Latent

Austin United | Affordable Housing

Project Description

Austin United marks a major milestone as the first INVEST South/West site to be awarded and reviewed by the newly established Committee on Design within Chicago’s Department of Planning and Development. Currently under construction, this six-story, 104,000-square-foot development will offer 78 affordable housing units—featuring a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments. The project includes 28 covered parking spaces and is designed around a public courtyard along Chicago Avenue, anchored by the restored Laramie State Bank building.

The goal of this project was to create a place that is not only in Austin but and for Austin. A localized design that celebrates Austin through art, architecture, and a compelling narrative. A CDC model that owns, operates, and profits from the commercial/retail spaces. The landscaped courtyard creates new public green space and hub for Chicago Avenue in Austin.

Latent Co-Designed the project led by Valerio Dewalt Train with an emphasis on Public Interiors & Community Engagement.
 

Project Details

Date
2021
Location
Chicago, IL
Area
103,000 sf
Typology
Affordable Housing
Client
United Alliance
Budget
$40 million

Partners

Architect Valerio Dewalt Train Associates, Chicago Department of Planning + Development, Structural Engineer Rubinos & Mesia, Contractor BOWA Construction, Civil Engineer Engage Civil, Landscape Architecture site Design Group, MEPFP Primera Engineers, Threshold Accoustics
The residential lobby opens up to a community room and courtyard

Project Gallery

  1. 1 Design Team

    The design team shared a vision for a transformative design for Austin

  2. 2 South Elevation facing Chicago Avenue

    The new massing reinterprets the Historic Laramie State Bank to anchor a new community courtyard.

  3. 3 Neighborhood Context

    Access to public green space in Austin was a fundamental goal for this project

  4. 4 Landscaped Courtyard by site Design Group

    The park features rotating perforated walls to secure for the residents at night

  5. 5 Massing Studies

    Treating the Bank part of the composition

  6. 6 Plan Studies

    This scheme imagined a thru lobby with retail facing Chicago Avenue

  7. 7 Unit Studies

    The building offers a mix of 1,2,+3 bedroom apartments

Chicago Avenue gets activated by a public plaza anchored by the Residential entry and Historic Laramie State Bank
Construction Progress
Construction Progress
A Community Room for neighborhood meetings opens up to a landscaped semi-public courtyard
A private Community Room opens to a landscaped rooftop terrace
Laundry Rooms face the Courtyard
Amenities like the fitness center are distributed throughout the residential floors
The Courtyard features the Historic Preservation of Laramie State Bank as a backdrop
“We want to create a safe, comfortable, accessible, vibrant, + attractive pedestrian environment, a worthy Gateway to the Soul City Corridor”

Ernie Wongsite Design Group

ArtHouse GaryNext Project