Story at a glance:
- Students worked alongside professional mentors and tradespeople throughout construction, gaining experience with site preparation, concrete, carpentry, fabrication, and onsite assembly.
- The project shows the central purpose of ACE Mentor Chicago—helping young people see themselves as future designers, engineers, builders, and civic leaders while showing them how their skills can make a difference.
ACE Mentor Chicago students joined families, mentors, and community partners July 31, 2026, to celebrate the completion of a student-designed transformation of La Huerta Roots and Rays, a community garden in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood.
Completed through ACE Mentor Chicago’s 2026 Design/Build Program, the project introduced a shaded gathering area, new pathways, modular seating, a children’s play structure, a rebuilt entrance arbor, expanded storage, perimeter fencing and new public art. The improvements were developed in partnership with Human Scale, NeighborSpace and the garden’s community stewards.
The annual Design/Build Program gives Chicago-area high school students hands-on experience with the full process of creating a community project—from neighborhood research and client conversations to design development, coordination, and construction.
This year’s program was led in partnership with Human Scale, a nonprofit cofounded by Walmer Saavedra and fellow ACE Mentor Chicago alumni. Saavedra first participated in ACE as a high school student. All three program instructors and two teaching assistants are also ACE alumni, Human Scale staff members, and past participants in both ACE’s mentorship program and Design/Build workshop. Their return as professionals and program leaders reflects the long-term impact of ACE’s mission: introducing students to the building professions and empowering them to create opportunities for the next generation.
Photo by Francisco Lopez De Arenosa
Beginning in May 2026, students visited La Huerta Roots and Rays, researched the surrounding neighborhood and explored Pilsen’s public art, cultural institutions and community spaces. They developed physical models, met with garden stewards and residents, and presented their ideas for feedback before completing the project during a two-week construction camp in July 2026.
The Design/Build Program gives students real-world experience with every stage of a community project, from listening and research to design, coordination, and construction. It shows them the impact that the architecture, engineering, and construction industries can have on communities, while helping them build the skills and confidence that come from seeing their ideas become reality. We are incredibly proud of what they have accomplished alongside Human Scale and the La Huerta Roots and Rays community.
Community input shaped the project throughout the design process. Garden stewards asked students to consider visibility, safety, weather protection, additional seating, colorful planting, storage for children’s toys, and the cultural meaning of the garden’s name. Through continued meetings, design presentations and on-site collaboration, the students and instructors built trust and demonstrated a clear plan for carrying the work from concept through construction.
Photo by Francisco Lopez De Arenosa
The completed design centers on a new pergola that provides shade and creates a flexible gathering place for meetings, workshops and informal neighborhood events. Radial wood members evoke rays of sunlight, connecting the structure to the Roots and Rays name. Custom red metal panels add color and pattern to the pergola. The panels incorporate floral imagery inspired by traditional Mexican decorative motifs and papel picado, while a perforated rose design references a flowering bush valued by the garden community. Colorful modular seating can be rearranged to accommodate different activities and group sizes.
Additional seating elements throughout the garden provide places for parents, children, gardeners, and visitors to gather. The project also includes a new brick pathway, a rebuilt entrance arbor, an expanded storage shed and a wooden play structure modeled after an ice cream truck, giving children a dedicated area for imaginative play.
A new mural by Chicago artist Mario Mena of Mena Arte brings together imagery of trees, monarch butterflies, and the garden’s roots-and-rays theme. The artwork also includes a community-requested memorial tribute. “This project challenged the students to think at every scale, from how someone moves through the garden to how a single pattern or material can express the identity of a place,” says Walmer Saavedra, an ACE Mentor Chicago alumnus and cofounder of Human Scale. “They learned that strong design begins with listening. The final project reflects not only their creativity and technical growth, but the knowledge, concerns, and aspirations shared by the people who care for this garden.”
Students worked alongside professional mentors and tradespeople throughout construction, gaining experience with site preparation, concrete, carpentry, fabrication, and onsite assembly.
Photo by Francisco Lopez De Arenosa
Donated construction labor and technical assistance were provided by Turner Construction, Walsh Construction, Clune Construction, and Skender, with concrete work provided by R. Olson Concrete. Materials were donated by Power Construction/GCS, Ascher Brothers, Chicago Metal Rolled Products, and Cushing. Human Scale led the design and construction process with ACE students and instructors, while NeighborSpace coordinated with the garden’s stewards and supported the site’s long-term needs.
“We were incredibly impressed by the students’ talent, curiosity, and dedication throughout the project,” says Yaritza Guillen, stewardship coordinator at NeighborSpace. “They went beyond simply designing a structure by conducting thoughtful research into the community and its needs, exploring how responsive design can support climate adaptability in public spaces and listening closely to gardeners and community members. As a result they expanded the project scope to include additional seating, a storage shed, and other improvements that elevated the garden’s overall functionality and experience. We are deeply grateful for the partnership and the lasting impact the students and Human Scale have made at La Huerta Roots & Rays.”
For the students the project offered direct experience with the responsibilities of the architecture, engineering, and construction professions. They saw how decisions about pathways, seating heights, structural details, materials, and visibility can influence whether a public space feels functional, welcoming, and safe.
The completed garden improvements demonstrate the central purpose of ACE Mentor Chicago—helping young people see themselves as future designers, engineers, builders, and civic leaders while showing them how their developing skills can make an immediate difference in Chicago communities.
ACE Mentor Chicago is now recruiting high school students from across the Chicago area for its 2026-27 school-year design program. Applications are open through Oct. 16, 2026. Learn more and apply at acementorchicago.org.
