The Garlands at Barrington

Set within an existing park-like setting, The Garlands of Barrington is a campus of buildings and gardens designed as an inter-generational neighborhood addition to the Village of Barrington.  Fundamental to the design is the desire to create meaningful public open spaces and gardens that will draw the community onto the site and provide numerous opportunities for outdoor activities. Inviting walking paths in landscaped gardens encourage both resident and public usage.  

Located on the former American National Can Company facility, The Garlands at Barrington is the finest continuing care retirement community (CCRC) in the Chicago area.  Here residents will own and enjoy fine homes and have the peace of mind of having service and care for life, all within close proximity to the Barrington Village downtown shopping centers, restaurants, churches, medical offices, and Public Library.

The design team hosted a public charrette on site over a period of ten days.  A charrette is a collaborative effort of various stakeholders brought together to collectively design a unified vision for the site.  This process is a unique way of gathering design opinions and concerns from many different parties, affecting the outcome of the community.  

What gives the campus it's character and individuality, the "place" of the campus, are it's spaces, not just the buildings which form them. The buildings become the backdrop for these spaces, defining them. The spaces are the object, not the buildings. To this end, a hierarchy of public, semi-public and private spaces are created throughout the site.  

By placing the majority of the parking beneath the buildings (about 86%), site coverage by paving is reduced.  More trees are saved, more meaningful green space is preserved, and a safer, more convenient parking solution is achieved for the project's senior population.

The Garlands at Barrington is designed to achieve a series of objectives: provide a high quality of life for it's residents; promote the residents' self respect and freedom of choice, security, and life safety; create a residential ambiance of privacy as well as group interaction in their shared community; and preserve the natural park-like setting of the environment.