Community Center Studies

Chicago, Illinois, 2020 Design seeking funding

Tom Bader as Consulting Architect for Wheeler Kearns Architects. Chris Anne Marie Spencer as Principal In Charge for Wheeler Kearns Architects

Tom was a Design Consultant for Wheeler Kearns Architects to assist with conceptual ideas. The client is a non-profit organization in support of minority engineers and seeking to create a community center in the underserved south side of Chicago. The goal was an inspiring design that would provide community support and opportunity to an underserved population. Goals included net zero design utilizing the most advanced strategies to advance the art of engineering and inspire neighborhood youth to pursue careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math..

The early concept was a cocooned building, enclosed within a greenhouse structure for year round inhabitation connected to nature despite the harsh Chicago winters. The defining image was a ship within a bottle. This concept had to be balanced with the realities of construction costs and engineering realities. After numerous design strategies, a design emerged that included core program spaces cocooned within a greenhouse like outer shell. The interstitial space, tempered from the harsh winter environment and habitable will provide an attractive neighborhood place of refuge and community engagement. Programmed spaces include laboratories for applied sciences such as astronomy, robotics, computer science, and biological farming as well as educational tutoring and social community gathering. The defining goal was to embrace the joy of discovery to young minds.

Currently the project has the land commitments and is seeking funding for construction