Gillson Park Beach House

Wilmette, Illinois

Wilmette’s Gillson Park spans 60 acres of prime parkland along the Lake Michigan shoreline, offering the community both park and beach amenities within a singular site. Our concept for the project utilizes the beach house and its adjacent parking lot as the mediator between these two unique landscapes, creating a threshold between the park and the beach.

Using dunes that were established decades ago as inspiration, we extended the dunescape north, parallel to the swimming beach, and let the beach house meander like a dune along the shoreline, its form gently rising up from a classic dune fence.

Light, sand-colored volumes, formed from durable concrete patterned to look like wood, provide restrooms, concessions, and a lifeguard station. These services are visually and functionally connected under a curvilinear wooden trellis--clad in ‘weathered’ larch--that not only shelters the concrete forms but also defines circulation through gateways, walkways, and places to sit and socialize. Under ever-changing patterns of shadow and shade, this trellis structure remains transparent so that views to and from the lake aren’t obstructed by the new pavilions, which seamlessly blend into the surrounding native plants.

A new parking lot of permeable pavers and planting zones extends this dunescape, accommodating 325 cars while simultaneously resolving drainage issues by allowing water to percolate into the sand below, further improving the visitor experience.