On Curbed's last visit to the under-construction Jones College Prep High School, the fascinating modular school house was topped out but not filled in. Keeping pace with the season's foliage, the building has acquired its glass, its interiors, and its coloration— all in time for a fall semester grand opening. The 7-story building at State & Balbo will hold 1,200 students and is expected to be merged with the old school house to accommodate even more. Designed by Perkins+Will, its busy facade defines an entire block of State. The finished product floats on cantilevers, will boast a half-coverage green roof, and likely some grade of LEED certification.
Near Jones Prep sits the East-West University campus (to be clear, it's just a couple of buildings). The new East-West Student Life Center will basically double campus space when it wraps up this year. Back in October 2011, East-West announced their student center/dorm project as all eyes were fixed on Roosevelt University's just completed dorm tower. The 17-story tower at 825 S Wabash is at roughly the same stage as Jones Prep— topped out and filled in. Holabird & Root's dynamic and whimsical structure will house 220 students plus an auditorium, gym, food court, and library. The facade makes a loud announcement in the context of older loft buildings and towers. It'll be fun to stick poke our heads in a couple months.
·East-West Dorm & Jones College Prep are in Full Bloom [Curbed Chicago]
·East-West Jumps on the Vertical Dorm Bandwagon [Curbed Chicago]
·New Jones College Prep on the Rise in South Loop [Curbed Chicago]