Irwin Jacobs Elementary School

Architects at Turowski2 Architecture collaborated with residents, children, and even Irwin Jacobs himself to create a space that inspires kids to learn, play, and explore the world around them. Acentech was selected by the design team to provide acoustics, audiovisual, and telecommunications consulting for this project.

Make no mistake—this is no ordinary schoolhouse. With a rooftop makerspace, community garden, sustainably-built playground, and flexible classrooms, IJES shows how school design can play a huge roll in how children respond to their educational journey. IJES is also one of only three schools in the nation to offer classes provided by the Lang Lang International Music Foundation. This program looks to spark an interest in music for children from a young age. Acentech collaborated with the design team to provide excellent acoustical conditions in all these spaces. We provided recommendations for room acoustics, sound isolation and mechanical systems noise control throughout the building. For the music rooms in particular, we helped shape the room and select room finishes to provide optimal conditions for choral and instrumental instruction.

To prepare students for a lifetime of learning, educational institutions must also expose kids to the wonders of technology at an early age. Acentech’s audiovisual and telecommunications consultants collaborated with designers to create sound systems, digital signage, and ADA-compliant assistive listening capabilities for IJES. This institution also outfits every child with a laptop for schoolwork and research. The school’s wireless network was carefully designed to ensure consistent coverage throughout the building. Creating a network that would support hundreds of computers at once required a thoughtful attention to detail. Acentech’s consultants ultimately created systems that placed an emphasis on the end-user experience to encourage daily use and minimal training for faculty and staff.