A major component of the Full STEAM Ahead Capital Campaign at Ottawa Hills Local Schools, The Foundry is designed to be the academic heart of the 7-12 school building the team worked to transform and connect the building core in a way that creates a unified space that promotes ideation, innovation and experimentation.

The OHLS District partnered with The Collaborative to asses their existing Library and ancillary services with the goal of developing a comprehensive Learning Commons.
In the initial investigations, it became clear that space constraints might exist in the second floor location of the existing facility. Enthusiasm around an alternative idea of re-purposing the schools underutilized central courtyard quickly took hold. The new location offered that space necessary to accommodate the goals of the project, and perhaps most importantly, it offered a space that could be transformed into a centrally located and highly prominent resource fort he students and community of Ottawa Hills.

Ottawa Hills Local Schools, The Foundry renovation provides, “Excellent blending of industrial architectural detailing with contemporary furnishing and finishes,” commented the Jury. The goal of The Foundry renovation was to reimagine the space as a Learning Commons. The students envisioned a place where they could gather and work both individually and collaboratively in order to strengthen themselves. The Jury further commented, “Loved the esoteric narrative – it appeared to be a wonderfully organic process, from the existing courtyard creation down to the name.”

Congratulations to the entire team including our partners at the Rudolph Libbe Group who helped make this project possible!