Greenbelt Cultural Center

North Chicago, IL

Completed 2011

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Adding to an existing facility is always challenging, but it is
particularly so in the case of a singular building needing to
remain open for the pre-scheduled events that span from
children's education to corporate meetings to weddings. In
an attempt to add space while leaving the original structure
as a focal point, the additional Education Program rooms
and support spaces for the Greenbelt Cultural Center were
designed to become part of the landscape. Emerging from
the existing amphitheater berm quietly, the structure exposes
little more than a glass and green roof enclosed art gallery.
This link to the landscape is continued with sustainable ideas
brought into the building execution such as passive space
conditioning, geothermal cooling and radiant floor, and a
living wall of plants that will purify the air and reduce energy
use.

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