Oakwood Shores Mixed-Income Development

Opportunity: Having completed the Phase II Master Plan, Booth Hansen was engaged to design 378 mixed-income rental housing units of various types and configurations in mostly low-rise structures.

Solution: 1, 2, 3 and 4-bedroom units are incorporated into three-story six-flats, rowhouses and a six-story mid-rise building. Building modules are grouped together to increase green space and improve cost efficiency. Facades are designed using similar elements combined in different ways to produce visually unique buildings that also reinforce a common overall aesthetic. Exterior porches, bay windows, and trellises enliven the brick facades and add to streetscape activity. A variety of sloping and flat rooflines further articulate the building form and allow cathedral ceilings in top floor units.

Value: Energy-saving features qualified the project for the City of Chicago’s Green Permit program which allowed construction to begin sooner. One of the most significant projects in the Chicago Housing Authority’s Plan for Transformation, the development is providing much needed housing for all income levels and generating renewal in the surrounding neighborhoods.