Modular classrooms arrived on site this week at the Winnetka, Ill, campus of New Trier High School, kicking off a $100-million program to overhaul portions of the 114-year old school, with Wight and Co. and Pepper Construction, both of Chicago, serving as project architect and construction manager, respectively. 

Plans call for demolition of three of the school's oldest buildings – a 1912 cafeteria, 1931 tech arts building and 1950 music building – and replacing them with a four-story, 268,000-ft structure on the same site, but at more than twice the size of the original structures. In addition to 25 classrooms, the completed building will house three science labs, a fine-arts facility, and cafeteria and lobby.

The project will be undertaken in phases, the first officially set to begin this summer, when crews will  demolish cafeteria, tech arts and music buildings. Cafeteria and library are due for completion in time for the 2016-17 school year and the entire project in time for 2017-2018 school year, with construction occurring over a period of three summers and two school years.

Modular units on site will create a temporary Annex, home to six art and applied arts classrooms, with move-in due to occur following this year's spring break. The annex will be sited on a parking lot, which crews have been preparing for module delivery for several weeks.

Crews will construct temporary walls to separate constructions zones from existing facilities, a move intended to mitigate noise when classes are in session.

Last November, residents voted to fund the project with $89 million in bonds. The remaining $11 million derives from the school district's cash reserves