CHICAGO ARCHITECTURE CENTER ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF MISSING MIDDLE INFILL HOUSING DESIGN COMPETITION

CHICAGO ARCHITECTURE CENTER ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF MISSING MIDDLE INFILL HOUSING DESIGN COMPETITION

The Selected Designs Reimagine Housing in Chicago and Are Being Offered as Resources to Bolster the Department of Planning and Development’s $75 Million Program to Build Homes on the South and West Sides

CHICAGO — The Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) announced the winners of its Missing Middle Infill Housing Design Competition. The contest challenged architectural firms to reimagine designs for “missing middle density” home categories—that fall between detached, single-family housing and high-density large, multi-family apartment complexes—to meet modern needs. Fifty-six firms were invited to submit designs for the competition, and a single winner was chosen in each of four categories: six-flats, two- and three-flats, rowhouses, and single-family homes.

This announcement coincides with the City of Chicago's Department of Planning and Development’s (DPD) launch of the Missing Middle Infill Housing Initiative, a $75 million program that will offer 44 vacant, city-owned lots in North Lawndale for redevelopment. These lots, available for $1 each, are part of the city's efforts to repurpose abandoned land and create affordable, middle density housing in underinvested areas. Future phases will be announced for this initiative with the potential to spread similar investment to other Chicago neighborhoods.

CAC is also unveiling a complementary Design Catalog featuring 32 short-listed participants of the competition, along with statistics and maps that provide a meaningful look at the need for more missing middle housing in Chicago. The catalog will be made available as a free downloadable resource for the public, and the CAC will serve as a connector between interested parties, community funders and the participating architecture firms.

“The CAC applauds the City’s commitment to addressing the shortage of affordable, middle density housing in Chicago,” said Eleanor Gorski, AIA, President and CEO of the Chicago Architecture Center. “By centering design in conversations about what to do with vacant land, we can create contemporary homes that meet the needs of residents and fit into our existing city neighborhoods. We hope developers take advantage of these incredible new infill designs and work with the architects who participated in the competition.”

The Winning Designs

The four winning designs stood out for their originality, functionality, sustainability, and buildability within Chicago’s cityscape.

Six-flat: “The Courtyard Shift” by ParkFowler Plus

Two- and three-flat: “Chicago Switch-Flat” by Dirk Denison Architecture

Rowhouse: “Readymade Row” by Future Firm

Single family: “r_home” by Vladimir Radutny Architects

"The selected designs showcase a broad spectrum of current thinking in ‘missing middle’ housing and offer a glimpse into what these buildings could look like in Chicago’s future," said Reed Kroloff, Jury Chair of the competition and Dean and The Rowe Family College of Architecture Endowed Chair at Illinois Institute of Technology.."We focused on entries that are both innovative and attainable for our communities, reimagining the traditional middle density homes from over a century ago with modern layouts, enhanced outdoor spaces, and sustainable features."

“We designed the Chicago Switch-Flat to honor the traditional Chicago brick multi-family home, while meeting modern needs,” said Justin DeGroff, Managing Director, Dirk Denison Architects. “Our goal was to design a flexible home that can evolve with a family's changing needs—whether expanding or downsizing—without requiring construction, while also providing the opportunity for rental income to help families build long-term wealth.”

“Regardless of scale or type, our architecture office is dedicated to innovative design solutions for every project, enriching the lives of those who inhabit the spaces we create,” said Vladimir Radutny, AIA, Principal at Vladimir Radutny Architecture. “Participating in this competition within our home city allowed us to envision a design that addresses today’s needs while planning for the future. Our proposal not only supports the needs of a growing family and aging in place, but also presents a sustainable model for living and building in Chicago. We believe deeply in the r_home design and are thrilled to be one step closer to bringing it to life.”

"Our entry in the competition was driven by a deep optimism—one that believes Chicago can lead the way in high-quality housing that is accessible to everyone,” said Ann Lui, AIA, Partner at Future Firm. “Our rowhouse design reimagines an industrial structural building system as a way to quickly and affordably build new housing. As a plus, it also adds design features that improve day-to-day life, such as a double-height central space for natural light and family gatherings."

“This competition allowed us to use our firm’s expertise in designing for the resident experience. We wanted our entry to address limitations with natural light that tend to come with the six-flat typology,” said Brad Fowler, AIA, Principal at Park Fowler Plus. “By introducing a courtyard, we reoriented the focus to the open center area and thus drastically increased the amount of usable façade—creating a better overall quality of life for each resident.”

The Design Catalog is available for download on the Chicago Architecture Center website at architecture.org/missingmiddle.

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