SOS Children’s Villages Lavezzorio Community Center
Location
Chicago, IL
Status
Completed 2008
Client
SOS Children's Villages Illinois
Type
Civic
Size
16,000 sf
Tags
As the central hub of SOS Children’s Village Chicago, the Lavezzorio Community Center combines social services and neighborhood amenities under one roof, serving children and families in the city’s Auburn-Gresham neighborhood.
Inside the building, multi-faceted, naturally lit public spaces encourage a range of learning opportunities and social interaction. Daycare classrooms are organized around a south-facing courtyard on the ground floor, with caseworkers’ offices, counseling areas, and a large, multi-purpose community room on the second floor.
Connecting the levels, a large structural stair serves as a mountain-like landscape for playing, climbing, performing, and hanging out, with a lobby at the top of the stair doubling as a computer lab.
The Community Center serves a growing neighborhood of foster-care families, women, and children in a mix of affordable single family homes and apartment units.
Awards
High Commendation, Civic Category, World Architecture Festival, 2008
Citation of Merit, Distinguished Building Award, Design Excellence Awards, AIA
Citation of Merit, Divine Detail Award, Design Excellence Awards, AIA
Team
Thornton Tomasetti, structural engineer
CCJM Engineers, Ltd., MEP-FP
Site Design Group, Ltd., landscape design
CharterSills, lighting
Bovis Lend Lease, general contractor
