Cristo Rey St. Martin
College Prep

Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep (CRSM) wanted a new campus as progressive as its students are. As their former facility didn’t meet the basic needs of its students, CRSM had looked towards their neighbor, an abandoned department store, to become their new home.

Looking past the stigma of a big box retail store, the tall volume, open floor plan, and northern wetland area became opportunities in the transformation of the perceived eye-sore into a beacon for CRSM. Daylight was one of the key factors of the design to make the existing deep floor plan more suitable for a learning environment. By slicing the building with sawtooth light monitors and skylights extending to the limited building perimeter, it assured that all learning spaces had access to daylight.

The facade showcases the school’s identity along the major thoroughfare of Belvidere Road proudly, as its tones reflect a gradient of CRSM’s school colors. The building design aimed to deteriorate the existing sea of concrete to give the community a glimpse at what the site was hiding to its north- a serene natural wetland. Rather than tucking the athletic fields in the rear of the school, this new facility showcases them.

On the building interior, the finish strategy mimics the facade design, clearly illustrating the school’s identity through color. A gradient of the school’s colors washes the floors and walls, creating not only a vibrant and energized interior, but also a wayfinding tool for students as they traverse the space. In addition, the generous ceilings become a means to create different types of learning environments in these high-volume spaces. The school’s desire to have an open and transparent pedagogy resulted in a full height wall of glazing in each classroom to permit further penetration of daylight and views.

CRSM prides itself on its innovative approach to education where, in addition to their regular coursework, each student works for a corporation that sponsors their education. The expectation of CRSM students is already elevated to that of a college student; therefore, they deserve a facility that emulates this. The new educational facility strives to match CRSM’s innovative pedagogy, giving students the high-quality campus they deserve.