The new building includes a 26,000 sq ft, two storey, fully accessible healthcare facility offering clinical office space, 30 exam rooms, space for additional diagnostic and treatment services, and a retail pharmacy as well as 69 parking spaces; welcoming residents seeking healthcare and wellness services in this previously underserved southwest Chicago neighbourhood.
Occupying approximately three acres on the former site of a demolished RC Cola plant, the Esperanza Brighton Park health centre, located at 47th Street and California Avenue, has transformed the former industrial area not only with its modern façade clad in Alucobond Plus’s aluminum composite material but with biophilic design elements focused on natural light and movement, including outdoor walking and community garden spaces as well as a children’s playground.
Esperanza Brighton Park was designed as a wellness oasis for a very large underserved population. There had not been a lot of investment in this community, so we wanted to make an impact with this design. Buildings shouldn’t be quiet and sit humbly. This building serves as a brand for Esperanza Health Centers. It is a recognisable destination.
Esperanza, meaning hope in Spanish, was founded to provide services to community residents regardless of immigration status, race or ethnicity, income or insurance. JGMA included neighbourhood stakeholders in design meetings for Esperanza Brighton Park, which not only includes rooms for medical exams and testing but spaces for exercise classes and meetings as well as a kitchen for community cooking.
We wanted this design to feel like a community building not just a healthcare centre. The neighbourhood lacks parks and open space. We wanted to incorporate the outdoors as a part of wellness.
The Esperanza health centre design not only includes outdoor walking paths, a garden and a playground but brings the outdoors inside through natural lighting incorporated through recessed windows that span the length of the building and which are set within Alucobond
The building’s angular design elements, including the east end’s “picture window” frame that features a 60° radius, required meticulous fabrication and installation of the Alucobond Plus panels, according to Tony Lemmon, project manager, East Coast Metal Systems, who described this elevation’s unique shape as “an inverted triangle that looks like a set of wings.”
I love when buildings don’t feel static. Esperanza Brighton Park was intentionally designed to grab attention. We want to provide great design to communities that too often are forgotten. It offers low maintenance and high performance.
J. Gabriel Moreno