UrbanWorks was honored to be the Architect for the recently opened West Pullman School Redevelopment, which features 60 units of affordable housing for seniors on Chicago’s south side. See below the fold for video from ABC7.
UrbanWorks teamed up with Tandem Inc. and BASE Engineering for the 2018 Canstruction Chicago design competition. The competition is a “design/build event which benefits the Greater Chicago Food Depository,” featuring “colossal structures made entirely out of cans of food.” The structures are then judged by a celebrity chef, members of the AEC industry as well as the public. UrbanWorks’ entry, DNA_Societies, consisted of 3,843 cans of food, and spoke to how the food we eat (and our access to healthy food) modifies human DNA over time. Go team!
This spring, UrbanWorks’ Project Architect Erick Roldan participated in the Rebuilding Together Community Revitalization program through the Arquitectos organization. With the help of donations, fundraising, skilled and non-skilled volunteers, Rebuilding Together helps disadvantaged home owners make the necessary repairs and upgrades to their homes and improve their living environment. Erick was a Co-captain for a home located in Bellwood, IL and UrbanWorks’ Ameera Ashraf-O’Neil and EJ Fernandez were team members.
CPS CTE Intern Elynn Jensen, One Summer Chicago/Vamos Intern Oscar Hernandez, College Intern Corinth Jackson and High School Interns Alexis Roldan and Gabriella Finch were introduced to the field of architecture. The UrbanWorks Summer Interns attended meetings, visited projects under construction, and assisted with project drawings and material selections. UrbanWorks participated as Mentor Sponsors for Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s One Summer Chicago program, which “brings together government institutions, community-based organizations and companies to offer over employment and internship opportunities to youth and young adults ages 14 to 24” and Host Firm for the Chicago Public Schools Career and Technical Education (CTE) College Prep Program which gives “ hands-on training and real world experience through internships”. (Top Row: Gabriella Finch, Corinth Jackson Middle Row: Alexis Roldan, Elynn Jensen Bottom Row: Oscar Hernandez)
UrbanWorks’ Sustainability Coordinator, Tej Varpe, volunteered for the USGBC Illinois Chapter Green Built Home Tour of +Plus House in Pilsen on Saturday, July 22. +Plus Houses are affordable, LEED Certified homes. Eleven High Performance Green Homes were featured, including those with high efficiency envelopes, foam insulated foundation, smart furnaces, CarbonCure concrete and radon venting. Each +Plus House was also solar ready. Read more
Ann Panopio joins the Advisory Board of Girls 4 Science, an organization dedicated to enhancing (STEM) Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math literacy to 10-18 year old girls through hands-on laboratory and field experiences. Girls 4 Science is making science a reality for over 500 young women in the Chicagoland area. It is Chicago’s only all-girls science initiative in a peer-to-peer environment of encouragement. Go Ann! Read more
Led by Ameera Ashraf O’Neil, UrbanWorks hosted an On the Table discussion on May 16. Nine participants discussed Creative Solution to make Communities Stronger, Safer, and More Dynamic through Architecture. The Chicago Community Trust’s On the Table is an annual forum designed to elevate the civic conversation, foster new relationships and inspire collaborative action across the region. On Tuesday May 16, tens of thousands of Chicago area residents gathered in small groups to share a meal and discuss challenges and opportunities to make communities better. The Chicago Community Trust is the region’s largest community foundation, making grants to nonprofit organizations working to improve metropolitan Chicago. Read more
Maria Pellot will be volunteering at “Folding, Fanning, Flying and Forming”, a Youth + Architecture event produced by AIA Chicago, the Art Institute of Chicago and Chicago Public Schools. The program, held at the SAIC Ballroom on April 26th, and led by Linda Keane, AIA, founder of NEXT.cc and Professor of Architecture + Environmental Design at SAIC, will explore paper patterns, geometry, engineering and biomimicry for approximately fifty 6th grade girls. Read more
UrbanWorks welcomed the I-NOMA (Illinois chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects) General Body Meeting to our office on March 22, 2017. Ameera Ashraf-O’Neil, UrbanWorks’ Senior Project Manager, led a firm tour and introduction. NOMA’s mission is to champion diversity within the design professions by promoting the excellence, community engagement, and professional development of its members. I-NOMA is a local chapter and subdivision of NOMA, which encompasses a community of design professionals committed to impacting Chicago through design and education.
UrbanWorks is proud to join 68 design firms as part of Architects Advocate. We support the group’s mission statement that “As architects dedicated to healthy and livable communities, and guided by scientific consensus and reason, we advocate for action on Climate Change.” Architects Advocate seeks to design “healthy spaces and livable cities” as well as speaking out publicly on the issues and enacting “meaningful legislation to mitigate Climate Change.” Read more
