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The Architecture of Silence: Experiencing Luis Barragán’s Capuchinas Chapel
By Ana Karen Centeno Avila, Technical Professional
Some architectural spaces are understood through what we see. Others are understood through what we feel. My visit to Luis Barragán’s Chapel of the Capuchinas Sacramentarias in Tlalpan, Mexico City, reminded me that architecture can engage far more than the eyes. It can be heard, smelled, and felt.
Barragán is one of the most important figures in Mexican architecture and the only Mexican architect to have received the Pritzker Prize. Standing inside Las Capuchinas, I found that his architecture was not something I simply observed. It was something I experienced through my senses.
The first thing I noticed was the sound. The chapel was filled with a quietness that allowed me to hear birds inside and the gentle sound of the water, being a contrast with the city’s caos outside. The water became part of the atmosphere, creating a sense of calm rather than simply functioning as an architectural element.
The reflecting pool also brought another sense into the experience. I could smell the flowers around it and the natural scent of the wood inside the convent. These were details that cannot be experienced through photographs, but they became an important part of how I remember the space.
Capuchinas Convent Chapel in Tlalpan, Mexico City, 1954-1963. Photo: Armando Salas Portugal
Light and shadow also guided my experience. As I moved through the building, my eyes gradually adjusted from the intensity of the exterior to the dimness of the interior. Barragán creates a sequence of spaces that encourages you to slow down and pay attention.
One of my favorite moments happened unexpectedly when I reached the chapel and discovered the shadow of the cross. Projected onto the wall through the colored stained-glass window designed by Mathias Goeritz, the shadow seemed almost weightless. It was a simple moment, but one that felt deeply poetic.
Capuchinas Convent Chapel in Tlalpan, Mexico City, 1954-1963. Photo: Armando Salas Portugal
The combination of silence, birds, water, flowers, wood, light and shadow created an overwhelming sense of peace and relaxation. It made me realize that Barragán’s architecture is not designed only to be seen. It is designed to be experienced.
A photograph can capture the colors and geometry of Las Capuchinas, but it cannot capture the sound of the reflecting pool, the smell of the flowers, or the feeling of discovering the shadow of the cross for the first time.
For me, that is the essence of the chapel: a space that engages the senses, slows you down, and remains with you long after you leave.
All photographs provided by The Barragán Foundation media kit.
Architecture for the Ears: Why Sound Shapes Space
By Rafal Stawarz, Project Manager
When we think of architecture, we tend to consider it a visual experience, whether it’s via admiring the way natural light washes across a wall, appreciating the sleek lines of a modern façade, or, as architects, obsessing over the perfect floorplan layout. We see buildings and facilities constantly in our day-to-day life as we commute to work or drop our kids off at school or simply go for a walk around our neighborhoods. Add to this the constant feed we are provided via social media and the glossy images found in design magazines, and we have become conditioned to view buildings as static, visual masterpieces.
But architectural design isn’t just a visual medium. It is a multi-sensory experience, and one of its most powerful yet frequently ignored dimensions is acoustics. While sight tells us where we are, sound tells us how to feel. The sonic signature of a space dictates our comfort, our behavior, and our well-being. When we ignore acoustics in design, we create beautiful spaces that can fail the human beings inside of them.
For example, imagine stepping into a brand-new restaurant with gorgeous, exposed brick, towering ceilings, polished concrete floors, and floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Visually, it is an architectural feast for the eyes, and you may think to yourself, “Wow they’ve spent a lot of time and money on this place, it must be good!”
Then, you sit down to eat.
Because the space is entirely composed of hard, reflective surfaces, every clinking fork, burst of laughter, and scraping chair echoes and multiplies. As the room gets louder, patrons also start speaking louder to be heard above the din. This is a phenomenon known as the Lombard Effect, an involuntary tendency of speakers to subconsciously raise their vocal effort, pitch, and volume when surrounded by background noise. By the end of the appetizer, you find yourself shouting across a two-foot table, straining to hear your friends, and leaving with a headache. This experience is a classic failure of architectural acoustics. By prioritizing a sleek, hard-edged aesthetic without integrating sound-absorbing elements, the design creates a space that looks inviting but actively pushes people away.
And while a noisy restaurant can ruin a date night, poor acoustics in an educational setting can alter a child’s development. Children do not process sound the same way adults do. Their brains are still learning how to fill missing blanks in speech. When a classroom suffers from high echoes, background noise from loud AC units, or the bustle of outdoor traffic, the impact on learning is devastating:
- The Lost Words: Research shows that in classrooms with poor acoustics, children often miss up to 25% of the words spoken by their teacher.
- Brain Fatigue: Students must expend massive amounts of mental energy just to decode the sound of the teacher’s voice, leaving less energy for actual comprehension and memory.
- The Teacher’s Voice: It’s not just the kids. Teachers in poorly designed rooms are forced to strain their voices daily, leading to chronic vocal fatigue.
When we design a classroom, acoustic panels and proper insulation aren’t “add-ons,” they are fundamental tools for a child’s education. While we are on topic of education, here’s a quick lesson about sound. To effectively control sound, high-density, massive materials are required for low frequencies, while low-density porous materials are required for high frequencies. Mass (for low frequencies) includes heavy, rigid, dense materials (like concrete, Mass Loaded Vinyl, or thick drywall), and are necessary to block and reflect long, powerful low-frequency sound waves. Absorption (for high frequencies) includes soft, porous, low-density materials (like acoustic foam, rockwool, or fiberglass) that trap and absorb short, high-frequency sound waves, preventing them from bouncing or echoing.
As architects, we have a responsibility to design for the whole human experience. Sound shouldn’t be an afterthought handled by an engineer after the building is already built, it needs to be part of the conversation from day one. The good news? We can achieve amazing acoustics without sacrificing style. Examples include:
- Hidden Softness: Using seamless acoustic plaster that looks just like smooth drywall but absorbs sound.
- Functional Art: Integrating beautiful timber acoustic slats or felt-based lighting fixtures that double as sound absorbers.
- Smart Layouts: Intentionally separating high-energy, noisy zones from quiet spaces using clever floor plans.
- Soft Furnishings: Carpets, heavy drapes, and plush furniture help absorb high-frequency chatter in a shared space.
Great architecture should look breathtaking, but truly great architecture must also sound beautiful. It’s time we stopped designing strictly for our eyes and started listening to our buildings.
The Importance of Third Places for Community
By Kysa Heinitz, AIA, LEED AP, Senior Project Architect
While the idea of the “third place” has been around since sociologist Ray Oldenburg coined the term in the 1980s, never has it been more relevant and important to community than in a post-pandemic world. According to the American Psychological Association, as of November 2025, “… half or more adults said they felt isolated (54%), left out (50%) or lacking companionship (50%) often or some of the time.” Third places offer opportunities for human connection where conversation is the main activity and can help foster community engagement and pride. Despite the need, truly successful third places have become rare as society and culture continues to shift towards individualism, with technology becoming the prime method of communication vs. face-to-face, interactive conversations.
With the need for investment in Chicago’s Belmont Cragin community increasing as its population rapidly expanded, local advocates recognized an opportunity to revitalize and amplify a communal third place within the Jacob Riis Park Fieldhouse (“the Fieldhouse”). These advocates worked tirelessly to get approval and funding to renovate the Chicago Park District (“CPD”) Fieldhouse so it could serve as an accessible, safe and vibrant space for residents to gather, learn, and play. Their efforts paid off with the City Council approving tax-increment financing (TIF) in early 2021. The use of TIF funds highlighted the City’s interest, investment, and commitment to both the Belmont Cragin community and the Fieldhouse itself.
Situated within Jacob Riis Park, the newly renovated 15,731 SF Fieldhouse offers diverse programming for all ages, including two large multi-purpose club rooms with one dedicated to early childhood programming, an auditorium with stage and theatrical system, an art room with kilns, and a teen center. The renovated rooms have larger footprints and a multi-functional intent- offering space for community meetings, volunteer groups, performances, and recreation. The building itself is an important piece of Chicago history originally designed by Walter W. Ahlschlager, a prominent Chicago-born architect, and is included as a contributing feature for the park’s list on the National Register of Historic Places (orange rating).
To encourage engagement and access for all Belmont Cragin residents, key features that align with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards include a new elevator, accessible ramp to the front entrance, stage platform lift, and accessible single-user restrooms on each floor. The new electrical service supports an all-electric mechanical system and modernized technology infrastructure.
During the school year, the Fieldhouse provides Belmont-Cragin Elementary School (BCES) students, who inhabit a new adjacent school building, with continuity and convenience. BCES, a Chicago Public School, has direct, secure access to after-school activities and summer camps hosted in and around the Fieldhouse including a new shared-use playground and splash-pad. In the summer months, the Fieldhouse hosts CPD programming including the Park Kids program and six-week day camps, as well as cultural programs such as arts, crafts and ceramics. The teen lounge offers a safe, secure space for middle school and high school students to socialize and connect. Adults and seniors can also join photography, ceramics and stained-glass classes, helping them stay active and engaged.
Through its affordable programming and the new amenities, the Fieldhouse now offers opportunities and possibilities that were previously inaccessible and underutilized. Residents of all socioeconomic backgrounds can benefit from the renovation as it’s a representation of their work, dedication, and resiliency. As a testament to both its contributions to the Belmont Cragin community and the quality of its design, the Fieldhouse won the AIA Illinois Excellence in Historic Preservation Above $5M and is a winner of the North American Copper in Architecture (NACIA) awards. The Jacob Riis Park Fieldhouse proves that third places are vital contributions to community health, engagement, and pride.
JACOB RIIS PARK FIELDHOUSE
ACADEMY FOR GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP WINS MULTIPLE AIA ILLINOIS HONOR AWARDS
SMNG A Ltd. and Farr Associates are excited to announce that the Academy for Global Citizenship at the Cultivate Collective Campus has been awarded two AIA Illinois Honor Awards:
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- AIA Illinois Honor Award for Greatest Impact (Project construction value $5 million and above)
Through intentional design and multi-organizational collaboration, The Academy for Global Citizenship (AGC) provides a home where students feel empowered to positively impact their communities and grow as stewards of their environment. Opened to Chicago Public School students in September 2023, AGC has established itself as the anchor for Cultivate Collective’s six-acre campus on the Southwest side. AGC is a non-profit public charter school housing a PreK-8 elementary school, a community-based health center, a Head Start center, teaching kitchens, and a three-acre urban farm with fresh food market. - AIA Illinois Honor Award for Excellence in High-Performance Buildings (Projects 5,000 SF and over)
This 71,000-sf learning laboratory is the largest Passive House (PHIUS) Certified School in the world and is in the final steps of becoming the first Living Building Challenge certified school in Illinois. The building achieves net-positive energy status with a geothermal heat-pump system for heating and cooling via radiant slab, energy recovery ventilation, and a super-insulated air-tight building envelope. This all-electric building with onsite battery results in a facility designed for climate resiliency. The building’s water footprint is reduced by using collected rainwater for toilet fixtures. Infrastructure is provided to support future onsite treatment once permitted by local jurisdiction. An engineered and restored prairie landscape along with low flow fixtures reduce runoff and sewer to net zero water use while contributing to local ecosystem health and providing natural habitat for native fauna.
- AIA Illinois Honor Award for Greatest Impact (Project construction value $5 million and above)
Many thanks for the hard work and great minds that brought this project to life, including Farr Associates, Academy for Global Citizenship, Cultivate Collective, Urban ReSolve, dbHMS, V3, Site Design Group, Stearn-Joglekar, Reitano Design Group, Power Construction, WSP, Shen Milsom & Wilke, Studio180, Baumann Consulting, and Thomas J. Rossiter.
SMNG A LTD. IS A PROUD TO BE A JUST ORGANIZATION
On March 8, 2024, SMNG A Ltd. achieved a JUST label, granted by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI). Much like a food nutrition label, the JUST label allows stakeholders to quickly assess a firm’s values, business model, policies, and workplace culture.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are significant concerns for organizations in today’s business environment, influencing decisions about hiring, policy development, and collaboration. The JUST program is a voluntary disclosure tool for organizations to elevate internal discussions, policies, and procedures while creating a common language and measurement framework for social justice issues. In pursuit of the JUST designation, SMNG A Ltd. engaged in an extensive application and review process to identify our firm’s policies and procedures regarding Diversity & Inclusion, Equity, Employee Health, Employee benefits, Stewardship, and Purchasing & Supply Chain. Our performance on 22 indicators across these six categories is reflected by the achievement levels displayed on our JUST label.
We are committed to being a more transparent, equitable, and socially just organization, and look forward to supporting the International Living Future Institute in its honorable mission, “a society that is socially just, culturally rich, and ecologically restorative.” Established in 2009, ILFI was originally created to oversee the Living Building Challenge, considered “built environment’s most rigorous performance standard.” ILFI has since grown to include the Living Product Challenge and the Living Community Challenge, as well as the JUST, Declare, and Reveal transparency labels.
JUST is a call to action, and SMNG A LTD. is proud to be a JUST organization.
ACADEMY FOR GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP NAMED 2024 CBC MERIT AWARD FINALIST
SMNG A Ltd. and Farr Associates are excited to announce that the LBC (Living Building Challenge) designed and PHIUS (Passive House Institute US, Inc.) certified Academy for Global Citizenship school has been named a 2024 CBC Merit Award finalist by the Chicago Building Congress.
The new Academy for Global Citizenship (AGC) is an early-childhood and K-8 charter school located on the southwest side of Chicago. The school aims to foster systematic change and holistic learning through the implementation of a new, replicable model for 21st century learning. Community engagement, earth stewardship, connection to nature, nutrition, and agriculture are central to AGC’s educational mission to empower all students to positively impact the community and world. The campus design serves as a learning laboratory, sparking wonder and self-directed experiential learning through relationship-driven environments.
Many thanks for the hard work and great minds that brought this project to life, including: Farr Associates, Academy For Global Citizenship, Cultivate Collective, UrbanReSolve, dbHMS, V3, Site Design Group, Stearn-Joglekar, Reitano Design Group, Power Construction, WSP, Shen Milsom & Wilke, Studio180, Baumann Consulting and Chicago Building Congress.
SMNG A LTD. ANNOUNCES EMPLOYEE PROMOTIONS
SMNG A Ltd. is pleased to announce recent promotions for three team members:
Chey Taylor, AIA, architect and designer with SMNG A since 2007 and Associate since 2014 has been promoted to Senior Associate. Chey is passionate about the profession and about communicating the value of design thinking. She has volunteered with AIA Chicago since 2012, and as Co-Chair of the Community Engagement AG has helped create the Architect in Schools program. She currently serves on the AIA Chicago Board of Directors as the VP of Education.
Marion Lawson, AIA, LEED AP has been promoted to Associate. Marion joined SMNG A in 2021 as an architect and project manager after ten years at a large firm where she focused on sustainable design and K-12 projects. With her background as a sustainability consultant, Marion has led numerous sustainability-driven projects and is a member of the Illinois Green Alliance. She recently managed the new construction phase services of the firm’s CPS Belmont Cragin Elementary School and is currently leading the design of the Chicago South Side Birth Center – the first community-centered health clinic serving birthing families in Chicago’s south neighborhoods.
Angel Valtierra, AIA, Arquitectos, LEED Green Associate has been promoted to Associate. Angel joined SMNG A in 2021 bringing extensive project management, technical and code knowledge learned over 18 years of architectural practice. Angel has a passion for design that positively impacts the local community and was attracted to SMNG A for their portfolio of public impact projects including our educational design work. Angel has served as Arquitectos secretary from 2020-2022, and as Director since 2022, providing resources, opportunities and professional development training for Latinx architects.
ACADEMY FOR GLOBAL CITIZEN SHIP APPROVED
New Academy for Global Citizenship Campus Approved for Chicago’s Southwest Side
72,000 sq ft public charter school and community learning hub to focus on agricultural education and wellness programming
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
7/22/2020
Sarah Elizabeth Ippel, (773) 744 – 8729
Founder and Executive Director
CHICAGO, IL – Today, the Chicago City Council approved the development of a new Academy for Global Citizenship (AGC) campus on the city’s Southwest side following unanimous approval by the Chicago Plan Commission.
The new 72,000 square foot, two story school building and community learning hub will anchor the corner of 44th Street and Laporte Avenue. Once home to Leclaire Courts, the six-acre site was sold by the Chicago Housing Authority to AGC in 2018 to allow for the new campus development and community anchor. Alderman Michael Rodriguez and Commissioner Maurice Cox joined fellow Committee on Zoning members in their support of the new campus.
“This visionary project will be a catalyst for additional development as part of the Gateway to Midway initiative. There were meetings and presentations to various community groups in the area about the project and an MOU signed by AGC with the Hearst Community Organization and Right to Return resident leadership that signifies AGC’s commitment to community partnership and accountability. This area of the southwest side has long suffered from systemic under investment and we are working to correct that.” said Alderman Rodriguez. “Our neighborhoods have been identified by the USDA’s Economic Research Service and the Chicago Health Atlas as being medically underserved, having limited access to grocery stores and higher food insecurity rates. I am proud to support the Academy for Global Citizenship in their work to correct these alarming disparities through their innovative approach to educating the whole child, family and community through wellness, nutrition and agricultural programming in addition to their commitment to being a collaborative partner in the community.”
AGC was granted a charter from Chicago Public Schools in 2008 and has been serving the community for 12 years. AGC is an authorized International Baccalaureate (IB) World School with a Dual Language program. The school is public, tuition-free and open to all Chicago residents, without test-in requirements. AGC serves majority low-income students and families in Southwest Chicago, with a student body comprised of 96% minority and 24% special needs students. The current enrollment is 468 students ranging in age from kindergarten through 8th grade. 96% of current students reside within 5 miles of the new campus.
The new campus will incorporate a new Early Childhood Education Center and will allow for expanded agricultural education and community wellness programs. Beyond the school building, the new campus will also include the development of a learning barn, wind turbine, animal grazing area, hoop houses and Institute for visiting educational fellows. Over half the area of the new six-acre campus is reserved for urban agriculture and nature-based playscapes. The entire site provides educational experiences with areas devoted to hands-on student and community learning, allowing students and neighbors to plant, harvest, and eat foods related to their units of study, their interests and their cultures.
In partnership with Urban Growers Collective, the campus will provide year-round garden education and community engagement opportunities via greenhouses, seasonal gardens, hoop houses, community gardens, walking trails, a neighborhood farmers market, a learning barn, a food forest, an orchard and berry bushes, brambles and grapevines. A variety of spaces will support culinary arts and positive nutrition, including a community teaching kitchen that will provide hands-on classes for families and neighboring residents. Produce grown above and beyond what is required for student meals will be sold at affordable prices to the community through AGC’s Community Farm Café.
“This project is a concrete example of what innovation looks like” said Commissioner Maurice Cox when voicing his support of the project, program, sustainability goals and innovative architecture. AGC has committed to seeking certification through the Living Building Challenge, a rigorous metric of environmental sustainability. Only 24 other similarly certified projects currently exist in the world.
This project is funded by a $31 Million dollar grant as part of Rebuild Illinois, a grant fund administered through the State of Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The construction of this campus and community learning hub will create approximately 120 full-time-equivalent, predominantly union jobs during the construction phase, and in total, employing an estimated 1,000 individuals throughout the overall course of construction. Upon completion, the campus is also projected to employ an additional 25-30 new, permanent, full-time positions.
The development team is comprised of SMNG-A Architects, Farr Associates Architects, 180 Studio, Daley and Georges as Zoning Attorney, KLOA as Traffic Consultant, Stephen B. Friedman as New Market Tax Credit Advisor and URBAN ReSOLVE as Development Advisor.
ACADEMY FOR GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP
AWARD WINNING SOUTH LOOP ELEMENTARY
South Loop Elementary was awarded Best in Educational Design from the Masonry Awards Council and a Silver award from the ALA Design Awards Program.
We are thrilled to receive these prestigious awards and thank CPS for the opportunity and our Design Team: UrbanWorks (Associate Architect), Terra Engineering (Civil & Landscape), Stearn-Joglekar (Structural), dbHMS (MEP/FP), Shiner + Associates (Acoustical Consult.), Biller Conner Associates (Theatre Consult.), & Edge Associates (Food Service)
South Loop Elementary School
JANE ADDAMS PARK RECREATIONAL CENTER
On August 19 Mayor Emanuel and Chicago Park District joined Excelon to break ground on the SMNG A designed Excelon Student Recreation Center at Addams Park. The new state-of-the-art indoor athletic facility will support a broad range of athletic activities. Construction will commence in September 2018 with completion in December 2019.
COMED REC CENTER AT ADDAMS PARK