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While agriculture education is nothing new, a dedicated facility that can house livestock on a rural campus in the Midwest is a surprising anomaly. The Agricultural Complex is the only one in Illinois — and one of a handful in the United States.
With an already thriving program, the planning of the facility and its location needed to be tightly knit into other district programs, such as athletics and general education. A key consideration was also the ability to expand program offerings in the future, through enlarged facilities and features which could include on-site gardens, crops or additional livestock support.
How do we provide future farmers and agribusiness leaders access to the tools, resources, and flexibility they need?
The complex offers a flexible design that is intentionally minimal, budget-friendly and ideal for future-ready, hands-on learning. A livestock chute in the lab allows animals to be held for vaccinations, tagging, health inspections, general hygiene and care.
The animal ward offers a flexible design that allows students easy access to the lab and outdoor areas. The design features a built-in watering system, unfinished floors, high ceilings and sliding barn doors.
- 5,296 s.f
- Designed for Program Expansion
- Flexible Furnishings
- Lab Spaces
- Award of Distinction, Exhibition of Educational Environments: IASB/IASA/IASBO 2019 Conference
"I have been able to expand what and how I teach because of this structure. I have the resources I need right here, so I can teach more efficiently and more effectively."
Primed for future expansion, the design offers ample lecture, lab, storage and livestock housing space to accommodate a thriving agriculture program.
Features such as an operable partition between the lecture and lab spaces, a clear, open lab that can be washed down, and mobile furniture offer another level of flexibility for the building to evolve with the program.
The Community Engagement Planning Process with Meridian CUSD #15 resulted in a clear direction, to reduce the number of campuses from four to two and concentrate resources to make these remaining two campuses healthy, safe, and educationally relevant.
Despite facing significant obstacles, including a flood-prone location and limitations on modifying existing structures, the district persevered, eventually resulting in a groundbreaking new building addition that redefined the school’s entrance and functionality.
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