The Mt. Carmel Middle School design creates five educational “houses”, which include Special Services, Encore, Sixth, Seventh, and Eight Grades. These areas focus to the media center as the heart of research and resources.
The design for the new school derived from several meetings with the school district’s building committee and was formulated from a building program. The main “safe haven” corridors, constructed of load bearing walls with precast concrete mezzanines, are a key design feature of the building. The school is located at the highest elevation on the site allowing excellent visibility, while parking and drives remain at a lower elevation. The vehicular, bus, and pedestrian traffic accommodates non over-lapping scenarios, creating safety zoning and efficient circulation.
Upon completion of Mt. Carmel Middle School, final construction costs including fees and furnishing were under budget. In 2001, the Service Associates of Illinois Association of School Boards presented an Award of Merit to ADG and District #348 for the Mt. Carmel Middle School.