New Prototype K-5 School

Designed while Robert Benson was a Design Principal at CannonDesign

ROCKFORD PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT 205 | 2 NEW K-5 SCHOOLS | ROCKFORD IL

86,000sf | Cherry Valley | Constance Lane

Children are a segment of the population that have almost zero political power.  Any power they have is by proxy.  The design process changed this dynamic and designed with children rather than for them.  This Architecture is community. 

The design team in collaboration with 4th graders designed a covered town hall at the center of the building.  The result was a more open village design concept creating hubs for connection throughout the building, and enhancing a sense of community.  The town hall combined the Gym, Cafeteria, art spaces, and library efficiently joining the most public spaces and their associated pre-function spaces.   this space is also surrounded by grade-level learning communities specifically designed to the needs of distinct age groupings: kindergarten, first and second, third grade, and fourth and fifth grade.  

In this case the whole is truly greater than the sum of the parts. We believe that “designing with rather than for” results in better architecture; an architecture of community.

architect of record | cannondesign

INNOVATION BY DESIGN AWARD | FAST COMPANY 2019