Projects Sought for 2023 School Design Competition

The annual Exhibition of Educational Environments, sponsored by the IASB Service Associates, is seeking entrants for the 2023 school design competition. The awards program recognizes school designs for instructional, recreational, administrative, or other use. Projects submitted for judging must be completed in time for the start of school in the fall of 2023.

Eligible projects must be new or renovated facilities owned or operated by or for an Illinois public school district. Entry will be accepted in categories of new building, major addition, minor addition, and major renovation or adaptive reuse. Special project categories include historic preservation or sensitive rehab, small projects under $4 million or single spaces, and engineering solutions.

A jury of architects and Illinois school board members or administrators with experience in school facilities or design will review the projects and select entries that best represent a statewide cross-section of school building designs. The jury will consider solutions to the educational program criteria as follows:

• Program/Challenge — Functional relationships, special challenges met, community partnerships, context (urban/suburban/rural) 

• How the facility meets 21st-century educational environmental needs — Project-based learning, integrated curriculum, integration of technology with curriculum, learning styles/multiple intelligences

• Design — Context, color, pleasant learning environment, age appropriate, furnishings 

• Energy reduction and sustainable design — Green power, innovative design 

• Safety — Passive security design, traffic patterns (N/A to renovation/rehab/special projects)

Projects nominated by the jury for the final exhibition will be displayed at the IASB/IASA/IASBO Joint Annual Conference in Chicago. Projects are eligible for Award of Distinction, Award of Merit, or Honorable Mention honors at the discretion of the jury.

The fee for each project entered is $425. Entry fees will be refunded for entries not selected for the final display.

The deadline to submit entry forms and associated fees is July 10. Applications were emailed to school architects and Service Associates on May 1. Projects can be submitted using the 2023 Call for Entries online form.

For questions about the Invitational Exhibition of Educational Environments contact Bridget Kusturin (217) 528-9688, ext. 1131.  More information about the program is available on the IASB website.