The Faywell Apartments | Wheaton, IL

Project was designed by Renato Gilberti during his time as Senior Design Leader for the Chicago Office of  BKV Group.

Client      Banner Real Estate Group

Type        Mixed-Use (Market-Rate Housing & Retail)

Size         7 Stories, 336 Units

The Concept      Located in downtown Wheaton, IL, the Faywell Apartments consists of 336 market rate residential units within a 7 story courtyard style building.  The structure consists of 5 stories type III wood construction over a 2 story concrete podium.  

The façades are composed primarily in masonry, the contemporary design takes a form similar to the letter Pi above the podium, with three separate courtyards: A larger lushly landscaped central pool courtyard that blends the barrier between interior amenities and exterior, and two smaller landscaped courtyards long the east and west façades with different, more quiet outdoor programs. The cladding system changes from masonry to fiber cement panel on the courtyard elevations.  The podium levels contain a parking structure lined along the north East & West sides with duplex units and a restaurant space along the Northeast corner.  

The Site     The project combines multiple smaller properties consisting of mostly parking lots and a few existing buildings, making an entire city block available for redevelopment, bound by Liberty Street to the north, Hale Street to the West, Main Street to the East, and Willow Street to the South.  The  existing Egg Harbor restaurant will occupy the new retail space on the buildings Northwest corner with entries off of Liberty and Hale Streets and an outdoor seating area along the east side of the building. 

The primary residential entry point is along the north façade off of Liberty street.  The ground level duplex units all have individual entries directly off the street, while vehicular access to the garage is provided off of Willow Street and Hale Street.

Status      Groundbreaking 2025