As one of Indiana’s fastest-growing school districts, Northwest Allen County Schools found itself in desperate need of space. With more and more families moving in, the district challenged itself to create additional learning environments to meet the demand.
The growth also necessitated a new district Administration Center.
Previously, the NACS district office was located within Perry Hill Elementary School, though some of the district’s administrative departments were separated and spread throughout the district. District authorities determined, though, that Perry Hill’s growing population required additional classroom space, and the district administration staff had outgrown the existing office space and needed to be under one roof for continuity and efficiency.
Elevatus was hired to design a new NACS Administration Center and renovate the old administration spaces back to classroom space for Perry Hill.
The new NACS Administration Center is designed with efficiency, collaboration, and growth in mind. The 32,000 square foot building will feature a large Board Room/Community Meeting/Professional Development space for district wide in-services and staff professional development programming. The building will also bring in and centralize the district’s Technology, Human Resources, and Business operations for the entire district, and will hold the district’s Special Education, Teaching/Learning, and Safety and Operations departments, along with the Superintendent. A new kitchen area will be established, for staff to gather or be used for staff development events or community meetings.
The administration area at Perry Hill will be renovated to create four additional classrooms for the school.
The new NACS Administration Center solves two problems in one: it creates additional operational space for the district’s administration, and opens much-needed space for additional classrooms at Perry Hill Elementary. Its design allows for future growth of staffing through forward-thinking planning in building design, without the need to build onto the structure down the road.
The project was not without obstacles. As Northwest Allen County Schools responds to its dramatic growth, the district is juggling multiple construction projects concurrently, which demands strict budgeting. The Elevatus design team along with the construction team from Weigand Construction took great pains to identify constructability efficiencies and develop cost effective but still aesthetically appealing solutions to maintain the budget for the Owner.
In the end, Northwest Allen County Schools will have a new Administration Center that will allow it to best serve its students and community – now and into the future.
The Administration Center is expected to be completed in Spring 2025, and the Perry Hill renovation is slated to be finished in Fall 2025.
