Christian Community Health Center
(Calumet City)

The design for the Calumet City branch of CCHC organizes the public and private spaces to foster a cooperative work flow, a positive environment, and therapeutic atmosphere for all. To achieve this goal the reception and patient oriented spaces will be relocated to the new building addition while administration activities and offices will be re-purposed in the existing facility as part of a minor second phase renovation. This second phase will occur only after the addition is completed and activities can be transferred to their new locations. The patient and administration spaces are to be located around the perimeter of a new central core containing the most heavily used functions. This core will house, (from the existing building to new), conference rooms, an x-ray room, a laboratory, the central nurses’ station and a large file storage room.

Our design orients the new Calumet City CCHC addition with its longest façade facing Torrence Avenue. By rotating the building footprint 90 degrees we provide greater visual recognition for the center and simultaneously define a community presences that address the street. This new building, while minimizing sight lines of the expanded parking lot also creates a predominant building corner which all patients will easily identify as the new entry point. To completely unify the existing building with the addition we will be exploring materials that seamlessly can be used as an over-cladding for the existing and also as new the exterior wall for the addition. It is important that we create a visually recognizable brand identity through these materials and colors that can be realized at both the Calumet City center South Holland location.