New Student Wellness Center at the University of Chicago begins construction

The University of Chicago’s new Student Wellness Center at the Hyde Park campus, which will create a single, integrated facility for the university’s student health, counseling, and wellness resources, is now under construction.

The 30,000-sf project includes ground floor renovation of a portion of the historic building that houses the school’s student health clinic, and the construction of a new modern glass addition infilling an existing courtyard that will accommodate student counseling and health promotion services into one location. A new dedicated student entrance is also being created.

Existing gothic stone masonry will be on display by constituting the perimeter circulation walls of the main corridors. Continuous overhead skylights will bring natural light into these passages.

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The new courtyard addition was designed as a single-story glass structure to maintain a low profile when viewed from the street. The entrance will be recessed behind the existing gothic cloister to avoid altering the appearance of the historic Lying-In Hospital. A small landscape courtyard will provide transition from 59th Street through the cloister to the entrance and lobby of the new facility.

“We’re updating a historic building to enable the University of Chicago to meet the comprehensive health and wellness needs of students, and we are doing so in a way that is deeply respectful of the original architecture and seamless in its integration of past and present,” said Kevin Havens, Executive Vice President, Director of Design at Wight & Company, in a release.

The first phase of the project is slated for completion by spring 2020.