The Public Building Commission has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with the Chicago Public Schools, with the PBC building new facilities, creating additions and annexes, and making renovations to existing school buildings.
Examples of the working relationship between the PBC and the Schools include the construction of Tarkington School, the first Chicago Public School to be recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council as a LEED-certified building, and the rehabilitation of the historic Bronzeville Eighth Regiment Armory, which now houses the Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville and occupies a place on the National Register of Historic Places.
The PBC is committed to incorporating features into school buildings to make them safe, strong, technologically adaptable and environmentally friendly. Such features include virtually indestructible block walls, green roofs, programmable HVAC systems, wiring for voice and data transmissions, low emission building materials and security cameras that can be linked to the City’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications. New schools include features that qualify the building for certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.
