The United Neighborhood Organization (UNO) received the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s (CAF) prestigious Patron of the Year award for its newest charter elementary school, the UNO Soccer Academy. Ghafari led the design-build team for the K-8 school located in Chicago’s Gage Park neighborhood, which opened in September. UNO was one of three patrons, along with the University of Chicago and the Poetry Foundation, to receive an award in the institutional category.
CAF praised the project for “[responding] to UNO’s mission by challenging the ‘status quo’ of typical school design. At the core of this inspirational building is the notion that [it] will instill confidence in the community and spur development.”
The annual CAF Patron of the Year awards honor institutions, corporations and organizations that advance the city’s built environment by commissioning and executing projects. A jury comprised of prominent members of the architecture, business, civic and philanthropic communities selected the winners from a group of nominees. The honorees were recognized at a luncheon on November 30 at the JW Marriott in Chicago. Members of the Ghafari project team attended the event and accepted the award with UNO Chief Executive Officer Juan Rangel.
