Welcome
Good Design is for Everyone
LBBA is a Chicago-based architectural practice established in 1987 that is distinguished by its community-based approach. An innovative leader and hands-on champion of affordable housing and neighborhood planning, LBBA believes good design should be available to all. Together with clients and community stakeholders, LBBA co-creates inventive, inviting, and sustainable spaces and places that transform lives, revitalize neighborhoods, and regenerate cities.
Tierra Linda
LBBA has been working with Latin United Community Housing Association (LUCHA) for over 25 years to transform empty lots and rundown buildings into safe, decent housing close to schools, parks, and other services. Together, we have built and...
Carling SRO
The Carling Hotel was an existing 155-unit single-occupancy hotel that was preserved for low-income residents in Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood. It is one of 65 remaining licensed SROs in Chicago and was the first SRO sold under the 2014 SRO...
Chicago Center for Arts and Technology (ChiCAT)
ChiCAT is founded on the principles that creative endeavors can build enterprises and expand human possibility, that environments shape lives, and that everyone deserves a beautiful, respectful, safe space in which to learn. Underserved communities have little access to job training and employment opportunities, which leads to hopelessness, poverty, and disenfranchisement. ChiCAT strengthens the community by providing innovative youth art and adult vocational training in a life-affirming, supportive center.
BUILDLab 2019
BUILDLab, in partnership with the Chicago nonprofit BUILD, is the 10th year of LBBA Labs. BUILD focuses on neighborhood health and wellness issues for youth—encompassing ideas of violence reduction and prolonging the lives of neighborhood youth. Our team of 6 high school interns and 2 mentors (1 college student and 1 MARC post-grad) researched and prototyped elements for the design of BUILD’s expanded facility in the neighborhood of Austin. The team’s final designs are informed by site visits, interviews with potential building users and members of the community, and meetings with stakeholders and partners. BUILDLab’s goal was to produce efficient, cost-effective, and well-designed components that will not only satisfy the programming needs but also create a place of belonging in the community of Austin.
LBBA Attended AIA Illinois Quarterly Board Meeting
Ribbon-cutting and renaming of Emmett Street Apartments with Bickerdike Redevelopment
CHICAGO HAS A SOLID COMMUNITY WORKING IN PUBLIC INTEREST DESIGN. LANDON BONE BAKER IS ALWAYS AT THE TABLE.
KRISANN REHBEIN, MANAGER OF COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
CHICAGO ARCHITECTURE FOUNDATION