Revolution Workshop

Empowering Communities

Revolution Workshop is a nonprofit social enterprise offering free pre-apprenticeship construction-trade training to unemployed or underemployed Chicagoans. Housed in a rehabilitated industrial complex, the campus now encompasses classroom, workshop, and community spaces, blending hands-on training, social services, and social enterprise to empower local residents.  

Adaptive Design

The facility occupies two adjacent bow-truss warehouses—originally built for soda manufacturing and bottling—whose open floor plans and industrial character made them perfect for adaptive reuse. In the 2024–2025 renovation, Future Firm transformed roughly 12,000 square feet into a flagship hub. The firm enlarged the main workshop, inserting mezzanines and skylights, reorganizing circulation, all while preserving the building’s industrial character. The result blends vibrant, functional learning and office spaces.  

The layout was carefully considered: the noisier, messier work areas are positioned near the front of the building alongside the train tracks, while the quieter offices are tucked into the rear. A hidden highlight of the design is the lunchroom and collaborative spaces perched atop the architect’s so-called “jewel boxes,” enclosed structures nestled between the trusses. 

From Plans to People

Established in 2018, Revolution Workshop was co-founded by a group deeply concerned by inequities in Chicago’s construction industry hiring and unemployment rates. Their approach combines employer partnerships and measurable outcomes; graduates report high placement and retention rates in union and subcontractor positions.