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Teach For America, Chicago
Teach For America, Chicago
300, West Adams Street, Chicago, IL, United States
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Other Projects by PLAN architecture | design | strategy
Teach For America, Chicago
300, West Adams Street, Chicago, IL, United States
Type
YEAR
2009
SIZE
10,000 sqft - 25,000 sqft
·
Leading
the movement of U.S. education reform Teach For America (TFA) is working with a
great sense of urgency across the nation to eliminate education inequity. We serve as the leading design team that
actively manifests Teach For America’s mission and spirit within its workspaces
across the country. In 1989, Teach For America started out in an office space
given pro-bono from Morgan Stanley in Manhattan. It has transformed from just a
few pieces of mismatched furniture to a cohesively
branded workplace.
·
To responsibly and effectively
use funding,
we assist TFA on establishing cost-effective office build-outs to ensure that
proper support for staffing is available in all regional office locations. These offices facilitate a team of leaders
and collectively form one of the best places for college graduates to launch
their careers today.
·
The introduction of
the “Resource Room”,
which was once just a storage closet set aside in regional offices for Corps
Members teaching in public schools. We
have turned this hidden necessity into a dynamic multi-use hub at the heart of
Teach For America’s regional offices. The Resource Room now actively brings an
important outside group of Teach For America right into its regional centers:
the teachers.
·
An
active presence in Teach For America’s offices allows us to identify hidden
assets. An ad hoc collection of tables seen in several different regional
offices, spoke of a rising need with no spatial distinction. The Hoteling Bar was created from
simple pre-veneered plywood panels and became a central gathering place for
impromptu meetings and scheduling over coffee. The warm touch of wood was an
inexpensive solution to solve an unspoken need.
·
We
continuously strive to incorporate Responsible
Use of Materials by specifying refurbished furniture, locally produced
maple plywood and placing recycling centers in pantry areas. These are simple
yet cost-effective and responsible uses of fiscal and material resources.
·
To
enhance natural light penetration through the large floor plate, we have
reversed the typical corporate office layout; allowing workstations to be the
key occupants of the natural light. In
addition, to take advantage of the centrally located light well, a row of team
rooms (with full height glazing on both sides) were placed in the middle of the
workstations. This arrangement not only allows staff to enjoy the light from
all directions, but also encourages impromptu
meeting/brainstorm activities.
·
As
a result of the successful design strategies, the TFA’s Executive Director
commented: “We have WAY more people who
used to work at home now coming to the office and we are seen as an active
participant in the community around us. Our sleek space combined with our prime
location has elevated our perception in the community.” The space “impresses upon
them (donors and funders) the scale of our work and the movement TFA is a part
of. The
space enables community partners to also hold meetings in the space and
they often ask to host meetings here, which reinforces that TFA is central to the education reform movement.”
Leading
the movement of U.S. education reform Teach For America (TFA) is working with a
great sense of urgency across the nation to eliminate education inequity. We serve as the leading design team that
actively manifests Teach For America’s mission and spirit within its workspaces
across the country. In 1989, Teach For America started out in an office space
given pro-bono from Morgan Stanley in Manhattan. It has transformed from just a
few pieces of mismatched furniture to a cohesively
branded workplace.
·
To responsibly and effectively
use funding,
we assist TFA on establishing cost-effective office build-outs to ensure that
proper support for staffing is available in all regional office locations. These offices facilitate a team of leaders
and collectively form one of the best places for college graduates to launch
their careers today.
·
The introduction of
the “Resource Room”,
which was once just a storage closet set aside in regional offices for Corps
Members teaching in public schools. We
have turned this hidden necessity into a dynamic multi-use hub at the heart of
Teach For America’s regional offices. The Resource Room now actively brings an
important outside group of Teach For America right into its regional centers:
the teachers.
·
An
active presence in Teach For America’s offices allows us to identify hidden
assets. An ad hoc collection of tables seen in several different regional
offices, spoke of a rising need with no spatial distinction. The Hoteling Bar was created from
simple pre-veneered plywood panels and became a central gathering place for
impromptu meetings and scheduling over coffee. The warm touch of wood was an
inexpensive solution to solve an unspoken need.
·
We
continuously strive to incorporate Responsible
Use of Materials by specifying refurbished furniture, locally produced
maple plywood and placing recycling centers in pantry areas. These are simple
yet cost-effective and responsible uses of fiscal and material resources.
·
To
enhance natural light penetration through the large floor plate, we have
reversed the typical corporate office layout; allowing workstations to be the
key occupants of the natural light. In
addition, to take advantage of the centrally located light well, a row of team
rooms (with full height glazing on both sides) were placed in the middle of the
workstations. This arrangement not only allows staff to enjoy the light from
all directions, but also encourages impromptu
meeting/brainstorm activities.
·
As
a result of the successful design strategies, the TFA’s Executive Director
commented: “We have WAY more people who
used to work at home now coming to the office and we are seen as an active
participant in the community around us. Our sleek space combined with our prime
location has elevated our perception in the community.” The space “impresses upon
them (donors and funders) the scale of our work and the movement TFA is a part
of. The
space enables community partners to also hold meetings in the space and
they often ask to host meetings here, which reinforces that TFA is central to the education reform movement.”
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