Chicago Construction News staff writer
Skender, acting as the general contractor, has successfully completed the construction of Fifth City Commons, a 43-unit, 60,000-sq. ft. affordable housing complex at 3155 West 5th Avenue on Chicago’s West Side.
The development includes affordable housing for East Garfield Park residents, with rental rates tailored to households earning between 30% and 80% of the area’s median income. All units are designed to meet Passive House standards, emphasizing sustainable energy usage.
The vacant site was selected for redevelopent in 2019 by the City of Chicago.
Construction began in July 2023 and was completed in November 2024. The three-story building includes 43 one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, along with community rooms, a resident terrace and fitness room, laundry facilities, and on-site management offices.
Designed as an all-electric facility, Fifth City Commons features mature landscaping, electric vehicle charging stations, and ample bicycle parking. The building is also solar-ready, which will further reduce energy costs for residents and contribute to meeting the energy efficiency goals of Passive House principles. Achieving Passive House certification required extensive planning and collaboration between Skender, the project owner, and the architect, with continuous testing to ensure the building met strict air tightness standards, a key component for Passive House compliance.
“This project represents a significant achievement for Skender, as it marks oua Passive House project,” said Brian Skender, senior project manager and team ;eader at Skender. “A testament to our team’s expertise, we passed the air tightness test on our first attempt, an unprecedented accomplishment in the history of Passive House projects in Illinois.”
Skender partnered with Ashlaur Construction, Nia Architects, Perkins&Will, and several engineering firms, including dbHMS, Rubinos & Mesia Engineers, Omni Ecosystems, and TERRA Engineering. Tandem Ventures oversaw regulatory compliance and focused on fostering community engagement, helping create local job opportunities. The project exceeded minority-owned business enterprise (MBE) participation goals, achieving 30%, and woman-owned business enterprise (WBE) participation at 10%.
