Bono Consulting Civil Engineers is proud to have worked with Project H.O.O.D. (Helping Others Obtain Destiny), a community-centered nonprofit based in the South Side of Chicago, for constructing a new community center at 6625 South Dr. Martin Luther King Drive.
The Bono team created the civil design for the new community center, a one-acre property and 90,000-square-foot building with an underbuilding stormwater detention vault. The utility services for the project needed to accommodate the proposed construction crane pad and were coordinated with the City of Chicago Office of Underground Coordination (OUC). The OUC ensures that new development utility services and building construction protects existing utilities.
The grading presented an initial challenge because the site was originally multiple properties with multiple buildings at different elevations. Our team successfully established one finished floor grade for the new building, while maintaining ADA accessibility for the surrounding public sidewalk. This required reconstructing the alley the lower the alley grades so that the rear doors of the building would be accessible.
The Project H.O.O.D. community center will offer community members financial literacy, workforce development, and health and wellness programs. The center will also provide job training services, a health clinic, art and athletics spaces, and retail, and restaurant spaces. Project H.O.O.D. received national attention when members of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee toured the project site in spring 2024.
The Bono team is grateful to have worked with Project H.O.O.D. on a project that will benefit the community for generations to come.