LiG, i hadnt been there in about 6 months, and the transformation is mind blowing. With crown completely restored and gorgeous, Wishnik now looks amazing, and both Alumni and Perlstein are set for major renovations.
Plus, the south side of campus has been transformed into small incubator labortories for tech startups, so those buildings have all been renovated (all mies buildings as well) and look fantastic as well.
THEN, the new mixed income development on the sw corner of 35th and state has been completed. And for all my ranting and raving about the demons withing single developments of that size, it really adds a lot to the strip, and the buildings, though not masterpieces, are at least thoughtfully varied... at least they look like several people COULD have participated.
It really is remarkable how much an impact IIT is having on the surrounding area... and its about time its a positive one
the renovations are truly mindblowing... it's is amazing what some heavy scraping and black paint can do to those bldg's.
i remember vividly the day i came home from work and saw crown's bare shoulder peaking out from the white sheets and scaffolding. i was affected deeply. I had no idea what a difference it would make. I'm happy that the other buildings on campus are getting the same treatment with similar results. If you haven't seen renovated Crown, it's worth the visit. (but with jahn and rem nearby, i'm sure you've all been good boy and girl architects and visited since it happened, right?)
Last time I was down there, Crown was a mess and the McCormick Center was a big hole in the ground. Hopefully I'll get back down there soon and check out what's been happening.
Nice article... I'm working on three transitional housing projects here in NYC that have very similar programs and goals as the prize winner. I think I'll forward the article to a few people in my office.
Landon Bone Baker does a lot of that sort of work. I admire them greatly as they are one of very, very few TRULY socially conscious firms. They were my ideal firm when i graduated, unfortunately they weren't hiring at the time... but i still think they are great, even though i dont always agree with their aesthetic...
as for aqua, how are those beautiful curves set against the strict grid glass not impressive!
Well, if you ever feel like coming to NYC, my own firm does tons of non-profit work similar to the Landon Bone Baker project (in addition to a lot of educational, transit, and infrastructure projects), and we can't hire people fast enough right now.
I dont have any images of it but Studio/Gang recently completed a building for the SOS Children's Village I think on Chicago's southside but not for sure. If you go to their website (www.studiogang.net), they have recently updated images of that project being completed in September of last year. It's a very interesting little building. But like I said, I'm not sure of the project's exact location. Anyone know any more of the bldg. I'm talkin about?
i always loved that building from LSD Poz - aqua is a modern more dynamic version simply because we can do it now, Schwartz might have if he had the budgets and ability to.
lletdown - do you know if Aqua is going to do anything at street level, whereever that may be, to enliving the area? Its so depressing back there. i used to work in Illinois Center - It was like working in the Death Star with a TGI Fridays in it.
lakeshore east development plan - hard to believe this is built out already - 10 years ago I saw it in college and thought, my ass, that will take 20 years.
yeah, the ground floor will almost have to be all elevators. besides, being so narrow it will fall over.
btw what do you guys think is the most interesting office in chicago right now? don't say studio gang or garafalo, and please don't ask me to search the archives.
Garafalo has never been interesting. I'd say by far Bryninstool Lynch or Kreuk & Sexton. Theres another Brynenstool firm over by Franklin and Chicago - cant rember.
BTW im dislexic and a lazy typer so i dont want to hear about my spelling. i had enough trouble in 5th grade with it. You want to talk math punk?
absolutely ep, i totally agree... it really is mind blowing how huge that hole is. its almost 100' deep as well... i think about 75'?
as for most interesting offices in chicago, i have to disagree... B/Lynch and K/S are good, but not nearly as interesting or progressive in my mind as Gang. Studio gang gets a lot of talk because they are actually doing the most interesting buildings in the city... i believe they deserve the respect.
John Ronan's recent work is also really good. Those two would duke it out for top spot in my mind.
But thats not to slight either of the firms mentioned, they are both doing great stuff too. Especially K/S. I really, really like the new spertus institute.
This is by Brininstool Lynch - The St. Clair - Its such a simple clean elegant modernist building.
I know theyre not earth shattering but as a firm, to have been a reletively new upstart some 15 years or so ago, to crawl into the marketplace and execute some good modernist design on a large scale is comendable given the recent penchant for coupolas and such.
brininstool lynch is surprisingly good. and i know about john ronan; they do interesting work. any design/build firms? i'll have to check these annex 5 guys out.
You wont get it in Chicago Vado. Ronin, Gang et al all have the Tigerman connection going for them. Its a bizzare network of publicity and acedemics hyping each other up while securing teaching posts so they can subliment their incomes. Yes they do good work, and it's very novel in Gang's case, but I still see Chicago as a relatively clanish group of architects who need to get out there beyond Cook County more often. Some of it's the clients here to who only believe a good architect is the one Blair Kamin or Tigerman says so - thats the single biggest problem in my opinion because when big time developers decide to spend, the local avante garde cant usually deliver so they turn to NY, LA or the EU for designers they know about. I really think theres a tremendous lack of opportunity in this city despite so many commissions flying around.
It would be interesting to see what would happen if the Epstiens, Lowenbergs and McDonaughs - huge firms doing airports, intermodel facilities ets - had razar sharp design divisions - could that be a return to the big organization required to do big things? Currently firms like these are sort of the people behind the scenes making it happen, the repositories of the accumlated institutional knoweldge
Being a Chicago outsider (but finding this thread really interesting) I'm kind of surprised to hear that S. Tigerman still has that much sway in Chicago. I knew he started ArcheWorks but other than that I thought he kind of dropped off the map (at least internationally speaking) quite some time ago, other than a few recent(ish) projects by Tigerman McCurry Architects. Apparently this isn't the case though for the Chicago area?
Its not that he does any work or his firm is influential its that He personally is like a socialite that seems to have a big say in what firms or designers are promoted - this is a big deal because you have a lot of the high design client pool listening to this man. Its really creepy.
how exactly would one do that... just scan the local papers every morning? if you find something interesting post it?
ive always found blogs difficult to understand from an ethical/moral standpoint. If we merely report on whats being reported, we generate no new information and no original content... would one be able to site lynn beckers blog as a source? tis a conundrum...
and if so, do we comment on lynn becker commenting on blair kamin's comments on the architect's comments on the desire to do blah blah blah? and then, after that, does someone comment on our comments on lynn beckers comments on blair kamin's comments on the architect's comments? when does the madness end!?
Its called the myth of the new media - good at disseminating information but not generating it. Most news still comes from newspapers, of which there are less and less reporting sources. The dilema is even on TV, where cble news still gets most of it's sources from print - theres more media outlets than ever, yet less news reporting sources than ever.
Perspective - in WW1 there was a forign corespondant from every major city paper in America, many had whole staffs. In Iraqu only the Washington Post has a full time staff, the NYT has a rotating group, not perminant. But I can see Geraldo holding a gun in Mosul seemingly every other week.
Aggregate Chicago
Wow, that's pretty sharp... It will look spectacular in the spring when the grass and trees are green.
Nice to see IIT being restored to its former luster. Hopefully a new generation will see it and develop an appreciation for what Mies did down there.
FOOTLIK?
Sounds like a bad IKEA floormat concept.
That campus really is all about the trees that never really were.
LiG, i hadnt been there in about 6 months, and the transformation is mind blowing. With crown completely restored and gorgeous, Wishnik now looks amazing, and both Alumni and Perlstein are set for major renovations.
Plus, the south side of campus has been transformed into small incubator labortories for tech startups, so those buildings have all been renovated (all mies buildings as well) and look fantastic as well.
THEN, the new mixed income development on the sw corner of 35th and state has been completed. And for all my ranting and raving about the demons withing single developments of that size, it really adds a lot to the strip, and the buildings, though not masterpieces, are at least thoughtfully varied... at least they look like several people COULD have participated.
It really is remarkable how much an impact IIT is having on the surrounding area... and its about time its a positive one
the renovations are truly mindblowing... it's is amazing what some heavy scraping and black paint can do to those bldg's.
i remember vividly the day i came home from work and saw crown's bare shoulder peaking out from the white sheets and scaffolding. i was affected deeply. I had no idea what a difference it would make. I'm happy that the other buildings on campus are getting the same treatment with similar results. If you haven't seen renovated Crown, it's worth the visit. (but with jahn and rem nearby, i'm sure you've all been good boy and girl architects and visited since it happened, right?)
Last time I was down there, Crown was a mess and the McCormick Center was a big hole in the ground. Hopefully I'll get back down there soon and check out what's been happening.
wow lig, yeah youve missed a lot...
thought id post some more images of aqua... its looking really impressive and i can not wait to see it completed
I don't get what is so impressive about aqua? The slabs have curves, but then everything else is orthogonal...
what about this?
Nice article... I'm working on three transitional housing projects here in NYC that have very similar programs and goals as the prize winner. I think I'll forward the article to a few people in my office.
Landon Bone Baker does a lot of that sort of work. I admire them greatly as they are one of very, very few TRULY socially conscious firms. They were my ideal firm when i graduated, unfortunately they weren't hiring at the time... but i still think they are great, even though i dont always agree with their aesthetic...
as for aqua, how are those beautiful curves set against the strict grid glass not impressive!
Well, if you ever feel like coming to NYC, my own firm does tons of non-profit work similar to the Landon Bone Baker project (in addition to a lot of educational, transit, and infrastructure projects), and we can't hire people fast enough right now.
haha thanks for the heads up LiG!
I dont have any images of it but Studio/Gang recently completed a building for the SOS Children's Village I think on Chicago's southside but not for sure. If you go to their website (www.studiogang.net), they have recently updated images of that project being completed in September of last year. It's a very interesting little building. But like I said, I'm not sure of the project's exact location. Anyone know any more of the bldg. I'm talkin about?
man i really like this thing... did i mention that yet?
Aqua Kinda looks like Milton Schwartz's 320 West Oakdale Building after being gnawed-on by a giant bad architecture-hating Street Rat.
i always loved that building from LSD Poz - aqua is a modern more dynamic version simply because we can do it now, Schwartz might have if he had the budgets and ability to.
lletdown - do you know if Aqua is going to do anything at street level, whereever that may be, to enliving the area? Its so depressing back there. i used to work in Illinois Center - It was like working in the Death Star with a TGI Fridays in it.
UPDATE COURTESY OF ARCHIDOSE
lakeshore east development plan - hard to believe this is built out already - 10 years ago I saw it in college and thought, my ass, that will take 20 years.
link
since i posted an aqua tower construction update... heres one for the spire.
looks like they have reached the bottom the bottom of the basement level excavation...
the scale of this is already ridiculous...
yeah, the ground floor will almost have to be all elevators. besides, being so narrow it will fall over.
btw what do you guys think is the most interesting office in chicago right now? don't say studio gang or garafalo, and please don't ask me to search the archives.
Garafalo has never been interesting. I'd say by far Bryninstool Lynch or Kreuk & Sexton. Theres another Brynenstool firm over by Franklin and Chicago - cant rember.
BTW im dislexic and a lazy typer so i dont want to hear about my spelling. i had enough trouble in 5th grade with it. You want to talk math punk?
Lletdown - until you stand on the bridge the scale is elusive even in photo with ref objects. Thats a big crane down in that there hole.
absolutely ep, i totally agree... it really is mind blowing how huge that hole is. its almost 100' deep as well... i think about 75'?
as for most interesting offices in chicago, i have to disagree... B/Lynch and K/S are good, but not nearly as interesting or progressive in my mind as Gang. Studio gang gets a lot of talk because they are actually doing the most interesting buildings in the city... i believe they deserve the respect.
John Ronan's recent work is also really good. Those two would duke it out for top spot in my mind.
But thats not to slight either of the firms mentioned, they are both doing great stuff too. Especially K/S. I really, really like the new spertus institute.
some would say Murphy/Jhan does some pretty good buildings as well...
if you like the techy type stuff
no mention of this monster?
(i'm not responsible for any of that by the way)
I think its Teng Associates - The Waterview. I know this has been advertised since 2001. Even before the Trump tower.
top down construction - note the bracing
This is by Brininstool Lynch - The St. Clair - Its such a simple clean elegant modernist building.
I know theyre not earth shattering but as a firm, to have been a reletively new upstart some 15 years or so ago, to crawl into the marketplace and execute some good modernist design on a large scale is comendable given the recent penchant for coupolas and such.
Also- A. Epstein has an architecture design division - annex 5
They do some interesting stuff, although I dont know if it gets built. A. Epstein is a large construction services and design conglomerate
[url=http://www.annex5.net/#
]annex 5[/url]
A.Epstein
annex 5
brininstool lynch is surprisingly good. and i know about john ronan; they do interesting work. any design/build firms? i'll have to check these annex 5 guys out.
Lletdown - thats the core excavation - there will be 9 perimeter mega columns - theyve been poured last fall
I like Ronin's work as well but the southside drum corp building is way, way, way over rated imho.
i don't want earth shattering...
You wont get it in Chicago Vado. Ronin, Gang et al all have the Tigerman connection going for them. Its a bizzare network of publicity and acedemics hyping each other up while securing teaching posts so they can subliment their incomes. Yes they do good work, and it's very novel in Gang's case, but I still see Chicago as a relatively clanish group of architects who need to get out there beyond Cook County more often. Some of it's the clients here to who only believe a good architect is the one Blair Kamin or Tigerman says so - thats the single biggest problem in my opinion because when big time developers decide to spend, the local avante garde cant usually deliver so they turn to NY, LA or the EU for designers they know about. I really think theres a tremendous lack of opportunity in this city despite so many commissions flying around.
It would be interesting to see what would happen if the Epstiens, Lowenbergs and McDonaughs - huge firms doing airports, intermodel facilities ets - had razar sharp design divisions - could that be a return to the big organization required to do big things? Currently firms like these are sort of the people behind the scenes making it happen, the repositories of the accumlated institutional knoweldge
Maybe the $$ isnt there for high design. I mean if its such a hot market shouldnt there be more hot designers?
Being a Chicago outsider (but finding this thread really interesting) I'm kind of surprised to hear that S. Tigerman still has that much sway in Chicago. I knew he started ArcheWorks but other than that I thought he kind of dropped off the map (at least internationally speaking) quite some time ago, other than a few recent(ish) projects by Tigerman McCurry Architects. Apparently this isn't the case though for the Chicago area?
Its not that he does any work or his firm is influential its that He personally is like a socialite that seems to have a big say in what firms or designers are promoted - this is a big deal because you have a lot of the high design client pool listening to this man. Its really creepy.
thanks again lynn becker...
Im starting to think Chicago needs an architecture blog besides Lynn Becker.
Anyone read Curbed.Com? Good NYC architecture and real estate blog.
right on evil...
get it going, ill contribute
curbed is pretty good i agree... they have a curbed la and sf site too.
dude i dont even have the internet
how exactly would one do that... just scan the local papers every morning? if you find something interesting post it?
ive always found blogs difficult to understand from an ethical/moral standpoint. If we merely report on whats being reported, we generate no new information and no original content... would one be able to site lynn beckers blog as a source? tis a conundrum...
and if so, do we comment on lynn becker commenting on blair kamin's comments on the architect's comments on the desire to do blah blah blah? and then, after that, does someone comment on our comments on lynn beckers comments on blair kamin's comments on the architect's comments? when does the madness end!?
ya know... we pretty much have here the makings of a rival to lynn becker...
we just gotta keep posting news worthy events here and it serves the same purpose...
Its called the myth of the new media - good at disseminating information but not generating it. Most news still comes from newspapers, of which there are less and less reporting sources. The dilema is even on TV, where cble news still gets most of it's sources from print - theres more media outlets than ever, yet less news reporting sources than ever.
Perspective - in WW1 there was a forign corespondant from every major city paper in America, many had whole staffs. In Iraqu only the Washington Post has a full time staff, the NYT has a rotating group, not perminant. But I can see Geraldo holding a gun in Mosul seemingly every other week.
Damn You MLB!!!!
I hope the Sox bring back the 80s jersey
evil, the sox will be wearing the infamous '83 for a game this year... 25th anniversary or something...
...everyone i see wearing the "XRT" knock-off, I want to punch in the face...
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