Converge Architecture

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Converge Architecture

Architecture studio in Chicago.

04/23/2026

Ground is breaking! A former church, recast as a civic instrument by the local community.

In West Garfield Park, the former St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, now home to the is reorganized into a hub for art and activism. Not added on. Embedded.

The sanctuary is cleared into an open field. A thickened wall becomes storage space which divides, and also displays the artists work. It allows multiple uses to occur at once. Meetings, art and community workshops, performances. No single program dominates.

A stage anchors one edge. Community spaces and gym occupy the opposite side, held behind the wall.

The project shifts the building from a fixed space to an active community system. A space that supports West Garfield’s voice and passion.

04/02/2026

We are SO excited to share that construction of the MAAFA Center for Arts & Activism, the future arts and activism hub for West Garfield Park, has officially begun!

At this important moment, we’d like to mark the project’s start with a quote from Marshall Hatch Jr., Executive Director of the MAAFA Redemption Project:

“Everything starts with faith—a belief that the community can do it. We believe that art can play a transformative role in inspiring people, giving them hope, and bringing them together around a shared set of ideas.”

03/26/2026

What color is shadow, and how do you capture time?

With artist , the project begins as a question rather than a form. The three season space co-designed with to hold light and shadow.

Her work does not represent nature; it extracts from it. Color is not applied, but observed. Patterns are not composed, but revealed. They are already embedded in the surrounding landscape, waiting to be seen.

02/24/2026

The skin, tested first in a physical model study - A single thermally treated wood skin encloses the garage, then opens into the three-season room, moving from wall to filter as light, air, and landscape pass through.

02/18/2026

We are so thrilled to see our latest project, our small addition in rural Illinois, now featured in .

This small building carries a 7.6 kW solar array that offsets the home’s energy use. The smallest object on the site now powers the largest. The house depends on the garage.

Clad in thermally modified ash. A kind of wood strengthened by heat and steam, not chemicals. The exterior is designed to weather, not resist. Its ages with the landscape. A screened three-season room filters light and air; Reclaimed brick, passive shade, and solar production replace excess size.

Sustainability here is not an add-on. The building is the system. Architecture doesn’t need to be big to be consequential. Sometimes the smallest building changes how you inhabit everything around it.

02/16/2026

When was the last time a conversation about Chinatown was not about food?

This question began the project.

Walking through Chinatown, architecture reads less like style and more like evidence of migration since 1912. The headpiece assembles fragments of this condition: historic facades facing outward, the community itself carried behind.

Chicago’s Chinatown is one of the few in the United States still growing. Yet growth here is a balancing act. One side presents an accessible city of restaurants, storefronts, late-night lights. The other sustains a daily life: affordable housing, elders on the sidewalk, children after school, networks of care that rarely appear in postcards.

The project asks a simple question: when does a place stop performing a US immigration identity and start becoming its own?

The city often visits Chinatown, but Chinatown is still building itself.

Next time you go, look beyond the menu. Walk the streets, the museums, the parks, the classrooms, the workshops.

The architecture is already telling you the story.

Happy Lunar New Year and Spring Festival to everyone from

This piece made in for 2025 Arts in the Dark Parade by

02/06/2026

We’re hiring an entry level designer to join our team and support the development of our mission-driven studios. This is an in-person role based at our Chicago office.

Interested? Visit the link in our bio to learn more and apply.

01/30/2026

Behind every drawing, and every decision that shapes it, is more than an architectural exercise. It’s a team working closely, like a tight-knit studio, grounded in shared values: care, rigor, and deep commitment to the communities and clients.

Our work is strengthened by a network of trusted collaborators who bring expertise at every scale and stage. Together, we design with clarity, responsibility, and intention. Always aiming for the strongest collective outcome. We believe architecture is a collaborative act, built through listening and honesty.

At , every project is approached this way: with curiosity, honesty, accountability, and the intention to leave a lasting impact through well-made architecture.

convergearchitecture.com

01/20/2026

Library Before & After 📚✨

From an under-utilized space to a welcoming heart of the school. We are thrilled to share the transformation of the ITAV library as part of ITAV Phase I!

This library isn’t just about books — it’s about access, empowerment, joyful learning, and representation for every scholar who steps inside. It supports ITAV’s dedication to nurturing confident thinkers and compassionate leaders equipped to transform their communities.

Swipe to see the before & after and celebrate with us as this space continues to foster curiosity and connection!

01/13/2026

Classrooms: Before ➝ After ✨ at It Takes a Village Leadership Academy in Bronzeville.
Swipe to the end and see the transformation.

As part of Village Leadership Academy – Phase I, we refreshed existing classrooms into bright, brand-aligned, student-ready spaces that support K–8 learning through thoughtful finishes, improved lighting, and flexible layouts. Small changes with a big impact on everyday learning.

01/06/2026

Happy first week of school to all students, families, and caregivers. A big thank you to all of our teachers!

We’re excited to share the first look at the Village Leadership Academy , Phase 1 of the It Takes a Village Bronzeville Campus .

Over one fast-paced summer, transformed three floors of the historic Hales Franciscan High School to support K–8 students—featuring accessible restrooms, cafeteria upgrades, refreshed classrooms, and a reimagined gym. This marks the first step toward the full campus vision.

Now phase one is complete, we are excited to start to design phase two.

Photography: Annabell Ren

12/26/2025

As the year of 2025 comes to an end, we’re taking a moment to appreciate everything we had the chance to create and collaborate.

These platforms have captured the growth of Converge Architecture and our projects in their own different ways of storytelling. Thank you to our internal team, all the editors, writers, and collaborators who made this possible.

💙🔵🟦

.alkoshta .paris .no.thad

Address

1100 W Cermak Road, #522
Chicago, IL
60608

Website

http://convergearchitecture.com/

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