Naperville, Ill. (July 6, 2010)—Ryan Companies’ Midwest Division, headquartered in Naperville, has completed construction on a 98,000-square-foot school in Winfield that will allow Wheaton Christian Grammar School to expand its enrollment and bring state-of-the-art technology, music, worship, and classroom space to its students.

    The $17.5 million building is on a 34-acre campus and features 30 dedicated classrooms and separate wings for students in grades K-4, 5 and 6-8. There also is a music wing with a 1,500-square-foot choir room and 2,000-square-foot instrument room, along with a centralized library, a fully-equipped science lab and a cafetorium large enough for vendor services or conversion to an auditorium that seats 800.  It also includes an expanded parking capacity that will allow for smoother traffic flow during drop-off and pick-up times. The new site has 250 parking spaces compared with only 70 at the current building.

    "Building a new school involves so much more than durable construction materials and providing access to the latest technology," said Bob Pickens, senior project manager with Ryan Companies. "You really have to consider everything from classroom size to traffic flow around the library and cafeteria, and optimal ceiling heights for acoustical rooms. All those details combine to create a great learning environment that can serve the school well for years to come."

    The brick and precast concrete facility, at 1N350 Taylor Drive, was built with many green features, including a geothermal system that powers the heating and cooling. This type of energy efficient system can reduce utility bills by as much as 50 percent.

    "When you design a building from the ground up, it gives you a tremendous opportunity to think strategically and look at everything from how to adjust room sizes to fit different learning styles and where to place worship and fellowship areas," said Bob Broman, director of development for the school. "This will enable us to serve a greater number of students and do it with a long-term vision."

    The new facility is scheduled to open in August for the next school year. Last month a private dedication ceremony was held at the new school.

    The current school at 530 E. Harrison Ave. in Wheaton dates to 1951 and has had several additions over the years. The patchwork of spaces created a haphazard layout that forced school officials to use mobile classrooms and keep some students on a waiting list. School officials now are focusing on increasing enrollment from 510 to 650.

About Ryan Companies US, Inc.
Ryan Companies US, Inc., a nationally recognized design-builder, developer and real estate manager, has specialized in providing fully integrated solutions for more than 70 years. Ryan is currently ranked 76th in Engineering News-Record’s (ENR’s) list of Top 400 Contractors. In its first 10 years of operation, Ryan’s Midwest Division (based in Chicago) has completed over $1 Billion in projects for customers such as Deere & Company, Isle of Capri, Target Corporation, Dominick’s, C. H. Robinson and Froedtert & Community Health.  In addition to its Chicago office, Ryan has offices in Minneapolis, San Diego, Tampa, Phoenix and Cedar Rapids, Davenport and Des Moines, Iowa.