Project Overview

Saray Design Group led the architectural conversion of a large existing retail furniture store at 8181 S. Cicero Avenue in Chicago into a full-scale indoor trampoline and entertainment facility. This adaptive reuse project required more than a new floor plan: it demanded a comprehensive change of use documentation strategy, special use approval support, zoning variance coordination, and conceptual visualizations to carry the client’s vision through the City of Chicago’s municipal review process.

From existing conditions documentation through permit-ready drawings and interior renderings, SDG delivered a complete architectural package positioned to clear one of the most demanding permitting environments in the region.

The Challenge

Converting a furniture retail space into a high-occupancy indoor entertainment facility is one of the more complex change-of-use scenarios in urban architecture. The project triggered a special use approval process with the City of Chicago, required zoning variance support, and demanded careful life safety and accessibility planning for a fundamentally different occupancy classification.

At the same time, the client needed a clear visual picture of the finished facility to advance stakeholder conversations alongside the permitting process. SDG had to satisfy both the technical rigor of municipal review and the client’s need to see and communicate the project’s potential, all within a tightly scoped architectural engagement.

Our Approach

• Prepared existing conditions architectural floor plan based on available drawings and field verification, establishing an accurate baseline for the change of use documentation

• Developed a proposed layout reflecting the indoor entertainment facility’s operational requirements, coordinating with owner-provided equipment layouts and trampoline floor configurations

• Addressed life safety and accessibility compliance throughout the layout, including exiting plans and code summary documentation tailored to the City of Chicago’s requirements for assembly and entertainment occupancies

• Prepared a site plan based on the plat of survey and available record drawings to support the zoning submission and special use application

• Coordinated the architectural package to support both the building permit application and the special use approval process, navigating Chicago’s multi-track municipal review with a single, well-organized submittal

• Produced two conceptual interior perspective renderings of representative entertainment areas, giving the client a compelling visualization of the completed facility for stakeholder presentations and the approval process

Deliverables

• Existing conditions architectural floor plan

• Proposed layout plan reflecting indoor entertainment facility use

• Life safety and exiting plan

• Code summary and general accessibility compliance notes

• Site plan for zoning and special use submission

• Two conceptual interior perspective renderings of entertainment areas

• Complete coordinated architectural permit drawing package in PDF format, suitable for City of Chicago jurisdictional submission