Lansing School District

Dwight Rich School of the Arts

Lansing, Michigan

Originally built in the 1960s as a junior high building, the Dwight Rich facility now serves the art-focused students of Lansing School District from kindergarten through 6th grade. As a magnet for the arts, the school needed renovations to reconfigure and upgrade the auditorium, band, choir, and art rooms. Several classrooms were reconfigured to create appropriately-sized kindergarten and 1st grade classrooms. The $17 million project also brought improvements for energy efficiency and comfort, such as the replacement of the HVAC system and roof. In total, the project transformed 44,000 SF of space in the 205,000 SF building.

C2AE focused on inspiring movement and creativity with bold patterns and materials. Throughout the renovated classrooms and corridors, patches of natural light are dyed blue and green by colored glass windows. The auditorium features an assortment of contrasting orange and blue seats to match the vibrant carpet. As always, flexible furniture enables students to engage in a variety of lesson formats.