Esperanza Brighton Park Health Center
This two-story-tall, 43,000-square-foot facility houses expanded medical and behavioral health services, comprehensive senior programming, and a family medicine residency program for community-based Esperanza. Located at the intersection of South California and West 47th Place in the Brighton Park community on Chicago’s South Side, the new building expands Esperanza’s presence to encompass an entire city block, creating a new civic plaza with an earlier facility at the north end of the site.
The building’s lively presence is created by brightly hued and canted yellow aluminum composite metal panels that contrast with vertically ribbed metal rainscreens and glazing that encloses the structure. The yellow panels predominate the second floor of the building, dipping down to the ground only to denote the main entrance. These simple formal moves infuse the structure with a sense of positive momentum. Multiple indoor and outdoor spaces create opportunities for the community’s health, learning, and recreation that builds on the services provided within the complex.