So, I'm thinking of moving to Chicago after this, my final year of graduate school. I don't know much about the firms in Chicago, except that there are a lot of corporate firms there. Can anyone give me any names of firms that are doing interesting work that are not corporate?
there are several threads regarding this issue already up here, and pretty much every thread involving chicago (aka 'king-sh$t-of-fu#k-mountain') turns into a battle over who is and who is not legit in this city... i would recomend reading some threads
Anyone interested in possible intern employment in downtown chicago on a couple very interesting midrise projects drop uncle evilplatypus an email. Looking for recent grads, some exp.
So, I've searched the other threads and it doesn't seem like anyone has ever posted who has worked with / works with Gang, Garofalo, or Ronan? I'm interested in working in Chicago next summer and am looking for some first hand knowledge on these offices. I like the work, I like the size, I generally heard good things, etc...
Anyone willing to give me some inside information?
How about Urban Lab and Wilkinson Blender, two others I have gained interest in but know little beyond the website?
i am gonna go out on a limb and say that those offices are like lots of other small deisgny offices... lots of hours and little pay. i only have second hand reports of this but come on. thats the way architecture is.
martin felsen from urban lab was a prof of mine in school... a very good guy, talented as well... but i remember a year or two ago he was getting many resumes a week and not even looking to hire at all... urbanlab would be tough to get into unless you know someone there...
dont konw anything at all about ronan or garafolo... but im going to imagine they too would be difficult to get into.... it tends to be the case with anywhere worth working for
the only garafalo project i've seen in person was that hideious installation in front of moca a couple years back. horribly executed peace of skater fodder.
Has Urban Lab ever done a real world project? I was under the impresion the principles were acedemic types and that the "lab" was like a pet project outside the classroom.
ah, a change of names has occured... but in preperation for what, i wonder?
hmmmmmmm
ps...
i dig urban labs place... it would be an awesome office space to work in. Plus, i think we should be applauding Felsen and Dunn for building their office in an area where it can have a significant positive impact on the surrounding area.
Ive heard from people working there that they get inquiries from the neighborhood all the time about how their work is coming... it has become a source of pride for many in the area... i know i always took my visiting friends past there.
I know of a small Chicago firm that will be looking to fill spots on a seasonal basis, ~ May through late Nov. It’s not exclusively an architectural firm, it’s more like a results-oriented thinktank focused on strategy design and development but we’re always looking for creative types. We have one architect on staff now, a designer, then a smattering of people in the chemical and engineering fields, etc. It’s a great team to work with, but FYI it’s mostly weekends and evenings. Experience working with a variety of media including grass and sand is preferred. There should be a couple interview sessions at UIC in the late spring.
They has been in chicago for more than 8 years already. But didn't finish much building/urban design. On the contrast, Gang studio got bigger and better. She have theory and built jobs.
I do feel gang studio is much more credible within the architectural world because of quantity and quality of their built work.
But once you speak with Felsen, Dunn, Gang & Schendel... I feel they have entirely different ambitions. UrbanLab is very much tied to thought, exploration, almost as if willfully ambivalent to architecture as built work.
Gang & Schendel focus on more of a design process toward a built form. It's entirely about the physical manifestation of an idea.
It's just different that people don't utilize some of the design strategies, (agent based modelling, etc.) that UrbanLab wants to explore. Where as Gang wants what the people that pay here to want want, a building. (Sorry for that sentence.)
The fact that Felsen did score a huge grant to buy a giant 5 axis milling machine is pretty rockin' i think. And so is Aqua. How do you compare?
Studio Gang Architects is seeking an architect with 3-5 years of experience. Candidate must have a B. Arch or M. Arch., experience with a variety of project types and scales, CAD and rendering skills. Only those with exceptional design talents need apply!
kind of cool...i have a choice of felsen, ronan and gang as studio profs next year, and garofalo was at our final reviews last week.
Seen a presentation by Gang, and their firm and philosophy seems very straightforward, ie. not too theoretical. their reasons for the look of Aqua, for example, are based on unit sizes, surrounding buildings, sunlight penetration, etc...yet, they still end up with groundbreaking architecture, that actually gets built. Gang joked that they had to buy a laser cutter when Aqua started getting organic like it is.
UrbanLab seems more theoretical, a lot into exploring the urban fabric, and also computer modeling, and the relation between the two. They seem to like inner city renovation projects, and, like most progressive firms they're getting into the Green movement. This is just what I've heard being around here for a couple years - no first-hand experience.
Garofalo's latest work is the Hyde Park Arts Center, but it's not done yet because they haven't had money to finish it.
43N88W asked about Wilkinson Blender... They have some nice projects, but I once had Richard Blender for studio at UIC, and I found him to be an egomaniacal prick. Other people I know who have dealt with him have expressed similar impressions.
since no one else knows ronan, i might as well just tell what i know. I've never worked with him, only took a class. It was a cool elective class that consisted of three students. It was unfortunate that I didn't have more time for it with studio and all.
i walked into his office, a sweet loft space, it had maybe 15 desks in there, probably more now...(this was fairly soon after they won the school in NY)... i dropped off my resume for kicks... anyway, the class was about material exploration, so we basically experimented with paper the entire semester... the results weren't amazing, but ronan's architectural focus definately shined through... you can tell by the way he picks anything up... one of those professors who hold things delicately and examines it everyway possible, like a surgeon with forceps...just pinching the item between his thumb and forefinger... at the beginning I was like, dude! it's just a paper cup!, but this was how he felt about things... he wanted to explore every aspect of tangibility. he brought in examples of how they've worked with various material manufacturers and products to get the look/feel they wanted...
if i had to venture a guess at what the office would be like, just a very meticulous office that wants to produce a well designed product, nothing too different about his approach, they just want to get it exactly right...
Dec 20, 06 9:23 am ·
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Chicago Firms?
So, I'm thinking of moving to Chicago after this, my final year of graduate school. I don't know much about the firms in Chicago, except that there are a lot of corporate firms there. Can anyone give me any names of firms that are doing interesting work that are not corporate?
there are several threads regarding this issue already up here, and pretty much every thread involving chicago (aka 'king-sh$t-of-fu#k-mountain') turns into a battle over who is and who is not legit in this city... i would recomend reading some threads
best of luck
Anyone interested in possible intern employment in downtown chicago on a couple very interesting midrise projects drop uncle evilplatypus an email. Looking for recent grads, some exp.
So, I've searched the other threads and it doesn't seem like anyone has ever posted who has worked with / works with Gang, Garofalo, or Ronan? I'm interested in working in Chicago next summer and am looking for some first hand knowledge on these offices. I like the work, I like the size, I generally heard good things, etc...
Anyone willing to give me some inside information?
How about Urban Lab and Wilkinson Blender, two others I have gained interest in but know little beyond the website?
Please email me.
come on, no one?
urban lab won the history channel future chicago smackdown, no?
they did... but based on the winners of the Los Angeles portion, i might be inclined to say that the best submittal may not always win.
i went to that history channel future chicago. Urbanlab was outstanding.
i am gonna go out on a limb and say that those offices are like lots of other small deisgny offices... lots of hours and little pay. i only have second hand reports of this but come on. thats the way architecture is.
martin felsen from urban lab was a prof of mine in school... a very good guy, talented as well... but i remember a year or two ago he was getting many resumes a week and not even looking to hire at all... urbanlab would be tough to get into unless you know someone there...
dont konw anything at all about ronan or garafolo... but im going to imagine they too would be difficult to get into.... it tends to be the case with anywhere worth working for
the only garafalo project i've seen in person was that hideious installation in front of moca a couple years back. horribly executed peace of skater fodder.
skaters are stakeholders too!
Has Urban Lab ever done a real world project? I was under the impresion the principles were acedemic types and that the "lab" was like a pet project outside the classroom.
I dont have the patience to sit through the flashy web wait on their site
i don't remember. but in i4design magazine, urbanlab's sustainable building was mentioned, along with other sustainable projects from chicago firm.
yea. i don't like flash either.
they did their office... approx. 34th & Morgan...
it has a garage door in the living room. how forward thinking...
didnt you get the 'edgy and hip architecture handbook'? im pretty sure garage doors are on pg. 37 at the bottom.
ah, a change of names has occured... but in preperation for what, i wonder?
hmmmmmmm
ps...
i dig urban labs place... it would be an awesome office space to work in. Plus, i think we should be applauding Felsen and Dunn for building their office in an area where it can have a significant positive impact on the surrounding area.
Ive heard from people working there that they get inquiries from the neighborhood all the time about how their work is coming... it has become a source of pride for many in the area... i know i always took my visiting friends past there.
I know of a small Chicago firm that will be looking to fill spots on a seasonal basis, ~ May through late Nov. It’s not exclusively an architectural firm, it’s more like a results-oriented thinktank focused on strategy design and development but we’re always looking for creative types. We have one architect on staff now, a designer, then a smattering of people in the chemical and engineering fields, etc. It’s a great team to work with, but FYI it’s mostly weekends and evenings. Experience working with a variety of media including grass and sand is preferred. There should be a couple interview sessions at UIC in the late spring.
When I was at UIC we had some pretty serious grass sessions let me tell you.
I've heard through the grapevine that Holabird + Root is hiring.
garage doors were edgy and hip in about 1992. the tyranny of fashion...
On Vado's Boards: Garage Door Free!
Urban Lab? Piece of joke. I think.
They has been in chicago for more than 8 years already. But didn't finish much building/urban design. On the contrast, Gang studio got bigger and better. She have theory and built jobs.
I wouldn't describe UrbanLab as a "piece of joke"
I do feel gang studio is much more credible within the architectural world because of quantity and quality of their built work.
But once you speak with Felsen, Dunn, Gang & Schendel... I feel they have entirely different ambitions. UrbanLab is very much tied to thought, exploration, almost as if willfully ambivalent to architecture as built work.
Gang & Schendel focus on more of a design process toward a built form. It's entirely about the physical manifestation of an idea.
It's just different that people don't utilize some of the design strategies, (agent based modelling, etc.) that UrbanLab wants to explore. Where as Gang wants what the people that pay here to want want, a building. (Sorry for that sentence.)
The fact that Felsen did score a huge grant to buy a giant 5 axis milling machine is pretty rockin' i think. And so is Aqua. How do you compare?
From their website. You better hurry!!!
Studio Gang Architects is seeking an architect with 3-5 years of experience. Candidate must have a B. Arch or M. Arch., experience with a variety of project types and scales, CAD and rendering skills. Only those with exceptional design talents need apply!
kind of cool...i have a choice of felsen, ronan and gang as studio profs next year, and garofalo was at our final reviews last week.
Seen a presentation by Gang, and their firm and philosophy seems very straightforward, ie. not too theoretical. their reasons for the look of Aqua, for example, are based on unit sizes, surrounding buildings, sunlight penetration, etc...yet, they still end up with groundbreaking architecture, that actually gets built. Gang joked that they had to buy a laser cutter when Aqua started getting organic like it is.
UrbanLab seems more theoretical, a lot into exploring the urban fabric, and also computer modeling, and the relation between the two. They seem to like inner city renovation projects, and, like most progressive firms they're getting into the Green movement. This is just what I've heard being around here for a couple years - no first-hand experience.
Garofalo's latest work is the Hyde Park Arts Center, but it's not done yet because they haven't had money to finish it.
Don't know anything about Ronan.
43N88W asked about Wilkinson Blender... They have some nice projects, but I once had Richard Blender for studio at UIC, and I found him to be an egomaniacal prick. Other people I know who have dealt with him have expressed similar impressions.
that job posting is for real by the way.
ah crap, i just looked up at your post 43n88w...
since no one else knows ronan, i might as well just tell what i know. I've never worked with him, only took a class. It was a cool elective class that consisted of three students. It was unfortunate that I didn't have more time for it with studio and all.
i walked into his office, a sweet loft space, it had maybe 15 desks in there, probably more now...(this was fairly soon after they won the school in NY)... i dropped off my resume for kicks... anyway, the class was about material exploration, so we basically experimented with paper the entire semester... the results weren't amazing, but ronan's architectural focus definately shined through... you can tell by the way he picks anything up... one of those professors who hold things delicately and examines it everyway possible, like a surgeon with forceps...just pinching the item between his thumb and forefinger... at the beginning I was like, dude! it's just a paper cup!, but this was how he felt about things... he wanted to explore every aspect of tangibility. he brought in examples of how they've worked with various material manufacturers and products to get the look/feel they wanted...
if i had to venture a guess at what the office would be like, just a very meticulous office that wants to produce a well designed product, nothing too different about his approach, they just want to get it exactly right...
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