EPIC Academy Receives Innovative Outdoor Learning Lab

Epic Academy High School is the recipient of a sustainable outdoor learning lab. The Skidmore, Owens and Merrill (SOM) design team created a robotically fabricated timber pavilion (SPLAM: Spatial Laminated Timber) for Chicago’s EPIC Academy south side campus as part of the Chicago Architecture Biennial. The new pavilion is a permanent addition to EPIC Academy's campus, one of Chicago's most innovative high schools.

SPLAM is a full-scale prototype of an optimized timber structure that reimagines the way SOM
designs and build sustainably. A SPLAM was designed and constructed by SOM and the University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning for this year's Chicago Architecture Biennial.

The pavilion hosted a series of performances during the Biennial and functioned as an outdoor classroom and performance venue afterwards, contributing to the future of post-pandemic teaching and learning. The pavilion was designed and constructed in partnership with Autodesk, McHugh Construction, Gremley & Biedermann, and REX Engineering Group.

The structure was recently unveiled on EPIC Academy’s campus at 8255 S Houston Ave, Chicago, IL. LeeAndra Khan, Executive Director, Andromeda Bellamy, Principal at Epic Academy and students were among the attendees at the event.

The Chicago Architecture Biennial is an international exhibition of architectural ideas, projects and displays. It seeks to provide a platform for groundbreaking architectural projects and spatial experiments that demonstrate how creativity and innovation can radically transform our lived experience.

Epic Academy College Prep, a public, open-enrollment charter high school, has served low-income African-American and Latino students in South Chicago since 2009. The South Chicago community, one of Chicago’s poorest neighborhoods, has a 20% unemployment rate and a childhood poverty rate that is 86% higher than all other U.S. neighborhoods. Epic Academy serves one of the most challenging student demographics in Chicago: 96% free/reduced lunch, 23% of students with diverse learning needs, and 15% English Language Learners. Despite the obstacles our students face, we have a 100% college acceptance rate and 81% of our students enroll in college upon graduation.