Private Christian Accademy Development

While working for SSOE, Dean Kahremanis designed Lenawee Christian School 1985, and observed completed construction in 1987. Orville Merillat generously contributed $10 million for construction of a 108,000 square foot private Christian Academy, to provide education for a maximum of 700 students.

Design awards:

Masonry Medalist Honor Award Winning Masonry Structure, recognized nationally in 1988.

Honor Award Winner For Excellence In Masonry Design, recognized regionally in 1987 by the Masonry Institute of Northwestern Ohio and the Toledo Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

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Working With A Visionary

Orville Merillat defined the following objectives: 1) To build an educational facility to accommodate pre-kindergarten through high school, 2) To drive completely around the entire facility without observing a front or back of the building, 3) To maintain separation of the pre–k/kindergarten, grade school, junior high & senior high students, 4) To provide views and natural day lighting for classrooms, and 5) To create two separate building entrances - one for pre-k, kindergarten and grade school, and another entrance for junior high and senior high school students.

To achieve this vision, a central core of shared functional areas was created (gymnasium, library, music room, offices...etc). Projecting out from the central core, four separate classroom wings provide separation for each grade group.

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Glass Connectors Reveal Building Curvature

Each classroom wing provides transitional views to exterior areas of the building through all-glass connectors.

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Architect Worked Directly With Mason For Custom Material Solutions

A combination of brick veneer and limestone horizontal oriented bands encompass the entire educational facility. Custom curved brick veneer was used in several areas. The Europe born mason, with many years of outstanding experience, designed a tool to install the brick in a radial pattern.

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Natural Daylighting Reduces Monthly Energy Costs

Skylights located in all corridors, provide natural daylighting into the classrooms to enhance student learning abilities.

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Design Concept Sketches

The entire design solution appears within the architect’s initial concept sketches.

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Floor Plan Designed For Future Expansion

The Floor Plan successfully achieves the vision revealed by Orville Merillat. Individual pre-school, grade school, and junior high school grade group areas are designed to add additional classrooms in the future. A community center was constructed during Phase II of the development, and extends from the South wing of Lenawee Christian School.