SOS Children's Villages

The design for the SOS Children’s Villages Illinois and Maestro Cares Community Center exemplifies a unification of SOS’s child-fostering mission with the surrounding family “villages” of the Roosevelt Square community. The prominent corner site along the active Blue Island Avenue, just southwest of Chicago’s downtown area, welcomes engagement with adjacent residential neighborhoods while presenting a positive and compelling outward image to the public.

While being the first new cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure built in Chicago, JGMA’s design is a physical manifestation of the forward-thinking nature of the SOS Children’s Villages organization. Inside the building, a dialogue is fostered between private programming including administrative and counseling offices; and more open, collective, and communal programs including group study areas, a community event space, and an educational kitchen. JGMA located the community gathering and dining space and a roof terrace at the second floor, celebrating views to downtown Chicago to inspire children, families, and all who pass through.

SOS Children’s Villages Illinois is well served by public transportation (CTA 60 bus and Blue and Pink rapid transit line stations), automobile, bicycle, and pedestrian access. Through these many modes of accessing the new location, the SOS Children’s Villages participate in and augment the vibrancy of the existing neighborhood.

Processional approaches to the building through a public plaza and community garden also contribute to a sense of arrival, while establishing a positive street presence, clear site circulation, and community-oriented outdoor gathering. Ultimately, this new center facilitates and encourages community interaction, while providing for safe and comfortable facilities for children, families, and staff.