Vacant Lot Activation

Part of BNMO’s mission to renew neighborhoods is focusing on those spaces that are overlooked or forgotten. Vacant lots in deprived areas can serve as blank canvases to build opportunity, activity, or beauty where it was previously absent. Whether conceptual, temporary, or permanent, our work seeks to engage the community to create a sense of ownership.

Aerial

Mapping the Neighborhood

Chicago Architecture Biennial 2021: Woodlawn Canopies at Project H.O.O.D.

BNMO collaborated with Norman Teague Design Studios to participate in the 2021 Chicago Architecture Biennial. The event’s theme, “The Available City”, asked participants to explore possibilities for activating vacant lots in Chicago – a city that is home to over 10,000 of them. Drawing inspiration from the local community’s demand for creative and performance space, BNMO worked with Norman Teague to design an installation that would support these functions.

A Space by the Community, for the Community

On a vacant lot in Woodlawn, located on the site of the future Project H.O.O.D. Community Center, local participation initiated the project. BNMO and Norman Teague ran a workshop with kids ages 5 to 12 to choose colors for basketball court onsite, resulting in a community painting day. Children who participated in the workshop were able to re-visit, participate in painting, and experience the results of their brainstorming.

To complement the colorful basketball court, the design team created a scheme to accommodate both performance and exhibition. A series of wooden panels, with colorful plexiglass infills to tie back to a prior adaptive reuse project for ProjectHOOD, were arranged in a pattern to form a canopy-covered performance area and an exhibit space. The spaces are used to post material and news as well as host music, dance, speeches, yoga sessions, and family-oriented events. Project H.O.O.D.’s construction team built the installation.

The three-month event drew several tours and publicity opportunities, giving exposure and helping to raise funds for Project H.O.O.D. The installation itself became the hub of community activity, with residents gathering to socialize and enjoy events with their families – a radical transformation from what the vacant space had previously been. Although the biennial has concluded, the structure still stands and displays local news and information.