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SOS Children’s Villages Lavezzorio Community Center / Studio Gang Architects
Architect: Studio Gang Architects
Location: Chicago, IL, USA
Owner: SOS Children’s Villages
Completion: 2008
Photographs: Steve Hall @ Hedrich Blessing
SOS community center combines services for foster care families and neighborhood families in one building. SOS is an international not-for-profit agency committed to training foster parents and reuniting siblings.
floor plans
Multi-faceted public spaces in the building encourage a range of learning opportunities and social interaction. An extra-wide stair in the lobby doubles as classroom seating and an impromptu stage for performance. A large community room on the second floor serves as classroom, exercise room and meeting space. Daycare classrooms on the ground floor are oriented around and have direct access to a sunlit outdoor play area. Working with budget constraints led to a design that expresses its materiality in a direct way. Concrete is layered in bands with color variation to reveal its liquid nature.
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- © Steve Hall @ Hedrich Blessing
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- © Steve Hall @ Hedrich Blessing
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- © Steve Hall @ Hedrich Blessing
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- © Steve Hall @ Hedrich Blessing
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- © Steve Hall @ Hedrich Blessing
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- situation plan © SGA
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- floor plans © SGA
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- unfolded elevation © SGA
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7 comments »
Random, your critic is very random… this building is NOT sensatyional masterpiece nor great achievement but this is a daily wondereful…
I kind of like it. Its not amazing but it offers a new take on the concrete wall which is admirable.
Visionary? Maybe not. But they alright, certainly in light of the budgets that most community centers have for these things. I am more appreciative of their use of an elongated triangular lot. It seems folks always need reminding that “constraining” lot dimensions tend to provoke creativity and are not obstacles to good design. Ironically, I am surprised how little of the center’s design seemed influence by the outward dimensions of the lot.
the interior is kind of airy and light… i love what they have done with the layering of the various concrete materials- and having those layers reflect on the interior walls is even better. this seems like a space where children can run and laugh freely. it’s attractive.
what is this, the zebra building?
it would be nice to share more info about how they use the materials. Very nice building
I saw a lecture by her and know the story behind the concrete, pretty fun. It is leftover concrete from for-profit development in Chicago’s loop. That is why there is not a uniform color. She asked the contractor to pour in a random fashion but they refused and asked her to come up with a seemingly random pour pattern and this is the result. Pretty resourceful and a great solution for such a tight budget and non-profit client.