Pilsen Gateway, Chicago, IL

Pilsen Gateway is a market-rate, residential and commercial development, located in the vibrant, diverse and artistic Chicago community of Pilsen. LBBA, acting as the developer, aimed to create a building that has a relationship to both the larger loft buildings in the area and to the smaller single family, two flat and three flat homes.  The parti consists of two blocks linked to each other in the middle with brightly painted balconies; the south block is carved out at the corner and clad in colorful blue glazed brick to create a public space with appropriate pedestrian scale at the sidewalk level; the north block opens up to take advantage of the view of the Chicago skyline. The modern design interacts with the neighborhood through the mix of colors and materials and becomes a vibrant focal point on a previously vacant site.