The new five-story Broadway Youth Center (BYC), designed by Wheeler Kearns Architects, is now open at 1023 W. Irving Park Road in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. The new facility greatly increases the scope and size of the non-profit’s comprehensive social and healthcare services for Chicago’s LGBTQI+ youth.
Sited on a narrow lot at a vibrant intersection with an El station immediately behind it, the building serves as a welcoming, inclusive beacon for the community. The 20,000-sf facility quadruples the physical footprint of the organization and arranges the programs vertically, including a health clinic, a pharmacy, a cafe, day-time community spaces, and private spaces for counseling, career, and social services.
Staff at a reception desk greet clients upon entry in the context of a cafe, where they can sit while they wait for services. Several Chicago LGBTQ artists and allies will soon install new murals that represent the community’s creative, youthful, and energetic spirit in this space, as well.
The building’s street facade is a quilt composed of masonry panels in varying hues and textures that wrap around the building. Punched windows at the lower floors allow each clinic space and office to receive natural light. Large expanses of windows allow for panoramic views from gathering rooms and drop-in spaces on the upper floors. At the rear of the building a video installation projects video artwork reflecting BYC’s mission onto upper-story double height windows at night.
Related Stories
Healthcare Facilities | Jan 7, 2024
Two new projects could be economic catalysts for a central New Jersey city
A Cancer Center and Innovation district are under construction and expected to start opening in 2025 in New Brunswick.
Designers | Jan 3, 2024
Designing better built environments for a neurodiverse world
For most of human history, design has mostly considered “typical users” who are fully able-bodied without clinical or emotional disabilities. The problem with this approach is that it offers a limited perspective on how space can positively or negatively influence someone based on their physical, mental, and sensory abilities.
Healthcare Facilities | Dec 19, 2023
A new hospital in Duluth, Minn., is now the region’s largest healthcare facility
In Duluth, Minn., the new St. Mary’s Medical Center, designed by EwingCole, is now the largest healthcare facility in the region. The hospital consolidates Essentia Health’s healthcare services under one roof. At about 1 million sf spanning two city blocks, St. Mary’s overlooks Lake Superior, providing views on almost every floor of the world’s largest freshwater lake.
Healthcare Facilities | Dec 7, 2023
New $650 million Baptist Health Care complex opens in Pensacola
Baptist Health Care’s new $650 million healthcare complex opened recently in Pensacola, Fla. Featuring a 10-story, 268-bed hospital, the project “represents the single-largest investment in the healthcare history of northwest Florida,” said Gresham Smith project executive Robert “Skip” Yauger, AIA, LEED AP. The 602,000 sf Baptist Hospital is equipped with a Level II trauma center that provides 61 exam rooms and three triage areas.
Engineers | Nov 27, 2023
Kimley-Horn eliminates the guesswork of electric vehicle charger site selection
Private businesses and governments can now choose their new electric vehicle (EV) charger locations with data-driven precision. Kimley-Horn, the national engineering, planning, and design consulting firm, today launched TREDLite EV, a cloud-based tool that helps organizations develop and optimize their EV charger deployment strategies based on the organization’s unique priorities.
Healthcare Facilities | Nov 3, 2023
The University of Chicago Medicine is building its city’s first freestanding cancer center with inpatient and outpatient services
The University of Chicago Medicine (UChicago Medicine) is building Chicago’s first freestanding cancer center with inpatient and outpatient services. Aiming to bridge longstanding health disparities on Chicago’s South Side, the $815 million project will consolidate care and about 200 team members currently spread across at least five buildings. The new facility, which broke ground in September, is expected to open to patients in spring 2027.
Sponsored | | Oct 17, 2023
The Evolution of Medical Facility Security
As the healthcare system grows, securing these facilities becomes ever more challenging. Increasingly, medical providers have multiple facilities within their networks, making traditional keying systems and credentialing impractical.
Healthcare Facilities | Oct 11, 2023
Leveraging land and light to enhance patient care
GBBN interior designer Kristin Greeley shares insights from the firm's latest project: a cancer center in Santa Fe, N.M.
Healthcare Facilities | Oct 9, 2023
Design solutions for mental health as a secondary diagnosis
Rachel Vedder, RA, LEED AP, Senior Architect, Design Collaborative, shares two design solutions for hospitals treating behavioral health patients.
Giants 400 | Oct 5, 2023
Top 115 Healthcare Construction Firms for 2023
Turner Construction, Brasfield & Gorrie, JE Dunn Construction, DPR Construction, and McCarthy Holdings top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest healthcare sector contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking includes revenue related to all healthcare buildings work, including hospitals, medical office buildings, and outpatient facilities.
