Archinect - News

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot selects affordable housing design for city's West Side

2023-04-06T09:00:00-04:00

A $47.2 million apartment building with 100% affordable units will be built next to a Green Line stop in East Garfield Park, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday. Her administration selected the winner from three development proposals submitted for the site at 132 N. Kedzie Ave. The nearly half-acre property at the southwest corner of Kedzie and Lake street has been city-owned since the 1990s.

The development, called Hub 32, will span 78,000 square feet, stand seven stories tall, and include 63 units. It will offer apartments with rents affordable to those earning up to 60% of the area’s median income. The winning proposal was designed by Brooks + Scarpa and Studio Dwell. The site will also include ground-floor retail space, 16 exterior parking spots, and a public plaza for outdoor dining and gathering. The investors of the project include the Michaels Organization, KMW Communities, and TruDelta Real Estate. The group will be eligible for assistance from the city, including subsidies.

In 2022, the city’s planning department invited proposals for the site and received more than 30 responses. These were narrowed down to three. Outgoing Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot celebrated the proposal’s inclusion of design features and amenities that reflect the desires of the community. She’s confident it will work to revitalize the surrounding area as an affordable, transit-oriented s...

Here's how Chicago's mayoral candidates responded to the Built Environment Questionnaire

2023-02-15T12:31:00-05:00

Three of the eight challengers to unseat incumbent Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot have so far responded to a questionnaire issued by a coalition of local chapters of architects, landscape architects, and planners asking for their input on the Windy City’s built environment.

Candidates Ja'Mal Green, Kam Buckner, and Brandon Johnson answered the seven-question prompt asking their positions on a range of issues that included zoning transparency, planning initiatives, the city’s recent Climate Action Plan, racial inequities, and urban policy.

In their replies, a divergent vision for the city’s future can be seen. One of the most important points related to the Climate Action Plan includes a wide array of responses, all of which called for it to be taken in a direction not previously espoused by the current administration. Ja'Mal Green said that it “must go even further,” adding his own idea for a citywide Green New Deal — a sentiment echoed by his counterpart Johnson, who also called for ...

'Hollywood of the Midwest': $100 million media campus in Chicago's South Side breaks ground

2023-02-14T15:42:00-05:00

The City of Chicago and Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot are celebrating the groundbreaking of a 380,000-square-foot, seven-acre enclosed media campus and sound stage development in the heart of the city’s South Side. Called the Regal Mile Studios Campus 1, the privately funded project is sponsored by investment bank Loop Capital, which supports Mayor Lightfoot’s INVEST South/West investment initiative.

The $100 million development is located in the Stony Island neighborhood and intends to reimagine the pre-existing Regal Theater and 79th Street Corridor, with designs led by Chicago-based practice Bauer Latoza Studio. The scheme will include three film studios, office space, staging areas, and adequate parking space. All of these components will be divided across three areas within a triangular site. The studio will feature a central internal portion that will act as an open flex space for staging and staff access.

Aerial view of the project site. Image: Bauer Latoza Studio

The project’s eq...

Terminal 5 expansion at O'Hare International Airport opens to the public

2023-02-09T17:45:00-05:00

Chicago’s $1.3 billion O’Hare International Airport Terminal 5 expansion and renovation has been completed, marking the end of four years of work to modernize the terminal.

The project broke ground in 2019, with construction led by Austin Power Partners. The terminal’s capacity was increased by 25% to improve efficiency and reduce delays. Passenger amenity space was increased by 75%, and the existing building was expanded by around 350,000 square feet. Additional renovations were made to 750,000 square feet of the existing structure.

HOK and Muller & Muller Ltd. led the redesign of the facilities, maintaining the original 1993 design while modernizing them for today's demands. Vaulted ceilings invite natural light and provide views across the airfield toward the Chicago skyline. The project also incorporated new sustainable technology throughout the terminal, including 40,000 square feet of high-performance glass, water efficiency measures that exceed Sustainable Airport Manual re...

Chicago unveils Climate Infrastructure Fund for nonprofits and small businesses

2022-12-28T17:31:00-05:00

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has announced a new grant program that aims to spur climate action across the city through nonprofit organizations and small businesses.

Designed in partnership with the Department of Planning and Development’s Chicago Recovery Plan Initiative, the Climate Infrastructure Fund will back renewable energy and energy-efficiency improvements in buildings, support the purchase of electric vehicles and installation of charging stations, and develop green infrastructure solutions to capture stormwater and reduce flooding. Applications for the grant will be evaluated based on climate mitigation and resilience factors, equity impact, and project readiness.

The $5 million Fund is part of a series of climate and environmental initiatives under the Chicago Recovery Plan, which was formed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The City of Chicago was granted $1.887 billion in federal funds to invest in the well-being of people and communities and drive economic recove...

FAA gives the final go-ahead to multibillion-dollar Chicago O'Hare expansion

2022-11-23T12:10:00-05:00

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued approval to the proposed O’Hare 21 Expansion plan following the results of an environmental review that was announced by the agency on Tuesday.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg was on hand in the Windy City to join Mayor Lori Lightfoot for the announcement, which allows for construction to begin in the spring on two satellite concourses and a new Global Terminal that will replace O’Hare’s existing Terminal 2. The FAA says “no significant impact” will be made by the Terminal Area Plan (TAP) and that it will immediately lead to a decrease in emissions thanks to reduced taxi times and more flexible gate capacity. The total budget for the TAP project is around $7.1 billion.

Image render courtesy of Studio ORD.

SOM will lead the construction of both concourses, which add about 1.3 million square feet of space and are expected to be delivered between 2027 and 2028, respectively. The new Global Terminal designed by Studio ...

Chicago Architecture Biennial selects Floating Museum collective to lead CAB 5 titled 'This is a Rehearsal'

2022-09-15T19:27:00-04:00

The Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB) has announced the theme and Artistic Directors for its upcoming fifth edition.

Under the title This is a Rehearsal, local artist collective Floating Museum will be tasked with explaining how "contemporary environmental, political, and economic issues are shared across national boundaries but are addressed differently around the world through art, architecture, infrastructure, and civic participation."

Co-directors Jeremiah Hulsebos-Spofford, Faheem Majeed, Andrew Schachman, and Avery R. Young comprise the leadership of the eight-member collective. Together, they will leverage past site-specific installations, public programs, and other kinds of projects their community-based practice has experimented in with the aim of highlighting "divergent interpretations of infrastructure, history, and the role of aesthetics as a mode for expanding how we frame the relationship between our environments and ourselves."

A shot from the 2019 installation Foun...

The Chicago Bears unveil plans for an enclosed new suburban stadium

2022-09-09T12:09:00-04:00

The Chicago Bears generated keen interest from fans and non-fans alike Thursday for a presentation of plans for a new domed stadium and entertainment district in Arlington Heights. Team officials drew applause when they said the stadium would be enclosed, and that the team would not negotiate renovations at Soldier Field while pursuing the Arlington deal.

The Bears President Ted Phillips said the team would not seek any public funding except for critical infrastructure and that the new stadium would result in greater seating capacity than Soldier Field. He also shared that the team was uncertain as to whether the enclosure will be retractable or not but alluded to mechanical problems and costs as a potential deterrent.

Previously on Archinect: Chicago proposes three alternatives to the Bears' planned Soldier Field exodus

The retractable roof feature and multi-sport entertainment focus had previously been a part of Mayor Lori Lightfoot's recent last-ditch counteroffer, though the team’s “singular focus” on the 326-acre site in Arlington Heights means more or less the Manica-led project is a done deal as soon as approval and the additional outside funding can be secured. As of now, the entire project (excluding the stadium portion) is expected to take around 10 years to complete.

Chicago signs agreement to power all city operations with renewable energy by 2025

2022-08-11T18:31:00-04:00

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has announced the finalization of a deal between the city and retail electricity supplier Constellation, in collaboration with Swift Current Energy, to shift all city facilities and operations to run on renewable energy by 2025. This makes Chicago one of the largest cities in the country to commit to such a move.

The contract is valued at up to $422 million, with an initial five-year term with Constellation starting in January 2023. As part of the agreement, beginning in 2025, Chicago will source energy from a new solar power plant currently being built in Sangamon and Morgan counties to partially power its large energy uses, such as the airports, Harold Washington Library Center, and the Jardine Water Purification Plant.

“I am incredibly proud to advance this commitment to transitioning all city operations to 100% renewable energy by 2025,” said Mayor Lightfoot. “The signing of this agreement demonstrates that the City of Chicago is leading by example...

Chicago unveils first city framework plan in more than 50 years and seeks public input

2022-08-02T09:00:00-04:00

Chicago has unveiled a draft of its first citywide framework plan since 1966, charting how the city intends to become more equitable and resilient. The plan, titled We Will Chicago, is led by neighborhood stakeholders, artists, community partners, and city agencies. Having launched in 2020, the draft framework is now seeking public feedback before completion and presentation to the Chicago Plan Commission in early 2023.

The framework describes itself as “the first planning process in the City’s history that acknowledges the past as much as the future.” To that end, the plan seeks to address systemic declines which have arisen from previous plans, policies, and market forces, including structural racism, poverty, depopulation, and health disparities. The plan also seeks to enable the city to “survive, adapt, and rebound in the face of chronic stresses and acute shocks like climate change and pandemics.”

The We Will Chicago framework consists of eight pillars

The draft plan consists o...

Chicago proposes three alternatives to the Bears' planned Soldier Field exodus

2022-07-27T12:32:00-04:00

Chicago’s last-ditch effort to dissuade its Bears football team from decamping to a new home in the northwest suburbs has yielded a trio of design alternatives after Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office released renderings for three proposed Soldier Field redesigns on Monday.

Two of the three options include either installing a dome or creating the capacity to do so in a fan experience-oriented renovation that could cost between $900 million and $2.2 billion to complete, according to figures quoted in the city’s plan.

Rendering of the 'Dome' proposal. Courtesy Landmark Chicago Interests.

The third proposes the creation of a flexible multi-sport layout oriented more towards concerts and other tourist draws. Further components of the proposal include major transportation improvements and the creation of a new public plaza to be located in place of the existing Solidarity Drive.

Rendering of the 'Dome' proposal. Courtesy Landmark Chicago Interests.

Rendering of a proposed transformation. Cour...

Northwestern Medicine announces $100M+ outpatient center in Chicago's Bronzeville

2022-06-03T15:09:00-04:00

Northwestern Medicine plans to spend more than $100 million to build a 120,000-square-foot outpatient care center in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood — after facing past criticism that it hasn’t done enough to serve patients on the South Side.

If approved by the state Health Facilities and Services Review Board, the proposed medical facility will be positioned on the 4800 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue. The center would include an immediate care center, primary care, specialty care, pharmacy services, mammograms, lab tests, chemotherapy, and programs to promote community health. It is expected to serve more than 50,000 patients a year. In addition, the project is expected to create 1,000 construction and 100 healthcare and related jobs. Construction could begin in summer 2023 with a scheduled opening in summer 2025.

The proposal aligns with Chicago Mayor Lightfoot’s $1.4 billion INVEST South/West program, an initiative that aims to revitalize 12 commercial corridors within 10 South and West Side community areas. As detailed by the Chicago Tribune, Northwestern has faced criticism for its prioritization of investment in higher-income areas, rather than lower-income communities of color. While Northwestern Medicine dis...

JGMA-led Team Pioneros selected to redevelop historic Pioneer Bank Building in Chicago's Humboldt Park

2022-01-12T12:22:00-05:00

The City of Chicago has selected Team Pioneros, a one hundred percent Latino project team, led by Chicago-based practice JGMA, Park Row Development with All Construction Group, to redevelop the historic Pioneer Bank Building in Humboldt Park. The $53.9 million project will restore the vacant landmark structure and parking lot, establishing affordable housing, an entrepreneurial incubator space, a Latino cultural center, and office space. It will also host JGMA’s new office headquarters.

The announcement of the redevelopment was made by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot during the celebration of the two-year anniversary of INVEST South/West, the mayor’s revitalization strategy for ten historically disadvantaged South and West Side communities in Chicago.

JGMA envisions the new building as a continuation of the existing bank building while serving as a symbol for the future of the neighborhood. This is initially apparent through its multi-colored façade, which can be experienced from all...

Chicago announces largest investment in affordable housing in city's history

2021-12-09T14:21:00-05:00

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the Chicago Department of Housing (DOH) Commissioner Marisa Novara announced on December 6th more than $1 billion in affordable housing through the Chicago Recovery Plan, as part of Lightfoot’s 2022 budget. This is the largest investment in affordable housing in Chicago’s history.

Aiming to create and preserve 2,428 affordable housing units spread across 24 developments, the DOH is more than doubling the 11 developments awarded and 1,083 units built over the $398 million granted over the 2019 Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) round.

The 24 LIHTC developments were selected through a racial equity lens. As detailed in the City of Chicago’s press release, the DOH conducted the country’s first Racial Equity Impact Assessment of the LIHTC program through a process that examines data by race, centering on the experiences of impacted populations. As a result, the city has ensured that BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) developers will benefit ...