Press Release
GreenWorks project receives Chicago Neighborhood Development Award
(CHICAGO- March 15, 2007) – GreenWorks Studio and partner company, Harley Ellis Devereaux, were recently honored at the annual Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards. The firms were awarded the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Third Place Award for Architectural Excellence in Community Design for its design of Wentworth Commons, a 51-unit affordable housing complex located in Chicago’s Roseland neighborhood.
Hailed as a cornerstone of community renewal, Wentworth Commons serves at-risk and/or formerly homeless families and individuals.
“Wentworth Commons addresses social and environmental needs in a singular design, setting the standard for service-enriched housing and serving as an anchor for a redeveloping Roseland community,” said Andrew Mooney, Senior Program Director of Local Initiative Support Corporation/Chicago, the co-founder of the Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards.
More than just living space, residents of Wentworth Commons receive a variety of support services to help them reclaim their place in society. The first level includes offices for case managers as well as social spaces for employment training, after-school activities for children and other community events. The residential spaces on three upper
Harley Ellis Devereaux wins architectural excellence award for green design, floors also emphasize the spirit of community among residents by providing common areas and mixing studio and family apartments.
In addition to supportive design, a primary focus of the building is its sustainable design components, which could give it the designation of one of the first residential developments in Chicago to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. Principal architect Susan F. King, AIA, LEED AP, GreenWorks Studio, incorporated numerous green features into the design, including photovoltaic cells on the roof which generate energy for the building; native plantings and a bioswale to reduce stormwater runoff; regional and rapidly-renewable materials, and energy-efficient heating and cooling with high efficiency boilers, a heat recovery system and super insulation.
King says, “Supportive and sustainable design, community renewal and adherence to a tight budget were the challenges we embraced when undertaking this project. We hope that Wentworth, along with the handful of other supportive housing projects in the Chicago area, help to set an example of what can be accomplished with little means as well as provide a benchmark for incorporating sustainability in similar supportive housing projects.”
More than 1,300 people, including Chicago’s non-profit, corporate and philanthropic leaders, joined Mayor Richard M. Daley and event Chair Perry Pero, retired CFO of Northern Trust, in honoring this year’s winners. Now in its 13th year, the CNDA is the nation’s only awards program dedicated to neighborhood-based development and recognizes those community leaders and architects who have helped to make Chicago neighborhoods the focus of emulation and inspiration throughout the country. (Photography available upon request)