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Nurture Architects

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Nurture Architects

Nurture is an architecture studio driven to create positive environmental impacts that consciously sustain communities and culture.

Nurture evolved from HPZS, a long running studio renowned for historic preservation and sustainable design. HPZS is an award-winning Chicago-based architecture firm with an excellent reputation in historic preservation focused on sustainable outcomes.

08/25/2026

A little friendly rivalry, and a lot of fun! ⚾️

Nurture took to the ballpark for the Crosstown Classic, cheering on the White Sox and Cubs and enjoying a summer afternoon together.

08/12/2026

We’re thrilled to see Chicago’s South Side getting some love from The New York Times!

Our South Shore Beach House, designed for , is featured in Natalie Moore’s guide to 36 Hours in Chicago, alongside some of the South Side’s beloved gathering places, including South Shore Social Beach Club, which calls the Beach House home.

The Beach House sits within the grounds of the historic South Shore Cultural Center, a Chicago Landmark and National Register-listed building that Nurture had the privilege of restoring.

Designed as a contemporary companion to the Cultural Center, the Beach House draws inspiration from its historic neighbor while opening toward the lakefront dunes and surrounding migratory bird preserve.

Thank you to Natalie for highlighting this special corner of the city, and to photographer Jamie Kelter Davis for capturing it so beautifully!

Aerial photos by Christopher Barrett Photography

08/11/2026

A beautiful summer evening along the river, connecting with friends across Chicago’s AEC community. ☀️

Nurture Associate, Katherine Pohl, AIA and Junior Associate, Gwen Stricker, Assoc. AIA, joined .Chicago at River Roast for their 2026 Summer Social!

We’re grateful for opportunities like this to connect beyond the studio: a chance to reconnect and be reminded of the relationships that make this industry what it is. Thank you to PWC for hosting a great event!

📸: Heather Elene Photography

07/28/2026

We're excited to share that Nurture Junior Associate, Gwen Stricker, will be speaking at the 2026 Indiana Landmarks Preservation Conference this fall in Franklin, Indiana.

Gwen will join Carolee Kokola of Bubbly Dynamics and Martin Minner of Dimension History for Commemoration and Reinvention: Preservation & Inclusive Storytelling in Post Industrial Communities.

The process of reimagining former industrial sites frequently excludes the stories of how industry workers, surrounding communities, and broader economic dynamics contributed to their significance. This session explores approaches to infuse public history into preservation efforts, developing commemorative landscapes that strive to tell the stories of typically unheard voices, using case studies from Chicago’s Packingtown Museum, the Calumet Heritage Area, and the nation’s 250th anniversary.

The conference will take place September 29th through October 2nd, 2026, marking the first time Indiana's annual preservation conference will be held in Franklin. We hope you'll join Gwen and preservation professionals from across the region for this engaging event.

Save your spot here: bit.ly/IN_Landmarks_Conference

07/24/2026

Nurture spent this summer working through design concepts for Citizens for Conservation to continue shaping the future of their Seed Nursery, gathering on-site, surrounded by and inspired by the increasingly native landscape it will soon support. 🌱⁠
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We’re proud to partner with CFC as their vision for native seed conservation, volunteer engagement, and ecological education moves closer to reality. Together, we are realizing a flexible, working campus of raised beds, greenhouse and hoophouse structures, and a seed barn that doubles as a hub and volunteer gathering space.⁠
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More than a growing facility, the Seed Nursery will be a living classroom, connecting people to the local biome they help restore. A project where architecture champions stewardship, biodiversity, and community. We are proud to be fighting climate change alongside CFC! 🌿

07/23/2026

This summer, Nurture was lucky to welcome Naomi Ocampo through the Chicago Public Schools summer internship program! ✨

Naomi's interest in architecture started with the city she calls home. "The way Chicago is uniquely and historically designed really pulled out the curiosity in me," she shared. That sense of wonder showed up every day, whether she was exploring architectural drawings or diving into Nurture case studies.

One project that especially captured Naomi's interest was her research into the preservation of historic comfort stations. She was especially inspired by "bringing back abandoned sites that can have a huge impact on the public community while keeping parts of the historical sites visible of what it once was."

Naomi also enjoyed uncovering the stories embedded within the buildings around her. Through research for new projects and exploring the City of Chicago’s landmark database, she gained a deeper appreciation for how buildings evolve over time and how their histories inform future design decisions. When asked to describe her internship, Naomi chose three words: engaging, welcoming, and serene. Those words meant a great deal to us; we believe the best learning happens when people feel supported and invited to ask questions.

As she looks ahead to studying architecture and construction after high school, Naomi hopes people will remember her as someone who is creative. After spending the summer with her, we have no doubt they will! 🧡

07/21/2026

The Evanston Ecology Center has officially achieved LEED Gold certification, marking an important milestone for one of the first projects to advance the City's Climate Action and Resilience Plan. 💚

Located in the heart of Ladd Arboretum, the renovation honors the building’s existing character while positioning it for a more resilient future. Electrification, high-performance mechanical systems, reclaimed materials, native plantings, and water conservation measures work together as part of a broader strategy to reduce environmental impact and strengthen the building’s connection to its surroundings. The result is a measurable improvement in performance, including a projected 29% improvement in modeled energy performance, a 27.1% reduction in energy use compared to an ASHRAE 90.1 baseline building, and a 35% reduction in indoor potable water use.

This certification celebrates the thoughtful decisions our team made throughout the design process and demonstrates the profound impact of giving existing places new life, where conservation becomes a catalyst for community resilience and a deeper connection between people and the environments they inhabit.

We are proud to have partnered with the City of Evanston and our project team on this meaningful transformation. 🐢

Learn more here: bit.ly/EEC-LEED-Gold

07/16/2026

Nurture is proud to reflect on our preservation work at the historic Elgin Crew Facility, a landmark that has long played a meaningful role in Elgin’s evolution and connection to the region’s rail network.

Our preservation team focused on documenting this NRHP-eligible resource and preparing a National Register Nomination for the property. Built in 1946 in the Colonial Revival style, the facility continues to stand as a direct link to the legacy of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad and the broader story of mid-century rail infrastructure.

Projects like the Elgin Crew Facility reflect what we value most in our preservation practice: honoring the stories embedded in these civic places while safeguarding their defining details for future generations.

07/02/2026

Let there be light! ☀️

With the new skylights just installed at the Woodstock Recreation Center, daylight has been introduced into a building long defined by dark, worn, and tired interiors.

What was once a dim, condition-driven interior now reads differently, as natural light fills the gym and adjacent recreation spaces. This moment reflects the broader intent of the renovation and master plan: to strengthen the building’s performance while thoughtfully reshaping how the community experiences it each day.

In a facility that has faithfully served Woodstock for decades, this construction milestone marks the beginning of a renewed civic asset, one that supports health, accessibility, and community life through a more open and responsive environment. 🤲

06/25/2026

We are honored to be featured in “Passive House Retrofit Details: Case Studies in North American Climates” by Gabrielle Brainard and Nina Wilson, a collection of 26 retrofit projects examining the technical strategies and lessons learned shaping the future of building performance across North America. As the industry moves toward large scale decarbonization of existing buildings ahead of 2050, the book brings together projects that foreground the technical rigor, design decision making, and construction realities of retrofit work across diverse building types, climates, and conditions.⁠
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Nurture’s contribution, the Yannell Phius+ Residence in Chicago, explores the process of adapting an 1890s structure to meet Passive House standards through a carefully developed retrofit enclosure strategy. The project focused on addressing existing building conditions through continuous exterior insulation, air barrier integration, thermal bridge mitigation, moisture management, and iterative performance testing. Working within the constraints of historic construction, including balloon framing, existing setbacks, and a highly variable envelope, the team developed a pragmatic approach that achieved Phius+ 2018 certification with a site EUI of 10.7. The case study demonstrates how detailed technical analysis and thoughtful design can unlock deep energy retrofits within existing building stock.⁠ 🏡
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The collection is available for pre-order now and releases November 9th.

Address

314 West Institute Place, Suite 1E
Chicago, IL
60610

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+13129449600

Website

http://www.nurturearch.com/

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