chicago

Perkins+Will, Chicago, designed the Early Learning Center, a $9 million, 37,000-sf addition to Barrington Middle School in Barrington, Ill., to create an easily accessible and safe learning environment for pre-kindergarten and special-needs students. A central corridor provides access to common areas, making the commute to the classroom “villages” shorter, and each classroom has access to its own private, secure play area. All classrooms have a north-south orientation for optimum natural light, and hallways have south-facing clerestory windows. For safety, the corridor and classrooms are separated from the controlled-access entry.