The Elica Health Center is an exciting new health care facility, located in Chicago and serving the surrounding suburbs. The building encompasses a newly renovated section of Chicago’s 1st Ward, formerly vacant for years and turning into a destination for visitors, workers, and residents alike. This project was led by Wilson Lewis Associates as the architect of record, while our team designed the interior spaces to create this state-of-the-art medical home. From a community perspective, we shaped Elica to be an important part of this neighborhood’s revitalization efforts.
The exterior of the building, a monolithic and sculptural structure, is an important landmark for this area of Chicago. Our objective was to create larger public spaces that would act as gathering points and provide increased accessibility. As such, we incorporated an accessible porch along the exterior façade that would bring hands-on interactions with residents directly into the community. Other amenities included landscaped park space, a dog park, and bike storage rooms.
Why did you select the materials you did?
Our team designed Elica with an eye toward health, wellness, and sustainability. Our goal was to create a facility that would promote healing and community. To achieve these goals, we incorporated sustainable materials throughout the project to set a new standard for future healthcare facilities.
What were the challenges of your project?
The first challenge was creating an engaging exterior that would fit within the neighborhood context while at the same time acting as an iconic landmark for this facility. Next, we incorporated design strategies that were sensitive to our surrounding residential neighbors including minimizing noise levels during construction and creating large setbacks to reduce traffic and glare levels.
What technologies and materials did you use?
We selected ultra-low embodied energy materials to provide warmth and a healthy indoor environment. These include both durable and recyclable (recycled) products which resulted in lower costs for long-term maintenance. As a result, we were able to achieve LEED Silver certification for our building. Additionally, the materials utilized reduce energy consumption by up to 53%. We used a combination of insulated concrete forms (ICFs), insulated glazing, concrete floors, radiant heating/cooling systems, radiant flooring systems, and underfloor air systems. Wood was added into several subsystems as insulation was required due to its structural properties as well as its long lasting aesthetic qualities.
What was the most enjoyable aspect of your project?
We all know that healthcare is a rewarding but difficult industry. It takes a certain kind of person to do what they do. Our challenge was to convince them that our facility would provide them with the best possible working environment. I think we did this by creating a building that is as much about health and healing as it is about community and collaboration. This building provided state-of-the-art facilities at every level, but perhaps more importantly, it was designed to celebrate the people who work in it on a daily basis.
What was the biggest challenge you faced?
Many people who work in healthcare are passionate about improving patient care and wellness. Our challenge was to appeal to their needs while still maintaining their environment as a place they can thrive, while also creating a building that would integrate with its community. In addition, we had to keep up an aggressive schedule under budget while maintaining high quality. I think we were successful in meeting this challenge as evidenced by the tremendous amount of interest in Elica from both current employees and potential new hires alike.
How did it come together?
The first step was to create a conceptual model of what we wanted to achieve. We then started with the floors, walls, and ceiling – in other words, the infrastructure. Only after completing these elements could we start thinking about the final finishes. This building is much more than just an office building or a hospital – it’s a healthcare facility that needed to be designed to promote healing while bringing together all of these parts into one cohesive whole.
Conclusion
The Wilson Lewis team worked closely with our client and those on-site to create the most functional, responsive space for the Elica team. We’re proud of the great success story we helped bring to life for this innovative center. We’re looking forward to seeing more healthcare facilities like this in the future.
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