CannonDesign and International Contractors Inc. were the architecture and construction management team charged with taking the community of Burbank, Ill.’s vision of a 21st-century learning environment and turning into a reality.

The community approved a referendum to fund a 84,000-sq-ft K-6 school in March 2016. The new school was constructed on the same property as the original, yet the original school remained operational during construction. 

The design team worked with school staff and administrators to create an environment with strong links to the outdoors. The resulting design used shared learning spaces connecting to three outdoor classrooms set among gardens.

Bucking the STEM trend, every grade level at Luther Burbank Elementary is tied to the three themes of classical liberal arts, Luther Burbank’s legacy and the study of horticulture. 

Each theme helped shape the building’s layout, with classrooms and shared learning areas all organized around a single, one-sided corridor. More than 300 citizens showed up for the August 2018 ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the realization of their vision.

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