The president may be on his way out but a new greenhouse is underway at the Barack Obama School of Leadership in Chicago Heights IL. Crystal Structures was awarded the classroom greenhouse project in August.
As part of School District 163, both the President and First Lady Michelle Obama have schools bearing their names. The district covers the cities of Park Forest and Chicago Heights. The Barack Obama School of Leadership is an educational facility that focuses on creating problem solvers, innovators, inventors, logical thinkers and self-reliant learners according to the mission statement. The new architectural grade classroom greenhouse will fit nicely into the STEM curriculum which places emphasis on science as one of four core areas of study.
With the new greenhouse students will learn about plant development, naturally, but a greenhouse is also effective for teaching about the earth’s atmosphere, heat and light waves and so much more. Plus, a greenhouse is a great way to add much needed sunlight to a student’s routine – which has been proven to improve focus, concentration and even student behavior.
The greenhouse itself will be 14′ x 43′ and will be partially attached to the school for easy access by students and staff. It features built in accessory tracks, an exclusive feature of Crystal Structures products, which allows plants and lights to be hung without additional hardware being installed. And, the greenhouse is structurally sound, it meets the same building codes as the school itself. Meaning the students will be safe within the greenhouse because the glass must have the same level of safety as classroom windows and door glass. As opposed to a classical backyard greenhouse, which is meant primarily for the plants, the classroom greenhouse must be able to withstand heavier loads of snow and wind.
Crystal Structures is excited to be a part of this project in conjunction with Planera Architects and Tower Contracting. Watch for photos when the greenhouse is completed sometime in the Spring of 2017.
Contact us for a quote on your greenhouse. The greenhouse is under CSI code 13 43 13.