Archinect - News

Gensler study proposes reimagined North Michigan Avenue in Chicago

2024-07-17T11:43:00-04:00

The main artery along Chicago’s iconic Lakefront area — North Michigan Avenue — is the subject of a new proposal from Gensler that would revitalize a major segment of the street into a major hub of pedestrianization, retail, and hospitality.

The proposal targets a stretch between Chicago Avenue and Oak Street Beach for a series of interventions and innovations that will remake it into the Avenue's northern 'anchor' opposing the existing Chicago Architecture Center, Apple Store, Wrigley Building, and the recently renovated Tribune Tower at its southern edge.

Image courtesy Gensler

Local developers Bob Wislow and Camille Julmy are said to have worked with Gensler’s team to produce a study for the redevelopment, which puts Chicago squarely on par with many other global high streets in an attempt to recover the staggering economic losses created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Image courtesy Gensler

"This study demonstrates that design truly has the power to transform experience in our cities,...

Chicago releases updated designs of the 'Revive the Drive' lakefront project

2023-03-31T18:57:00-04:00

The groups behind Chicago’s planned overhaul of a key portion of the iconic Lakeshore Drive have revealed the latest renderings of a project that’s set to add much-needed protective barriers and green space along the city’s Lake Michigan shoreline.

The non-profit news platform Block Club Chicago has the latest details on the "Redefine the Drive" plan, which will take shape over the coming years through a series of community engagement meetings expected to reconvene in the fall.

Image courtesy Illinois Department of Transportation & Chicago Department of Transportation

While a final design plan hasn't been confirmed, renders shared by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) aim to "help Chicagoans 'better understand the characteristics' of park, lakefront, pedestrian, and bike space expansions that would be universal to any final plan," reports Mack Liederman of Block Club Chicago.

Image courtesy Illinois Department of Transpo...

Chicago could become site of the Great Lakes' first offshore wind farm

2022-09-10T09:00:00-04:00

If state Rep. Marcus Evans has his way, Chicago will enter the race to build the first offshore wind farm on the Great Lakes. Evans has introduced a bill that lays the groundwork for a proposed wind farm in Lake Michigan, about 10 miles from the shores of the Southeast Side. The bill sets up a fund that would help the state to compete for federal money, including $230 million for port infrastructure projects available from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Evans introduced the bill, the Illinois Rust Belt to Green Belt Pilot Program Act, in January. The legislation would establish a path toward creating the offshore wind farm by allowing the state to apply for federal infrastructure funds. The proposal promises to create over 1,200 jobs, primarily occupied by underrepresented populations, an aim bolstered by its potential location near Black and Latino communities. The bill has since been referred to a House committee.

Illinois will face competition from Ohio and New York state in its quest to be the first home of an offshore wind farm via the Great Lakes as the two states are developing plans to respectively establish farms in Lake Erie.

As reported by the Chicago Tribune, the initiative has garnered support from local community groups, however, there remain reservations due to concerns over whether the promise to reserve jobs created from the...

Extreme shifts in Lake Michigan water levels due to climate change are putting Chicago at increased risk

2021-10-27T17:33:00-04:00

The Great Lakes are often called the nation’s third coast, and the past five years in the region have been the wettest on record. While the lakes don’t exactly correlate to rising sea levels, Chicago now sits in just as precarious a position as oceanfront cities. Heavier rainfall and more frequent droughts are now causing extreme swings in the water levels of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River, wreaking havoc on the city and prompting urgent action to find a fix.

Climate change is having an increasingly marked effect on Chicago, which sits right along Lake Michigan and is dissected by the Chicago River. CNBC highlights the growing risks the city faces as one that is so vulnerable to its surrounding water bodies. In the winter of 2020, Lake Michigan reached a record high in water level due to intense rains that caused the Chicago River to overflow into downtown. The rainfall was so severe that the city’s system for reversing flooding didn’t work because the water level of the lake was higher than that of the river. Experts say this wasn’t an isolated event.

On the other end of the spectrum, seven years before the storm, the water in Lake Michigan hit a record low due to a prolonged drought. This threatened Chicago’s water supply as well as shipping.

To mitigate the impacts of heightened water levels, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, following the 2020 flooding, installed concrete barriers along parts of Chicago’s shoreline. Additionally, a...

Lawsuit against the Lucas Museum to Proceed

2015-03-16T15:54:00-04:00

A lawsuit challenging plans for the Lucas museum along Chicago's lakefront can proceed, a federal judge ruled Thursday, leaving legal hurdles in place if the selected site remains between Soldier Field and McCormick Place. Friends of the Parks filed a lawsuit in November against the Chicago Park District and the city of Chicago over the museum plans, contending the proposed site near Lake Michigan violates the public trust.

The lawsuit asserts that proposed site for the Lucas Museum requires approval by the Illinois General Assembly, something contested by the Park District and the city who argue the museum will be provide public benefits. It was filed last year by the Friends of the Parks, who assert that since the site is made up of land that was reclaimed from a protected waterway, it should be preserved as an open space. The land was part of Lake Michigan until it was formed in the 1920s.

The noted filmmaker George Lucas selected Chicago for the location of his proposed museum last year. The director plans to fully-fund the project, which would contain paintings, photographs, illustration and films related to movie-making. The city offered 17 acres of lakefront property, assumedly in the hopes that, once built, the museum would serve as a tourist attraction. While the property is currently serving as a parking lot, according to the lawsuit, the planned development would restrict public access to the...

How the Lucas Museum Design Will Change Chicago's Lakefront - Rendering Reveals

2014-11-04T13:46:00-05:00

Yesterday, during a press conference at the Waldorf Astoria, Chinese architect Ma Yansong of MAD Architects unveiled his design concept for the future Lucas Museum of Narrative Arts and told reporters that his concept — a seven-story, dome-like structure that gently slopes towards a halo-like observation deck — represents a "new type of architecture." That may be an understatement.

Learn more about the design in the Museum's announcement.