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
Great Solutions | Aug 23, 2016
Reusable infection control barriers ease hospital renovation
Clark Construction Group pilots the Edge Guard system on the Fair Oaks (Va.) Hospital reconstruction project.
Great Solutions | Aug 23, 2016
Mobile emergency room arrives just in time for Alabama hospital
The MED-1 Mobile Hospital Unit serves as a lower-cost solution during construction of new ED.
Great Solutions | Aug 23, 2016
Virtual care facility serves remote patients, may reduce readmissions
Mercy’s new high-tech medical center equips its medical professionals to deliver care at the bedside of patients anywhere.
Great Solutions | Aug 23, 2016
11 great solutions for the commercial construction market
A roll-up emergency department, next-gen telemedicine center, and biophilic cooling pods are among the AEC industry’s clever ideas and novel innovations for 2016.
Healthcare Facilities | Aug 16, 2016
The future of healthcare design education: 5 takeaways from ACHA 2016
Creating a network of experts to talk next generation healthcare design education
Healthcare Facilities | Aug 15, 2016
Future proofing hospitals
By improving the physical layout of hospitals and medical facilities, we can enhance and increase safety mechanisms, improve care, and help reduce the exposure to medical errors, writes Skanska USA's Andrew Quirk.
Healthcare Facilities | Aug 10, 2016
11 principles for pediatric healthcare design
Engagement at all levels, designing with families in mind, and integrating flexible spaces are all important design considerations to keep in mind for pediatric healthcare planning, writes HDR's Brian Zabloudil.
Healthcare Facilities | Aug 9, 2016
Key strategies to reduce healthcare facility costs and maintain operations
The right approach during the planning, design, and construction of a new facility can yield a positive return on investment and lower the overall cost basis for ongoing operations, writes Steve Higgs, Senior Managing Director with CBRE Healthcare.
| Aug 8, 2016
HEALTHCARE GIANTS: Age-simulation technology aids design for the mobility impaired
As the 65+ population continues to rise, the AEC industry needs to better understand the stresses and anxieties those who are mobility impaired face when navigating spaces like medical facilities.
| Aug 8, 2016
Top 80 Healthcare Engineering Firms
AECOM, Jacobs, and WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff top Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest healthcare building sector engineering and E/A firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.
