Intrinsic Charter School is a new, grade seven to 12 public school that aims to blend technology into its teaching program, in the hope of providing each student a path to college and a career. This innovative 68,000 square foot school in northwest Chicago was built by renovating several structures that once comprised a lumberyard. The main structure of Intrinsic Charter School is a former barn that was constructed in 1954 for the family-owned Shannon Lumber Company business. It is the northernmost extension of two connected structures built in 1911 and 1928.
Wheeler Kearns Architects, of Chicago, Ill., were commissioned to transform the buildings into a new education facility. The firm specified BENCHMARK Designwall 2000 and 300 A Azteco for the Intrinsic Charter School exterior cladding. The design team had three goals to meet: a fast track schedule, insulating the school to face the famous Chicago winds, and creating an aesthetic look that would stand out in a sector filled with industrial buildings.