Boos­ting school parti­ci­pa­tion

UNO Soccer Academy in Chicago is a charter school. These schools, while part of the public educa­tion system, offer alter­na­tives to tradi­tional public schools. Many are started by non-profits and provide curri­culum specia­lized in a certain area. The United Neigh­bor­hood Orga­niza­tion (UNO) works towards impro­ving the Hispanic neigh­bor­hoods in Chicago, and its Soccer Academy on the city’s South Side is an important part of this.

Focused on the sport as an acti­vity and way to boost school parti­ci­pa­tion, the dynamic school design by Juan Moreno of JGMA with Ghafari Asso­ciates is recei­ving praise from critics and the public alike. 

New approach

The UNO Soccer Academy creates the first link of a soccer-focused master plan deve­loped by UNO. The inno­va­tive design and school program repres­ents a new and progres­sive approach to educa­tion. The buil­ding stands as a shining beacon for the commu­nity in the Gage Park neigh­bor­hood of Southwest Chicago. Through means of a strong curri­culum supple­mented by the cultu­rally embraced sport of soccer, commu­nity outreach programs, and intel­li­gent design, students as well as resi­dents of the predo­mi­nantly Hispanic neigh­bor­hood are engaged in active roles in their educa­tion.

Growing buil­ding

The archi­tec­tural design of UNO Soccer Academy is inspired in part by the educa­tional deve­lo­p­ment of the students. The buil­ding grows out of the ground, symbo­li­zing the growth of a child, where programs such as lear­ning thea­tres, admi­nis­tra­tive compon­ents, and class­rooms envelop a central soccer field cour­tyard. Essen­tial deve­lo­p­mental programs inclu­ding a fitness center and resource library progress the move­ment of the buil­ding gradu­ally upward. Finally, the buil­ding culmi­nates in a commu­nity center that frames views of the Chicago skyline, inspi­ring students and neigh­boring resi­dents to achieve their poten­tial.

Heigh­tened sense of commu­nity

This highly inno­va­tive design turns a conven­tional elemen­tary school inside out. By loca­ting the corri­dors along the largely glass peri­meter of the buil­ding while simul­ta­neously loca­ting a full-height glass wall along the inte­rior class­rooms, the school is able to drama­ti­cally increase daylight and views inside the class­rooms. Natural light is ther­e­fore allowed to fully pene­trate the spaces, crea­ting an effec­tive and effi­cient teaching and lear­ning envi­ron­ment. This arran­ge­ment allows for the addi­tional bene­fits of increased teaching surfaces in the class­rooms, as well as a heigh­tened sense of commu­nity connec­ti­vity whereby student acti­vity within the corri­dors is show­cased along the building’s exte­rior.

Plazas and spaces

This commu­nity connec­tion inside corri­dors is echoed throug­hout the exte­rior where the buil­ding form creates various plazas and open spaces to engage the students as well as the commu­nity. This enga­ge­ment aligns directly with one of the main project goals of UNO Soccer Academy: to create a school as a tool for social change. A goal that initiated with the selec­tion of the site: a resi­dual aban­doned indus­trial site. The project re-envi­sions this area by provi­ding pede­strian-friendly connec­tions and encou­ra­ging diver­sity in an urban area with a dense popu­la­tion, while taking advan­tage of exis­ting infra­struc­ture such as public trans­por­ta­tion.

Hopes and dreams

UNO Soccer Academy chal­lenges the educa­tion para­digm in Chicago. For many years, educa­tion buil­dings were desi­gned to feel like fort­resses as opposed to welco­ming envi­ron­ments that encou­rage inter­ac­tion between users and commu­ni­ties. UNO Soccer Academy is a perfect example of educa­tion-centered deve­lo­p­ment, which creates a new momentum within a city that inspires opti­mism and encou­rages future deve­lo­p­ment in its neigh­bor­hood.

This school embo­dies what educa­tional faci­li­ties should repre­sent: the hopes and dreams of their local commu­ni­ties; where neigh­bor­hood iden­tity is created, parents and commu­nity are an inte­gral part of the educa­tion, cultural tradi­tions are enri­ched, and most of all, younger gene­ra­tions gain an under­stan­ding that where they come from matters just as much as where they’re going.

Exte­rior view

Ground floor plan 

Pitch, play­ground and main entrance area

View from the pitch

Eastern view

Compa­nies involved