WILMETTE, ILL. — Valenti Builders has broken ground on a new performing arts center at Loyola Academy, a private Jesuit college preparatory school in Wilmette, about 14 miles north of downtown Chicago. Designed by Chicago-based Krueck Sexton Partners, the $25.7 million project will span 29,000 square feet.
An outdoor plaza will function as an open-air performance stage as well as a gathering space for the school community. Inside, a lobby and gallery space will lead to the Lemputte Family Theater, a 565-seat theater with a balcony, orchestra pit, fly tower and lighting and production technologies. Adjacent to the theater is an offstage rehearsal and staging area, a scene shop, green room, makeup and dressing rooms and student lounge.
The student chapter of Loyola’s American Institute of Architecture played an active role in the planning and design process of the center. The all-electric building will further reduce carbon emissions as the Chicagoland grid continues its transition to all-renewable fuel sources by 2035, according to a news release. High-efficiency building systems will be installed in anticipation of a future rooftop-mounted photovoltaic array that accommodates the building’s entire energy load.
Completion is slated for sometime next year. The project team includes landscape architect Coen Partners, structural engineer Thornton Tomasetti, mechanical and electrical engineer ESD, civil engineer Terra Engineering and sustainability consultant A10. Additional team members include Schuler Shook (theater designer and lighting design), Threshold (acoustics), Edward Peck (glazing) and Raths, Raths & Johnson (waterproofing).