CAPI is a long standing immigrant services organization founded in the 1980s to support individuals and families as they build pathways toward stability, opportunity, and self determination in the Twin Cities. To advance its mission and respond to growing demand, CAPI partnered with Locus Architecture to reimagine its facility as a welcoming, resilient community campus that reflects dignity, equity, and care.

Locus Architecture partnered closely with CAPI to shape the project from the earliest stages, focusing on how space, operations, and community experience could work together. Early design conversations explored how the existing building and site could be creatively leveraged to support staff, visitors, and volunteers while remaining adaptable for future growth. Through iterative planning, test fits, and collaborative dialogue, the team refined the building footprint to deliver a more efficient solution, reducing the size of the planned addition while preserving the full scope of CAPI’s programs.

The resulting design integrates renovated existing space with new construction to form a cohesive, intuitive environment. Program elements include flexible community gathering areas for events, job fairs, training, and civic use; administrative offices; multipurpose training rooms; a technology lab; and a modernized food shelf designed to promote dignity and ease of access. A new daycare center supports working families and is intentionally located adjacent to a greenhouse and garden, reinforcing intergenerational relationships and cultural food traditions.

Sustainability is embedded throughout the project, with pervious paving, rainwater harvesting and reuse, solar ready infrastructure, and a greenhouse for growing culturally relevant foods. Together, these strategies create a mission aligned facility designed to serve CAPI and its community well into the future.