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Up or Coming |
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This
atypical contemporary building located
at the corner of Halsted and Eastman Streets in Lincoln Park
is a
five-story,
74,000-square-foot mixed-use facility with retail sites
planned for the ground floor. The British School of Chicago will occupy most of
this building design by Joe Valerio and will have a separate entrance from the
retail space. The project is backed by Structured
Development of Chicago. |
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In The News...
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Local
Looptopia + Architecture
= ?
A
Looptopia musical performance at Federal Plaza
Chicago, IL,
May 12, 2008-So
another Looptopia has come and gone and with it the renewed
expectations of a better showing than last year's offerings
of Chicago's now annual Spring all-nighter. The multi-venued
artistic event been auspiciously with another mid-Spring
date which in the minds of most Chicagoans is just asking
for trouble with our extended winters. Yet, despite the
torrential rains at the outset, mother nature relented and
brought clear skies and acceptable temperatures to the
delight of in-coming suburban and city crowds anxious to
find a good time" hanging-out" downtown till dawn(Although
many of the "late-nite" wristbands were already out from the
designated pick-up stations by 6 p.m.).
From an architectural
perspective, the idea of staging free concert events
throughout the loop (Daley Center, Federal Plaza, etc.)
under the stars amidst the backdrop of Chicago's urban
cliffs is a great experience. Also. the utilization of the
city's cultural, academic and retail interior spaces is a
nice opportunity to enjoy those venues by people who may not
normally have reason to patronize those places. There were a
couple of specific architectural goings-on at the Santa Fe
building. Nestled among the current exhibition on
preservation in the buildings atrium was a number of
human-scaled Lego-like model buildings of Chicago giants
being constructed by a gentleman seated at a table. Later in
the evening an improvisation troupe performed
architecture-inspired themes at the Chicago Architecture
Foundation.
Apart from the afore-mentioned
architecturally-related events, there wasn't much more to be
experienced in this area at this year's Looptopia. Some
suggestions for next year which could make for a more
memorable night architecturally-speaking are: first, line-up
a number of our river-worthy vessels and ferry people down
the south branch for a taste of one of Chicago's most
popular vistas; second, open up the offices of Chicago's
largest architecture firm-Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM),
the mayor's office and Aon Center to rarely scene Loop
interior spaces; and three, recruit local architects to lead
public sketching and/or modeling sessions using simple
materials. These kind of offerings along with free looks
into some nearby historical landmarks and luxury Loop
residential spaces we believe would make this night on the
town a truly much talked about and anticipated event.
By Darrell Jones
Comments?
Email us at
comments@chicagoarchitecturetoday.com
Also in
the news locally..
Chicago-based
Society of Architectural Historians gets big grant
Lower Wacker
blues: Drivers and bus riders get the shaft on views
Condo tower
planned for St. James site scrapped
Aqua’s Waves
Reach The 24th Floor
Evanston tower
developer may scale back plans
More on this
story along with additional ones in Archives
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National
New Baseball Facility in D.C. a Big Hit
Nationals Park, Washington
D.C.
WASHINGTON,
DC.
APRIL 13, 2008-By
all accounts, the sports facility experts HOK Sport of
Kansas City and Devrouax & Purnell Architects-Planners of
Washington have possibly laid the groundwork for a change of
direction for new baseball stadium construction.
Instead of continuing with the dominant theme of
retro-facilities, the D.C. Sports Commission has led the
development of a state-pf-the-art concrete and steel
structure clad in brick and limestone which has a distinctly
contemporary look and feel about it. The over $610 million
dollar stadium has a 41,888-seat capacity and is positioned
for an enviable view of the U.S. Capital building in the
foreground. Nationals Park is also aiming to be the first
major league ballpark in the country to be certified by the
U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Green Building Rating
System. In an excerpt from
Ballparks.com, The ballpark promises to play the major
role in the Anacostia River waterfront entertainment
district. In addition to government plans for the area,
major development is anticipated from investors who have
bought up property near the ballpark. Nationals Park
replaces the former RFK Stadium which formerly housed the
professional sports teams from the D.C. area.
Salt Lake City
skyline 'pretty disappointing'
Comments?
Visit our Message board or
Email us at
comments@chicagoarchitecturetoday.com
Additional
stories in archives |
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International
World's First Positive
Energy Building in Abu Dhabi
 Masdar,
Abu Dhabi February 23, 2008-Masdar
announced that it has chosen Chicago architecture firm
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG) to design
its headquarters in Abu Dhabi's Masdar City, the world's
first zero-carbon, zero-waste city fully powered by
renewable energy. The headquarters will be the world's first
large-scale, mixed-use 'positive energy' building, producing
more energy than it consumes. In addition to being the
location of Masdar Headquarters, the building will
accommodate private residences and 'early bird' businesses
starting up in the city.
AS+GG
teamed with Chicago-based MEP engineers Environmental
Systems Design and structural engineers Thornton Tomasetti
on the design, which includes numerous systems that will
generate a surplus of the building's energy, eliminate
carbon emissions and reduce liquid and solid waste. The
complex will utilize sustainable materials and feature
integrated wind turbines, outdoor air quality monitors and
one of the world's largest building-integrated solar energy
arrays. Compared with typical mixed-use buildings of the
same size, the Headquarters will consume 70% less water.
'We're thrilled to be working on a project of this
importance and magnitude. Masdar Headquarters is one of the
most significant developments of our time,' said Adrian
Smith, partner, AS+GG.
Also in
the news Internationally..
Ignorant
renovations in the Ukraine destroying architectural history
Beijing proud
about their Olympic architecture ..?
Modernist
architecture in Brno, Czech Republic
For Some in
Jerusalem, a Bridge Too Close for Comfort
Comments?
Visit our Message board or
Email us at
comments@chicagoarchitecturetoday.com
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Additional
stories in archives... |
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Firm Foundation |
3rd Floor
Chicago, Illinois 60601
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600 North Fairbanks
Chicago |
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Making its
mark upon the built environment worldwide, Murphy/Jahn has
been at the forefront of modernism in architectural design
for over 50 years.
Founded by Helmut Jahn, Murphy/Jahn has put its mark on the
Chicago landscape with the number of projects proliferated
throughout the metropolitan area and by the risk-taking
nature of many of these same projects.
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Click here for
the full profile
on our Firm Foundations Page.
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Quad Connection |
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This month Chicago Architecture Today highlights
University of
Illinois at Chicago
College of Architecture and
the Arts
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University of Illinois
at Chicago
College of Architecture
& the Arts
1200 West Federal
Street
Chicago, IL 60607
www.uic.edu
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Chicago's rich architectural heritage provides a
backdrop of historical importance and contemporary
innovation to the School of Architecture's programs.
Students at the School of Architecture are
surrounded by highly significant architecture of the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including. In
addition to being among renowned architectural
works, students at the School of Architecture
maintain ongoing contact with current professional
practice as many of the School's alumni, and
permanent and adjunct faculty practice in Chicago
firms. In addition to work commissioned by community
clients, students and faculty collaborate on
research and service projects solicited by
foundations, governmental agencies, and nonprofit
organizations in research and design studios run by
the UIC City Design Center.
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More on UIC and
other area architectural institutions of higher learning... |
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On Location: Chicago
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 Last
March, principal photography was being shot here for
scenes in the upcoming film-"Unborn." The Sci-Fi
thriller director by David Goyer
and produced by Michael Bay
is about a girl tormented by the soul of a boy who died
in the Holocaust. Actor Gary
Oldman will star as a rabbi who performs
exorcisms and Odette Yustman
plays the lead role as the tormented girl. The
Rogue Picture Production is scheduled for release
in 2009.
 The
Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that
Ellen DeGeneres is bringing
her show here May 3rd. She is also said to be looking
for suggestions from area residents as to what they
should do while they're here. Although she hasn't come
right out and said Chicago, she has dropped some pretty
obvious hints like-"Oprah, city with big
buildings and great food." Sounds like she know us
well.
 Hometown
Hip-Hop hero Kanye West
reportedly has a new music video out which reflects some
of Chicago's architecture. According to the site
No Trivia blogger Brandon Soderberg reveals
that Kanye performs on a
moving vehicle (no innovation there, right?) down a
Chicago street. As the car moves, images of black
Chicago residents, notable landmarks and in his words,
"some pretty amazing architecture" can be seen. The
video is said to be entitled 'Home
Coming.'
 Johnny Depp
was the toast of Crown Point this past week as he was on
location to film a few scenes for his upcoming movie,
Public Enemies
about the story of gangster John Dillinger.
Depp took the time to greet each fan in a crowd which
had gathered outside if the Lake County courthouse where
they were shooting.
The same crews are scheduled
to be on location Aurora, IL in a week to shoot some
scenes as well.
 What
does the sure-to-be iconic Chicago Spire
(designed by Spanish architect
Santiago Calatrava) and
Sony Pictures
I mageworks
have in common? According to
nmancer.net the media giant recently attended an
Autodesk conference in San Francisco which showcased
Maya, a 3-D animation program which was used to make a
short promo on the project. Check it out at
Chicago Spire Video Clip.
 Tyler
Perry’s
Meet the
Browns for
Lionsgate, starring Perry and Angela Bassett,
shot four days in July around Chicago and in southwest
suburban Lemont is set to open March 28. According to a
synopsis of the movie by Bob Fisher at
screenmag, the
upcoming feature “Meet the Browns” revolves around
Brenda (played by Angela Bassett), a single mother whose
17-year-old son and 4- and 10-year-old daughters have
different fathers. Brenda and her children live in a
housing project in Chicago’s inner city.The story takes
a 180-degree turn after Brenda learns that the father
she never knew has died in Georgia. She and her children
travel south for the funeral, where they meet her
family, the Browns. They are a colorful, raucous and
unpredictable clan. The different environments and
locations are artfully woven into the visual grammar.
Questions? Comments?
Visit our Message board or
Email us at
onlocation@chicagoarchitecturetoday.com
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Arch Quiz |
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Which athletic venue was recently stripped of its national historic landmark designation?
A) U.S. Cellular Field
B) United Center
C) Macy’s/ Field’s
D) Soldier Field
Are you ready to test your knowledge about Chicago's architecture? |
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Take The Quiz Now! |
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Upcoming Community Events |
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AMAZING
ARCHITECTURE
RACE!
April through August
Tour Chicago's
Renown Spaces
NW corner of Chicago
Ave. and Michigan
Ave.
April kicks off our 2008
installment of the tour which lets you actively
experience Chicago's great architecture-and have fun
doing it! Tour dissects the city taking you through
several neighborhoods rich in architectural
diversity.
For
more details on
this event visit our
Tours & Venues to Visit
page.
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Check out more on our
Upcoming
Events Page!
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Quote of the
Week |
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“While MoMo follows the lead of the Daley Center and
other Miesian buildings around the Loop un expressing
its internal structure. It is, happily, not a nostalgic
clone. It moves the hands of the clock forward with its
architecture and its uses...”
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Tribune Architecture Critic
Blair
Kamin |
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On
the recently completed Modern Momentum (MoMo)
building at State & Randolph
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April
27, 2008 |
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Good Reads |
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GREAT HOUSES OF
CHICAGO
1871-1921
Susan Benjamin & Stuart
Cohen
Published by Acanthus
Press
c 2008
Hard cover 336 pgs
$75.00 |
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With Chicago's world renown
reputation for its innovation in high-rise buildings, its no
wonder that comparatively minimal focus-Wright's
prairie-style designs excepted-has been afforded to it's
high-style residences. Great Houses of Chicago: 1871-1921
by Susan Benjamin and Stuart Cohen aims to bring a bit more
balance to that perceived inequity. The essence of Great
Houses of Chicago is...
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More on this book and
others on our
Good Reads page
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Inside Today |
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A
Belgian
Adventure!
With the
slumping dollar and subsequent robust Euro, the United
States and Chicago continues to be a popular destination for
vacationing Europeans. On one of our particularly pleasant
but blustery Spring days, we encountered a group of
travelers needing direction.
Check out the interview
at
Word on the Street |
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Preservation Station |
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The
Germania Club & Theatre
Designed by
Bertrand Goldberg
Elgin
Mental Health Center
Built 1967
This former
hospital on the grounds of the Elgin Mental Health Center is
one of two cylindrical buildings (the other being Marina
City) by architect Bertrand Goldberg. The facility is no
longer in use which threatens its continued existence in the
community.
Preservations have mounted an effort to give it landmark
status.
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More on
our
Preservation page!
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Term to Learn |
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Renaissance Revival
Architecture
Renaissance Revival is a general
term which encompasses the various Italian Renaissance
Revival and French Renaissance Revival styles.
This style is often
typified by a symmetrical facade, smooth stone or stucco
walls, low-pitched hip or Mansard roof with balustrades,
horizontal stone banding between floors, a series of arched,
recessed openings, columns, and grouped or singular
decorative crests on facade...
See
Archtionary
for additional
terms
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