Latent

Invest South/West 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 51 affordable housing and 21 market rate 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
Oak Park Regional Housing Center
Developer
Pivotal Housing Partners
Budget
$40 million
78 Units
51 Affordable | 27 Market Rate
Parking
28 Cars | 43 Bikes

Partners

Architect of Record | Valerio Dewalt Train Associates, Civil | Engage Civil, Structural | Rubinos & Mesia, Contractor | Burling Builders Inc., Landscape Architecture | site Design Group, MEPFP | Primera Engineers, Acoustics | Threshold Acoustics, Government | Chicago Department of Planning + Development
The residential lobby extends to a community room fronting the public/private courtyard facing Chicago Avenue.

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

A public plaza activates Chicago Avenue, creating a shared focal point between the residential entry and the historic Laramie State Bank. @Latent
A corner glimpse reveals the public roof deck. @Latent
Laramie State Bank serves as the visual anchor for the block’s overall composition. @Latent
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

In the future a restored Laramie State Bank will anchor the block long project facing Chicago's downtown skyline.
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