Completed in September 2010, Lincoln Middle School is a 92,000-square-foot, $19.7 million facility designed by STR Partners for School District 81. Built on the former playfields of the original 1920s campus, the three-story school was conceived as a compact, high-performance learning environment serving approximately 450 students.

TRC Worldwide Engineering managed the structural steel detailing for the vertically organized facility, supporting the framing required to achieve the building’s tight footprint and architecturally expressive elements. The steel system enabled several signature features, including the cantilevered second-floor Learning Terrace, the structural support for the 4,300-square-foot green roof, and the specialized framing surrounding the atrium oculus housing the “Circular Luminous SkyCeiling.”

The school’s exterior combines brick, stone, glass, and natural copper panels, while the interior is organized by grade level, each with its own collaborative “team living room” commons area. A two-story central atrium anchors the building and enhances daylighting within the compact plan.