ROLLING KNOLLS

Farr Associates, along with Conservation Design Forum, worked with the Forest Preserve District of Cook County to master plan the redevelopment of a former private golf course into a new forest preserve site to include fresh, publicly-accessible outdoor programming (disc golf, archery, sledding, nature trails, etc).  As part of this masterplan, the former golf course clubhouse and restaurant was converted into a new welcoming and way-finding center for the site. Due to existing structural conditions, the existing clubhouse was partially demolished and partially renovated.  The portion of the building which remained houses new public restrooms, a multi-use space, as well as new high-performance MEP equipment for the entire building. A new addition was added to the remaining portion of the building for additional multi-use programming for educational and social events. In addition, the adjacent parking lot was demolished, re-graded, and replaced with a much smaller parking footprint and ‘decompression zone’ access path leading to the building, aiding in stormwater volume and detention and connecting visitors with nature. Finally, the project takes advantage of ICECF grant funding to install geothermal and PV systems on-site to serve as a demonstration for future Forest Preserve District projects. The project achieved LEED BD+C Platinum certification.

Client: Forest Preserve District of Cook County

Location: Elgin, Illinois

Year: 2017

Certification: LEED BD+C Platinum

Awards:

AIA Illinois, Design Excellence in High-Performance Buildings Award, 2021

Cook County Board of Directors - Special Recognition, 2018