Roseland Senior Campus

A formerly vacant, debris-filled stretch on Roseland’s South Michigan Avenue and 104th Street has been given new architectural life – and is giving back to the community – with the development of the Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago’s Roseland Senior Campus. Landon Bone Baker Architects designed a comfortable, 60-unit affordable apartment building for seniors in the heart of the neighborhood that many have called home for generations. The campus connects the intergenerational “Grandfamily” building with the taller brick Independent Living Facility (ILF) via an enclosed courtyard/garden. The ILF pulls the five-story portion of the building away from Michigan Avenue to create an expansive green space, while a step-back design creates greater light and openness along Michigan Avenue. The L-shaped Grandfamily Building was lowered to two stories and the building façade features materials like colorful blue and green siding and modular brick to mirror residential exteriors along 104th Street. The buildings offer an outward-looking, vibrant face to a relatively depressed stretch of main road. Using a state affordable housing energy grant, the buildings have additional insulation, green roofs and energy-efficient equipment and lighting to reduce costs and enhance efficiency. The garden and play space for grandchildren nurture a sense of community and promote senior wellness by supporting an independent lifestyle while still providing enhanced accessibility and services for those with needs. Large windows allow for greater natural light in the building lobby and family solarium. For providing seniors with the opportunity to age in their community and reinvigorating the Roseland neighborhood, Landon Bone Baker Architects wins this year’s First Place Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Award for Architectural Excellence in Community Design.