From MultifamilyBiz:
Evergreen Real Estate Group today announced that two co-located library and senior housing developments the firm completed last year have won the 2020 Library Building Awards from the American Institute of Architects and American Library Association. Built in partnership with the city of Chicago, Chicago Housing Authority and Chicago Public Library, the projects were two of four winners recognized in the U.S. and Canada.
The annual awards recognize projects that demonstrate design achievement, including a sense of place, purpose, ecology, environmental sustainability and history. This year’s winners were selected by a six-person jury. Jurors selected Independence Branch Library and Apartments for its use of new hybrid building technology; location in a diverse, mixed-income neighborhood; educational opportunities provided for all age groups; and thoughtful mix of materials, including ground and polished precast concrete that contrasts with the development’s brightly colored balconies. Northtown Branch Library and Apartments was selected for its design that maximizes the potential for interaction between the affordable housing residents and library patrons by creating connections rather than separations in the spaces; the developer’s commitment to energy use reduction; and for the way the project serves as an agent of social change by pairing opportunities for lifelong learning with a sustainable solution to the city’s housing shortage.
Read MultifamilyBiz's article "Pair of Co-Located Library and Senior Housing Developments by Evergreen Real Estate Group and Chicago Housing Authority Earn Awards."