Recognizing the full development process, the ULI Vision Awards define the standard for real estate development in the Chicagoland area. As a proud recipient of the 2018 ULI Chicago Vision Award for Innovative & Replicable Re-Use, Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep was previously using a deteriorated facility that no longer met the basic needs of its students. So they looked toward their neighbor, an abandoned big box store, to become their new home. Combating the challenges of their previous space as well as the difficult conditions of the neighborhood, they needed a building that would enhance the school’s culture of high academic expectations and be as progressive as their innovative corporate work study program.
This adaptive reuse project required extensive interior and exterior changes and innovative solutions to create an impactful transformation at a low construction cost. Analyzing the existing building, the design/build team identified aspects that could be enhanced or manipulated to provide an advantage to an educational institution.