25 E. Delaware
Chicago, IL
Chicago, IL
Taylor Lauridsen Park is a Chicago Parks District site on the south side of chicago located in a growing neighborhood. The site has an existing field-house that was built in the early 1900's and has since become dilapidated and unsuitable for the needs of the community. This project is an attempt to design a fieldhouse which will benefit the community and tie the park into the neighborhood.
The site is embedded into a neighborhood with housing on 3 sides and a main road with mild to heavy traffic to the north. The fieldhouse was sited toward the north end in order to shield the park from the heavy traffic and to allow for a large playing area or football field to the south. In addition to shielding the field, the building needed to relate to it's surroundings including the field, the street, and most importantly the neighborhood. This can clearly be seen in the structure of the fieldhouse. The large open basketball court within the fieldhouse is covered by a large spanning arch structure which forms a unified facade on the street side symbolizing the order of the city and road system. On the side facing the park, the structure begins to open up and appear much more random, however each structural element corresponds to a set programatic requirement that dictates how large the enclosing structure can be. The random structure symbolizes the activities which take place in the park. The hollow steel structure does more than just enclose the fieldhouse, it also carries all the HVAC and lighting equipment.
The arch which encloses the basketball court is made of glass, which allows the space to feel as if it is outside and offers passer-bys a view into what's going on at the park. This can act as sort of an inspiration for people to come inside and use the park facilities. The support spaces such as offices, locker rooms, party room, and the gym is located on the south side of the building facing the park. This location allows the support spaces to service both the outdoor spaces and the indoor spaces. The basketball court becomes a buffer from the street and the support spaces get great views of the park. Each space s designed to look like a different building which creates a sort of street within the fieldhouse, the central walkway becomes a street and the court becomes an indoor park.
