Holabird & Root provided a two-story, 18,900-square-foot addition to the Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center (CCAC), a not-for-profit, innovative facility that co-houses all of the City and State agencies that investigate allegations of sexual abuse of children, and provide social services to child victims and their families.

Organizationally, the addition contains new offices, meeting spaces, a mental health therapy area, a break room, a flexible education room, and additional spaces to enhance the CCAC’s daily operations. The first floor of the facility is designed in a loop, with professional offices wrapping around child and family-centered spaces. With the new addition, the locations and spaces of the onsite partner agencies have been modified and expanded within the existing building. The mental health area is viewed as a stand-alone clinic on the second floor of the new addition. With the lunchroom directly adjacent to the mental health area with the ability to divide the room with a movable partition, the training center becomes a collaborative set of spaces that can handle larger groups.

Many opportunities were created for large, light-filled spaces. These spaces are coordinated throughout circulation paths, such as the entry lobby and break-out nooks, providing opportunities for staff to relax in sun-filled, inspiring spaces. The transparency connects internal activity to the surrounding community, helping to communicate the CCAC’s mission without compromising client privacy.