This project was unique because aside from incorporating an actual site in downtown Chicago, it required the adaptive reuse of an existing building on the South-East corner of the lot. This building was originally built in the 1910's, used as a bank until the 1990's and has sat vacant since.

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My proposal incorporated all the required program (Gymnasium/Auditorium, Child Care, Fitness Center, Classrooms, Small Conference rooms,Office Space) maintaining the integrity of the city grid when placing parking and designating future-phase construction.

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The final iteration met the street while incorporating public green space on the back-side of the building, providing a great space for child care as well as a place of gathering for the community. The solution to maintaining a context-sensitive building height was to sink the Gymnasium/Auditorium space into the ground and then suspend the needed classrooms above in a dough-nut shape, thus providing maximum natural illumination for the gym below. A similar approach was taken on the "office-wing" of the building, creating a central atrium that all spaces opened up to, creating an excellent opportunity to maximize natural illumination, ventilation and visual connections.

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Along with the design of the building several analytical elements were involved, including assigning materials to the Gymnasium/Auditorium space and then conducting acoustical analysis.