Reconstruction West Trade School Concept
This sustainable adaptive reuse project transforms two existing industrial buildings and a vacant lot in Chicago’s East Garfield Park neighborhood into a mini-campus for a public college’s innovative carpentry trade school program.
Primary work spaces are located on the ground floor where they share direct access to the exterior work area and materials storage, separated by a glass garage door. These supplement more traditional classroom, lounge, and office spaces on the second floor.
Exterior upgrades include a new brightly hued canopy to mark the building’s entrance and frame the outdoor work area, new windows with extruded metal frames, storefront glazing, fiber cement panels, signage, a green wall, and an artwork wall mural that identify the complex as a renewed resource for Chicago’s next generation of carpenters.
AWARDS AND PUBLICATIONS:
2025 ALA Merit Award