Chinese American Service Center, Chicago, Illinois, Perspective Rendering

The Kam L. Liu Center in the Chinatown neighborhood of Chicago serves the community with a focus on health, education, and social support. When approached to submit a design for the new center, Jeanne Gang found subtle ways to incorporate welcoming traditional Chinese colors and signs within a modern, airy space. The small construction budget did not limit the expressive qualities of the building, including a richly detailed lattice sunscreen and shimmering titanium shingles cladding the exterior. The identity of the building is defined by the diversity of its users, and the flexibility of programming in many of the interior spaces promotes intergenerational and international communication.