To design is to build the world we want to see. Whether we are breathing new life into an existing structure or designing from the ground up, we are dedicated to turning ambitious visions into physical realities.
We do everything from interior fitouts to developing effective fundraising strategies driving collaboration and community engagement assisting hands-on with new construction and organizing large public exhibitions.
Explore Our Projects
EXPLORE OUR PROJECTS
EXHIBITION
Mission: Make architecture accessible by translating complex buildings into playful, human-scale wearable creations for public engagement.
Partner: Chicago Architecture Center
EXHIBITION
Mission: To create a participatory installation that invites people into the work and celebrates the generosity of architecture.
Partners: US Pavilion Exhibition 19th International Venice Architecture Exhibition
PUBLIC SPACE ACTIVATION
Mission: Create an open, welcoming space for shared worship and a memorial to honor the lost lives of North Lawndale youth.
Partners: Lawndale Christian Community Church, Mishkan Chicago
RENOVATION
Mission: Design a welcoming "third space" that functions as both a neighborhood coffee shop and a hub for youth mentorship.
Partner: LVL Up
HOUSING
The Missing Middle
Mission: Create a beautiful and scalable affordable housing design for Chicago’s underserved communities.
Partner: The City of Chicago, The Chicago Architecture Center
PUBLIC SPACE ACTIVATION
Mission: Expand library resources into nine underserved neighborhoods by transforming underutilized outdoor areas into accessible community hubs.
Partner: Boston Public Library
RENOVATION
The Designery
Mission: To provide a necessary makerspace and gallery for a nonprofit assisting underserved youth with vocational, academic, and design skills.
Partner: YouthBuild Boston
RENOVATION
Mission: Transform a former firehouse into a vibrant community arts hub by expanding access to music education, performance space, and creative opportunities for Chicago’s South Side.
Partner: Music Box Foundation
PUBLIC SPACE ACTIVATION
Mission: Create a cool, accessible youth-centered environment for kids and teens at city-owned youth and family centers.
Partner: Boston Center for Youth and Families, The City of Boston
PUBLIC SPACE ACTIVATION
A Place to Play
Mission: Transform a vacant lot into a playful, climate-adaptive community space that supports creative storytelling.
Partner: Resilient Cities Network, Dorchester Weather Theater Ensemble
ADAPTIVE REUSE
Mission: Transform a vacant gas station into a flexible community hub that supports local organizations, public programs, and everyday gathering.
Partner: Discover Oxford
EXHIBITION
Mission: Offer a welcoming space for BSA visitors to gather, pause, and belong, and pay homage our partnership with the Boston Public Library.
Partner: Boston Society of Architecture
NEW CONSTRUCTION
Scitopia Chicago
Mission: Empower youth through science learning by creating a vibrant cultural destination that expands access to opportunity.
Partner: Scitopia Foundation
RENOVATION
Greater West Town
Mission: Make architecture accessible by translating complex buildings into playful, human-scale wearable creations for public engagement.
Partner: Boston Chinatown Main Street
RENOVATION
ATASK Domestic Violence Shelter
Mission: Make architecture accessible by translating complex buildings into playful, human-scale wearable creations for public engagement.
Partner: The Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence
PUBLIC SPACE ACTIVATION
Chinatown Main Street
Mission: Provide relief from the scorching heat of Boston's Chinatown, and support community programming celebrating the neighborhood.
Partner: Boston Chinatown Main Street
Explore Our Resources
We love sharing design knowledge. Below is a collection of tools, strategies, and research from our practice to support mission-driven leaders in creating a more equitable built environment.
TOOLKIT
A Tactical Guide to Urban Cooling Infrastructure
As temperatures rise, resilient cooling solutions are critical to ensuring our cities remain livable and safe. This toolkit provides practical solutions for implementing equitable cooling interventions that activate and enhance our shared urban spaces by leveraging existing infrastructure.
BOOK
Trauma-Informed Design: A Framework for Designers, Architects, and Other Practitioners
A resource developed to help architects, designers, and practitioners create spaces that prioritize safety, dignity, and healing. Illustrated by Architecture for Public Benefit in partnership with the Trauma-Informed Design Society.
NEWSLETTER
Our digital publication serves as a bridge between professional design practice and community advocacy. It is a space where we share hard-to-find insights, case studies, and practical tools to empower those who are building for the public benefit.
PREFAB COOLING SOLUTION
Readymade Canopy: A DIY Cooling Structure
High-quality design should be accessible even outside of a traditional architectural contract. We’ve developed a complete drawing set and instruction manual for a DIY shade and cooling structure. Designed to be built from Unistrut, this kit provides everything you need to create a functional, durable canopy for your community space.
Architecture For Public Benefit is a Chicago and Boston based practice on a mission to make exceptional design accessible to all.
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Call 857-919-9950
Email hello@apbdesign.org