KELLER CENTER / HARRIS SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY

SITE TEAM site

Anne Kustner Lighting Design, Ltd dbHMS Engineering

Farr Associates

Mortenson Construction

Stearn-Joglekar, Ltd.

Terra Engineering, Ltd

Woodhouse Tinucci Architects

CATEGORY

General Design, Constructed

LOCATION Chicago, IL

CLIENT University of Chicago

COMPLETION YEAR

2018

The Keller Center / Harris School of Public Policy sought to preserve and restore a midcentury masterpiece for their new home on the University of Chicago’s Campus South. The transformational design integrates policyinspired solutions to better connect with the community and serves as an exemplar in comprehensive sustainable design with LEED Platinum and Living Building Challenge, Petal certifications.

The original building was designed as a barrier to the south neighborhoods, with a five-foot-tall imposing plinth in need of full restoration and social repair with the adjacent neighborhood. The new design carves new paths that create connections to adjacent buildings, the Midway Plaisance, the ongoing Campus South Walk, and the wider community through pathways, garden spaces, site furnishings, lighting, and gathering spaces.

The new design carves new paths that create connections to adjacent buildings, the Midway Plaisance, the ongoing Campus South Walk, and the wider community.

HONOR AWARD

A lush, public garden encircles the building and slopes up the plinth with a mixture of fourseason native and adapted plant species that soften the limestone wall. Benches, café tables, and artwork create pockets of gathering spaces with varying levels of weather and sun exposure.

Norweta

SITE TEAM site

Eriksson Engineering Associates, Ltd.

Gary Lee Partners

Intrinsic Landscaping

Macon Construction Group

Nayyar & Nayyar International, Inc.

PappaGeorge Haymes Partners

HONOR AWARD

Norweta is an urban infill, multi-family residential redevelopment on the former site of the Terra Cotta Tile Works factory in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. From day one, the client team emphasized the importance of exterior spaces to the success of the development, so landscape was a central component to both the concept and the success of the development. Shared outdoor courtyards and lush gardens provide spaces for gathering, respite, and wellness in a fast-paced urban context.

The garden aesthetic contrasts favorably with the contemporary aesthetic of the architecture featuring large glass openings and a brick and metal-material palette. The courtyards work in series as a set of “secret gardens,” each space with its own unique character and program and a complementary design language. Nearly all of the landscape sits over structure, effectively making the project landscape a series of green roofs.

Nearly all of the landscape sits over structure, effectively making the project landscape a series of green roofs.

Norweta is sited in an exceptionally walkable location, with a walk score of 93, access to several nearby mass transit options, and within walking distance to outdoor amenities, including the North Branch of the Chicago River.

Summer Dream

Hollander

Landscape

CATEGORY

HONOR AWARD

A contemporary home with a one-of-a-kind rooftop occupies a special spot nestled between the agricultural fields and saline ponds of Long Island. Its landscape celebrates its distinctive location and ecosystem while being a haven of respite and easy outdoor living.

At garden level, the pool’s serene surface mimics the color of the pond beyond and obscures a submerged spa below. A generous limestone deck around the pool house flows seamlessly to the house terrace, where a full outdoor kitchen and dining area make poolside entertaining effortless. The water’s edge is only a short stroll on a boardwalk through restored wetland plantings.

Its landscape celebratesits distinctive location and ecosystem while being a haven of respite and easy outdoor living.

Above, the rooftop terrace frames spectacular views of meadow and field, water and sky. Here, the landscape runs up onto the rooftop, dissolving the difference between building and natural environment. From the bedroom windows, an up-close garden of meadow blooms beckons. A step outside is the ultimate experience for morning coffee: immersion in a flowering meadow garden made for the delight of butterflies and humans alike.