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Shaping the City: European Cultural Centre launches third edition in unison with Chicago Architecture Biennial

2021-12-08T17:51:00-05:00

As part of its ongoing Shaping the City series, the Italian branch of the European Cultural Centre is being represented in this year’s Chicago Architecture Biennial with an upcoming conference that will begin this Friday, December 10th, hosted by the Chicago Cultural Center on East Washington Street in the city’s New Eastside.

The conference’s third edition will tackle themes of architecture and the people and re-imagining the city via side-by-side comparisons of major global capitals in America and Europe.

The event is set to last three days separated into two sections that will include speakers like Ennead’s Don Weinreich, Tulane University’s Edson G. Cabalfin, ASPECTSS* consultant Magda Mostafa, and the Chicago Architecture Biennial’s Artistic Director David Brown.

Session I will explore the ascendent social issues of the day through an examination of new architectural val...

Check out the first installation images of the now open Chicago Architecture Biennial

2021-09-17T16:34:00-04:00

The 2021 Chicago Architecture Biennial has officially opened to the public in its fourth edition.

This year’s theme, The Available City, is explored by 15 installations featuring more than 80 contributors from 18 different countries.

Block Party by Studio Barnes (Miami, FL), in collaboration with Shawhin Roudbari (Boulder, CO) and MAS Context (Chicago, IL), organized in coordination with Westside Association for Community Action (WACA), Open Architecture Chicago, and Freedom House for the 2021 Chicago Architecture Biennial. Photo: Nathan Keay

The sites of this iteration include the historic Central Park Theater and Danish-backed Soil Lab in North Lawndale. Exhibitions at the Bronzeville Artists Lofts and Graham Foundation feature contributions from SHAU and El Cielo internationally. Essays from Yale University’s Elleza Kelley and Harvard’s Jill Desmini will be available online along with the writings of six other contributors along with a conversation about The Available City them...

Chicago Architecture Biennial announces 2021 contributors

2021-04-28T13:51:00-04:00

The Chicago Architecture Biennial is returning this September under the 2021 edition banner, The Available City. This morning, Artistic Director David Brown unveiled an initial list of 29 contributors from Chicago and around the world to collaborate with local community groups to examine forms of shared, collective space and imagine new and innovative uses of vacant spaces in the city.

"The Available City results from a long interest in the landscape of vacant spaces that are so prevalent in many cities across the US, and beyond," Brown elaborated on the selection. "The 2021 edition asks us to imagine the transformative possibilities of collective spaces within those vacant spaces through a process of exchange and collaboration between designers and local residents."

The Available City results from a long interest in the landscape of vacant spaces that are so prevalent in many cities across the US, and beyond. — David Brown

The list of 2021 CAB contributors includes:

Ana Miljački (C...

Chicago Architecture Biennial announces 2021 theme, "The Available City" – David Brown appointed Artistic Director

2020-10-23T18:40:00-04:00

The Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB) announces David Brown as the 2021 Artistic Director for its fourth edition: The Available City. According to CAB the concept and title of the Biennial asks the public "to consider the impact collective space can have in cities today. Through a reinvented and responsive global platform, the Biennial will create opportunities for conversations about the intersection of architecture and design and such critical issues as health, sustainability, equity, and racial justice leading up to and throughout the run of the edition."

Brown's experience as a designer, researcher, and academic has led to his investigations revolving around "non-hierarchical and variable approaches to urban design." He is an associate professor of architecture at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His work has been exhibited in the Venice Architecture Biennale (2012), the Chicago Cultural Center's Expo 72 (2013), and the Chicago Architecture Biennial (2015).

Vacant lot ...