Tom Rossiter
KELLER CENTER
DESIGNER
Farr Associates LOCATION
Chicago
Farr Associates and Woodhouse Tinucci Architects have transformed a 1964 Edward Durell Stone building on the University of Chicago’s South Campus into the Keller Center, the new home of the Harris School of Public Policy. Policy-inspired design solutions connect with the community, place policy on display, and shape the project’s approach to sustainability. The existing, expansive concrete structure offered little
61
connection to the exterior environment. With the renovation, a four-story atrium carved into the building brings daylight down to its lowest level. A monumental stair promotes active design and extends the warmth of the forum up through the atrium with reclaimed ash trees, which were harvested from downed Chicago Park District trees and milled by local residents through a collaboration with artist Theaster Gates.
B U I L D I N G R E N O V A T I O N — C I V I C