Wheeler Kearns Architects designed a facility for the Montessori School of Lake Forest’s new middle school program at Grayslake’s Prairie Crossing development. The school is only the second school based in the US where students experience a traditional curriculum taught in the context of a working farm, consistent with the original schools run by Maria Montessori in Italy.
The 7,000 square foot project is designed to accommodate up to 45 students while providing the neighborhood with a multi-use community room. The project will utilize geothermal heating and cooling, composting toilets, and a highly reflective sprayed polyurethane roof. The roof is designed to collect and divert rainwater so that students could irrigate their crops and water farm animals. This project is designed for a LEED Silver rating.