CAI - CAMBODIAN ASSOCIATION OF ILLINOIS

Location - Chicago, IL

The brutal and violent rule of Pol Pot left a scar on the Cambodian people and healing the wound was critical step for the Cambodians to move forward as a new ethnic group in American society. The Cambodian Association of Illinois (CAI) set out to help the community by embarking on a process they named The Campaign of Hope and Renewal. Its mission was to tell the story of survivors of one of the worst genocides in history and provide needed services to the Cambodian community.

DESIGN PROCESS

Through a series of design workshops, the Cambodian community and the surrounding neighborhood participated in the project. This level of active community participation was instrumental in creating community ownership of the project. This in turn helped fundraising efforts attracted national media attention, and eventually led to national and international awareness of CAI’s mission. Today with the realization of this powerful project, the organization host seminars on a variety of human rights and cultural issues that attracts local as well as international visitors.

SCHEMATIC DESIGNS

FINAL DESIGN

The project entailed a complete renovation of an existing masonry building, and a new addition which doubled the square footage of the facility. The Cambodian Association of Illinois program called for a new space to accommodate a wide variety of functions for the relocated Cambodian population in Chicago.

Building Program includes:

• A memorial and meditation/prayer space for victims of the Cambodian Holocaust

• A Cambodian Heritage Museum with a music space for weekly performances and shows

• Killing Fields Memorial

• A drop in center for elderly Cambodians

• Office facilities for staff

• Continuing education classrooms and labs

• After school day care and teen facilities

• Computer training classrooms

Photographer: John Kelly Architects, Ann Hermson

General Contractor: Don Lupa