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CHICAGO, IL

BUILD Chicago

Cultural Center + Rehabilitation

COMPLETED IN 2023

Since 1969, BUILD has helped thousands of young people transform their lives, and today reaches over 6500 youth and families annually with caring adult mentors and a rich variety of experiences in the arts, athletics, college & career preparation, entrepreneurship, leadership development, technology, and mental health programming. Their model blends the best practices of restorative justice, conflict mediation, prevention, development, and behavioral health, and is designated an evidence-based Effective Program by the US Dept. of Justice. LBBA worked with BUILD to develop their programming and design for an expansion of their existing facility located in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago. Conceived of as a campus, the project includes the rehabilitation of BUILD’s existing 10,000 sf building, and the new construction of a 37,000 sf facility which will include a gymnasium, innovation lab, community court, and a host of art and makers studios, along with BUILD’s administrative offices. Generous exterior green space is provided including a playfield, a farm with a super-green Net Zero barn classroom building, and a tranquil interactive Peace Garden. In the summer of 2019 LBBA and LBBA Labs program, a nationally-recognized summer program that employs high school students and college-age mentors, worked with BUILD to develop an engagement process to allow youth to have a voice and contribute to the design of BUILD’s new facility. The 6-week program, hosted at LBBA, promotes diversity in the field by offering early career exposure and mentorship, encouraging civic responsibility and engagement amongst participants and community members to deliver real solutions to issues impacting focus communities.

Awards


2024: Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Award for Architectural Excellence in Community Design, Second Place, CNDA

2024: AIA Chicago Lerch Bates People’s Choice Award, Community and Civic Project

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