AIA Chicago announces finalists for the Roberta Feldman Architecture for Social Justice Award

AIA Chicago has announced the finalists for the Roberta Feldman Architecture for Social Justice Award. The winners will be announced on September 12th at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago during Designight 2022, AIA Chicago’s first free and public architecture celebration. 

This awards program celebrates excellence in built projects and designs guided by innovative design solutions that address complex social and economic inequities and make high-quality architecture available to people and places that typically lack access. The initiative recognizes designers who work for the public good while receiving little to no market rate compensation. 

Entries were evaluated by a jury of design experts, including Paola Aguirre, Catherine Baker, FAIA, Kerl LaJeune, Assoc. AIA, John Syvertsen, FAIA, and Grant Uhlir, FAIA. In making their decisions, they were guided by the following criteria: equity, engagement, problem-solving, design excellence, replicability, and other qualities described by the applicant. Winners will receive $2,500, and non-monetary honorable mentions may also be awarded. 

View the finalists for the Roberta Feldman Architecture for Social Justice Award below.

POPCourts! by Lamar Johnson Collaborative
Westside Health Authority - Chicago, IL

Project Details: "POPCourts! is a 7,000 sf community plaza in the Austin Neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side. Born out of the pandemic and civil unrest, it provides a community anchor and safe space where residents can enjoy the outdoors. POPCourts! contains three zones, “Courts,” each serving a variety of community functions. The programming is flexible, allowing activities to “Pop” up and transform over time. The basketball court doubles as a community plaza. The gravel drive hosts food trucks and farmers markets, and the shaded lawn provides casual seating. Artwork brings the project together, figuratively and literally, with a pop-art theme."

Sounding Boards Garden at Harmony by Eastlake Studio
Pastor James Brooks, Harmony Community Church - Chicago, IL

Project Details: "Historicizing the Black Lives Matter movement’s ongoing importance and creating a safe outdoor space for residents of North Lawndale were goals for Eastlake Studio and the nonprofit they created in the summer of 2020. Initially, their work improving the accessibility of Harmony Community Church helped grow their relationship with Pastor James Brooks, who advised on how to best use a nearby vacant lot. Alongside Eastlake Studio’s GC partner, the resulting design plan preserves and celebrates Sounding Boards’ commissioned murals that formerly protected storefronts around the city. Sounding Board Garden now serves as a platform for conversations, music, quiet contemplation, and mourning."

The Harbour by OKW Architects
The Harbour - Illinois

Project Details: "The Harbour is a non-profit shelter for young women experiencing homelessness. The original structure had long suffered from deferred maintenance and dilapidation, to the point that it was becoming increasingly unsafe for the young women that lived in it. After a successful fundraising campaign with help from Designs4Dignity, the new Harbour is a single-family home with an institutional backbone. Tucked away from the main road, the house opens to a bright, airy, and inviting common area that serves as the nexus for two wings of bedrooms and offices, with a patio and yard unfolding to the rear."

Learn more about DESIGNIGHT 2022 here.