Archinect - News

SOM unveils new algae-based Bio-Blocks technology at the Chicago Architecture Biennial

2023-09-29T14:01:00-04:00

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) has debuted a new concrete alternative material as part of its participation in the fifth Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB 5), which is taking place now through February 11th at multiple locations citywide.

The firm’s Bio-Blocks technology is being presented as a replacement for traditional Concrete Masonry Units (or CMUs) and can reduce emissions on a project by up to 8% if used at scale. The blocks were fabricated with help from Prometheus Materials using microalgae that were then subject to the company’s patent-pending photosynthetic biocementation process. The results seen therein offer a one-metric-ton total offset, according to the product team.

Image © Dave Burk | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)

Displayed in a spiral construction courtesy of the International Masonry Institute and J&E Duff, Inc., in The Mews space at their 167 Green development in the city’s Fulton Market District, the product demonstrates its future potential as a building...

Chicago Architecture Biennial announces extended dates and added partners for CAB 5

2023-08-14T17:36:00-04:00

The Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB) has just announced newly-extended dates and an additional slate of 50 contributors, bringing the total number of cultural participants to over 100 for the exhibition, which runs from September 21st to February 11th of next year.

Under the direction of the curatorial collective Floating Museum, CAB 5 will open in two phases: One, beginning next month, will hone in on select openings at sites across the city, which align with the previous Biennial’s decentralized ambition. The second, which is meant to encourage public participation, will see the activation of CAB’s other sites in coordination with exhibition programming hosted by the Graham Foundation and the Chicago Cultural Center.

Additional partners for CAB 5 include the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, Goethe-Institut Chicago, MAS Context, the Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture, and the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA). This year’s...

Chicago Architecture Biennial announces CAB 5 participants

2023-06-05T11:12:00-04:00

Participants in the upcoming 5th edition of the Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB) have been announced by the organization in a preview of their exhibition titled This is a Rehearsal. The event will open on September 21st at various sites throughout the city.

A total of 50 contributors were announced as part of the Biennial's curatorial process, which is being led by the local artists' collective Floating Museum.

Participants in CAB 5 include the 2023 Leibniz Prize winner Achim Menges; The Bartlett School of Architecture’s new Director Amy Kulper; studio: indigenous founder and academic Chris Cornelius; and Minnesota-based duo Dream The Combine, among a list of other prominent local and international names such as Carol Ross Barney, Camille Henrot, Tschabalala Self, and the Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York City.

According to the Biennial: ...

University of Illinois Chicago faculty selected for leading roles at Venice and Chicago architecture biennials

2023-04-28T11:50:00-04:00

Two faculty members from the University of Illinois Chicago’s College of Architecture, Design, and the Arts (CADA) have been selected to share their work and vision at upcoming Biennials. While Norman Teague will debut new bespoke plastic fabrication works within the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale’s ‘Everlasting Plastics’ exhibit, Faheem Majeed will serve as Art Director for the 2023 Chicago Architecture Biennial.

Teague and Majeed, assistant professors of industrial design and art respectively, have sought to “bridge the gap between academia and the civic arts, engaging students with local creative leaders and citizens to uplift and transform communities, particularly in the South Side of Chicago,” according to CADA. Beyond their academic commitments, both individuals have also “ardently advocated for artists to recognize their responsibilities as agents of social change,” the institution added.

U.S. Pavilion material by Norman Teague. Image courtesy: University of Illinois Chic...

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...