A project more than 15 years in the making. Bureau Gemmell was thrilled to have played a part in helping to set the stage for this project back in 2020 and to now be partnering with Moody Nolan to deliver this important project for the community of West Garfield Park. The design hinges on the concept of “no wrong door“ where wellness is understood to be a continuum and approached from many angles. Anchor tenants and service providers housed within the building include Rush University Medical Center, Erie Family Health Center, the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago, West Side United, the Leaders Network Credit Union, and the Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative. Wellness is not simply access to compassionate medical care but also physical and financial fitness; mental and family health; and community resiliency—the mix of tenants in the building will be addressing these identified community needs under one roof. The design celebrates spaces for collaboration and opportunities to step outside, either for clinicians to have respite or for patients to experience therapeutic gardens or the community room to open out onto a roof patio. A rooftop farm not only provides opportunities for employment but embeds the connection between fresh, nutritious food with health.
The Sankofa Village Wellness Center is the anchor development of the Sankofa Wellness Village, a finalist for the Chicago Prize. The project will be delivered by the Community Builders in partnership with the MAAFA Redemption Project and the Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative. Bureau Gemmell’s long term client the MAAFA Redemption Project’s MAAFA Center for Arts and Activism also sits within the Village.
Architect of Record, Moody Nolan
Consulting architect, New Office
Press
