Archinect - News

Riken Yamamoto receives the 2024 Pritzker Prize in Chicago

2024-05-20T15:16:00-04:00

A celebration of Japanese architect Riken Yamamoto as the 53rd official Pritzker Prize laureate was held in Chicago over the weekend. Yamamoto was joined by past winners Francis Kéré (2022) and Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal (2021) on stage at the Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture for a special presentation of his life and work, which began in Beijing in 1945 and has seen designs realized in Japan, Switzerland, China, and the Republic of Korea, through a lens considering 'The Architect as a Catalyst for Change.'

Yamamoto is the ninth Japanese winner of the Pritzker Prize, after his countrymen Arata Isozaki (2019), Shigeru Ban (2014), Toyo Ito (2013), Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa (2010), Tadao Ando (1995), Fumihiko Maki (1991), and Kenzō Tange (1987). He said during the ceremony that he felt pride at being a "member of the Pritzker family." His win follows David Chipperfield, who spoke from the Ancient Agora in Athens last year.

The full remarks fro...

Maria Villalobos Hernandez to lead IIT’s Master of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism

2023-09-26T11:37:00-04:00

The Illinois Institute of Technology has appointed Maria A. Villalobos Hernandez as director of its Master of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism program. “Villalobos is the first woman of color and first Latinx person to be a director of a College of Architecture program, and she will bring a deep-rooted sense of equity and justice to the program,” the institute said announcing the news.

Originally hailing from Venezuela, Villalobos Hernandez has “witnessed first-hand the impacts of the oil industry on local communities,” bringing her to cultivate “an approach to landscape architecture that prioritizes environmental and social justice.” Having exercised this ethos through her practice, Botanical City, Villalobos Hernandez now hopes to infuse the MLA+U program with the same spirit.

“The weight of this appointment holds resonance beyond personal achievement, as it is a great responsibility to be the inaugural Latin American Director of a program in the College,” said Villalobos Herna...

Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood has a plan to become energy independent

2022-05-30T10:30:00-04:00

The Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago is the site of a proposed new microgrid project set to improve its resiliency as the historic and predominantly Black community pushes towards energy independence.

The microgrid will purportedly be the first of its scale found anywhere in the United States, and offers a major upgrade of a much smaller Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) run system, as well as a reduction in the phenomena known as Corona discharge.

According to the website Reasons to Be Cheerful, the project, which is being developed in unison with Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) and funded (in part) by a $4 million grant from the Department of Energy, passed efficacy tests but still faces a number of engineering and permitting hurdles. After those tests have been passed, the report states, the Bronzeville microgrid will power more than 1,000 homes, businesses, and even public institutions like the local Provident Hospital.

Model of the ITT campus utilizing different colors to ...

Illinois Institute of Technology announces architectural educator, critic, and consultant Reed Kroloff as the new College of Architecture Dean

2019-06-12T13:51:00-04:00

With over 30 years of experience as a leader and educator in architectural academia, the former dean of architecture at Tulane University School of Architecture will be joining Illinois Institute of Technology's College of Architecture. During his career, Kroloff has also stood as the director of the Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum in Bloomflied Hills, Michigan as well as editor-in-chief of the design magazine Architecture.

Having played an influential role within the profession, the Times once called him "the man with the list at architecture’s party." As the principal at jones|kroloff, the firm has been a major design consultancy for public, government, and educational projects like Jose Vasconcelos National Library of Mexico and the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County.

"The university community is thrilled to welcome Reed and the unique voice and vision he will bring to Illinois Tech’s historic leadership in architecture," says Peter Kilpatrick, Illinois Tech’...

Dr. Michelangelo Sabatino to serve as interim dean of the IIT College of Architecture

2017-06-02T12:18:00-04:00

The Illinois Institute of Technology, College of Architecture has announced that Dr. Michelangelo Sabatino has been appointed the Interim Dean for a one-year term. He will succeed Wiel Arets, who finished his tenure on May 31.

Trained at the University IUAV di Venezia, the University of Toronto and Harvard University, Sabatino has previously taught at multiple institutions including Yale and the University of Houston. Previously, he served as Professor and Director at IIT’S PhD Program in Architecture.

SANAA's Grace Farms “River” building wins latest MCHAP

2016-10-19T23:00:00-04:00

The verdict is out! SANAA's meandering Grace Farms “River” project has won the second Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize, as announced by IIT College of Architecture Dean Wiel Arets and MCHAP Director Dirk Denison during a ceremony tonight at the S.R. Crown Hall in Chicago. First awarded in 2014, the biennial MCHAP is IIT's way of illuminating the most distinguished architectural projects built in the Americas. Projects for the second edition had to be completed between January 2014 and December 2015.

As part of their prize package, SANAA founders Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa will be appointed as MCHAP Chair at IIT Architecture Chicago for the following academic year and will receive up to $50,000 to fund research and a collaborative publication with the school.

SANAA won over an international group of finalists that included Michael Maltzan, Grafton Architects, and Patkau Architects + Kearns Mancini Architects, to name a few (projects pictured in photo gallery below).

The River has co...

How prepared are American cities for the new reality of self-driving cars?

2016-04-07T19:51:00-04:00

Everything from sidewalks and curbs to streets, building designs, urban layouts, and living patterns will change as computers take the wheel. “We’re looking at the broader urban effects—and urban opportunities—of this technology,” says Illinois Tech architect Marshall Brown, one of the team members in the Chicago school’s Driverless Cities Project. “It’s in the news a lot, but nobody’s been discussing what it will actually do to cities.”

Get Lectured: Illinois Institute of Technology, Spring '15

2015-02-09T13:28:00-05:00

Archinect's Architecture School Lecture Guide for Winter-Spring 2015

Archinect's Get Lectured is back in session! Get Lectured is an ongoing series where we feature a school's lecture series—and their snazzy posters—for the current term. Check back frequently to keep track of any upcoming lectures you don't want to miss.

The next featured poster comes from the Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture.

Want to share your school's lecture series? Send us your school's lecture series poster and details to connect@archinect.com.

Listed below are upcoming Dean's Lecture Series events only. Unless noted**, lectures take place at S.R. Crown Hall 3360 South State St., Chicago, IL 60616. Free and open to the public.

Feb 18
6 pm
JORGE FRANCISCO LIERNUR / Architect, Professor at Torcuato Di Tella University,and Researcher of Argentina’s National Council for Scientific and Technical Investigation

Mar 23
6:30 pm
ADRIAAN GEUZE / Co-founder, West 8 - Rotterdam

Mar 27
6:30 pm
MARCELO FERRAZ / Pr...

Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize announces “Outstanding Projects” shortlist

2014-06-25T17:27:00-04:00

The who-is-who of international contemporary architecture makes up the gross of the inaugural Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize shortlist. Announced this week by Illinois Institute of Technology Architecture Dean Wiel Arets and MCHAP Director Dirk Denison, the 36 shortlisted projects — selected from the 225 MCHAP nominees throughout the American continent — are being recognized as "Outstanding Projects."

Get Lectured: Illinois Institute of Technology, Spring '14

2014-02-28T12:54:00-05:00

Archinect's Architecture School Lecture Guide for Winter/Spring 2014

Archinect's Get Lectured is up and running again for the Winter/Spring '14 term! As a refresher from our Fall 2013 guide, every week we'll feature a school's lecture series—and their snazzy posters—for the current season. If you're not doing so already, be sure to keep track of any upcoming lectures you don't want to miss.

Since we've been receiving more submissions lately, we're gonna show off posters more often — and so you can see what events are happening in architecture schools right now!

Our next poster features another noteworthy lineup from the Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture.

Want to share your school's lecture series? Send us your school's lecture series poster and details to connect@archinect.com.

Listed below are upcoming events only. Note each lecture's time. Lectures are free and open to the public, and will take place at S.R. Crown Hall - 3360 S State, Chicago IL 60616

MARCH

March 5...

Get Lectured: Illinois Institute of Technology Fall '13

2013-09-27T12:40:00-04:00

Archinect's Architecture School Lecture Guide for Fall 2013

Here on Archinect we recently launched "Get Lectured", where we'll feature a school's lecture series--along with their snazzy posters--for the current season. Check back regularly to stay up-to-date and mark your calendars for any upcoming lectures you don't want to miss.

Friday's featured list comes from the Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture in Chicago.

Want to share your school's lecture series? Send us your school's lecture series poster and details to connect@archinect.com.

All lectures begin at 6 pm, unless noted.**

SEPTEMBER

September 4
Thom Mayne / Founder and Design Principal, Morphosis, Los Angeles
at Hermann Hall Auditorium, 3241 S. Federal

OCTOBER

October 2

Christophe Cornubert / Morgenstern Chair Adjunct Professor, IIT Founder, PUSH, Los Angeles
at MTCC Auditorium, 3201 S. State

October 8
Dominique Perrault / DPA Dominique Perrault Architecture, Paris
at Crown Hall, Cent...

Winners of IIT’s Innovation Center Parametric Design Competition

2013-01-10T15:12:00-05:00

Three winning entries [...] have recently emerged from the IIT Innovation Center Parametric Student Design Competition, held at Illinois Institute of Technology's College of Architecture under the guidance of professors Alphonso Peluso & John Manaves. The brief was based on the school's recently announced plan to build a new ‘Innovation Center,’ a proposed hub for interdisciplinary education and an incubator for idea exchange between faculty, students, business and industry.

Wiel Arets Named Dean of Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture

2012-08-07T12:07:00-04:00

Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) Provost Alan Cramb announced today the appointment of Wiel Arets as the new dean of the IIT College of Architecture. Born in the Netherlands, Arets, an internationally acclaimed architect, educator, industrial designer, theorist, and urbanist, is known for his academic progressive research and hybrid design solutions. He is currently the professor of building planning and design at the Berlin University of the Arts. His architecture and design practice, Wiel Arets Architects, has multiple studios throughout Europe and its work has been nominated for the European Union's celebrated ‘Mies van der Rohe Award’ on numerous occasions.

Arets, who was dean of the Berlage Institute in Rotterdam from 1995-2002, will join IIT this fall and will lead an academic program originally shaped by the vision and work of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Considered by many to be one of the founders of modern architecture and design, Mies chaired the IIT architecture p...