1.1.1 General Information
Planning Rationale
Chicago Public Schools has an inventory of over 1,100 buildings across 631 campuses, with facilities that range in age and condition. Some schools are housed in multiple buildings on a given site. Many buildings have received past renovations, repairs and additions. The oldest structures are over 140 years old. Some buildings are unique in their design while many others come from a history of prototype designs intended specifically for the Chicago school district. In some cases, buildings have been purchased from other Owners or have been converted to schools from other uses.
CPS identifies the need for renovation projects based on a number of factors, including declining building conditions, insufficient or outdated program space, accessibility, and future serviceability of equipment. The number of project categories are numerous. However CPS prioritizes four major renovation projects:
- Site Improvement Projects
- Exterior Renovations
- Interior Renovations
- MEP/FP Projects
Occasionally, CPS is able to renovate an entire building at once, however, this is rare given typical budget constraints and the abundance of facilities. A more frequent approach is to renovate or repair portions of buildings, based on a priority of needs. Occasionally, the cost of a renovation project might outweigh the replacement cost for the building. In this case, CPS must determine whether it makes more sense to save the existing building or replace it with a new facility.
As partial renovations are most common, it is critical that replacement of materials and systems be planned in a thoughtful manner that anticipates subsequent work and will lead to an overall cohesive design for the building. Renovation projects shall, within the limits of their scope, comply with the Design Guidelines for new construction whenever possible. However, special consideration shall be made for original construction types, detailing, landmark status, feasibility and cost.
Existing structures may also contain hazardous building materials such as asbestos-containing materials (ACM), lead-based paint (LBP), polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) containing equipment, industrial wastes, chemical containers, and other hazardous and non-hazardous materials that will need to be assessed as discussed in Volume 2. See Volume 2, Section 4.2 Environmental for Renovation for additional information.