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Join us for an uninvited Chicago Biennial installation consisting of scenarios depicting the absurdities of architectural practice/labor/work. We seek to expand the current conversation about architecture to include an actionable critique of the real, often tragic circumstances that precarious creative workers face on a daily basis. — - The Architecture Lobby
Alongside the official installations and programmed events, a host of uninvited and unofficial events have coalesced around the Chicago Architecture Biennial, the first major architecture biennial in the United States. One of the most promising comes from the Architecture Lobby, "an organization... View full entry
Housing – its affordability, accessibility, and form – is a key preoccupation of the Chicago Architecture Biennial. While not necessarily the core concern for most of the Biennial's participants, housing gets a significant share of the exhibition's floorspace.Several participants'... View full entry
Chicago is the alley capital of the country, with more than 1,900 miles of them within its borders. [...]
Instead of eliminating them, Chicago is reimagining its alleys. In 2006, Chicago became one of the first cities in the country to conduct a “green alley” program, resurfacing alleys to prevent runoff and decrease solar heat absorption. In the last several years, the Chicago Loop Association has been experimenting with alleys as social spaces, using them to host pop-up art events.
— wbez.org
I confess that I feel the sort of ambivalence toward the James R. Thompson Center as I did toward Prentice Women's Hospital: I do understand why people want to raze it, I don't find it pretty, I understand the functional problems.
But all the same, I believe the Thompson Center should be saved.
[...] Chicago remains full of examples of money and vision coming together to create wonderful buildings.
— chicagobusiness.com
Related Chicago preservation stories:Chicago's iconic Marina City could be headed for landmark statusPrentice Hospital Could Become Modern Architecture’s ‘Penn Station Moment’ View full entry
Marina City residents support landmark designation because it would help upgrade the complex's concrete exterior through the city's "Adopt a Landmark" zoning provision [...]
The measure lets developers build more floor space in return for funding improvements to official city landmarks.
Landmark status would allow the Commission on Chicago Landmarks to regulate changes to the exterior of Marina City
— chicagotribune.com
Marina City, aka "the corncobs," was given preliminary landmark status back in July. The designation is expected to become official in early 2016. View full entry
Stanley Tigerman, the Chicago architect whose 1977 conference, "The State of the Art of Architecture," became the namesake for the inaugural Chicago Architecture Biennial, has issued a statement effusively praising the Biennial's execution.Co-artistic directors of the Chicago Architecture... View full entry
For the first few seconds you’re blind in the darkness. Then a reflex forces your pupils wider and your photoreceptor rod cells become more sensitive, sending a neural signal that alerts you to four glowing cubes that seem to be floating in mid-air in front of your body. It takes another few... View full entry
But the very fact that this question takes such a polarized on-off form is a symptom of the way urban space in our day is being stretched on the rack of inequality, with capital either too-present or not present at all. And the questions of displacement...lurk somewhere on the horizon. — artnet News
On the eve of Chicago's first-ever Architecture Biennial, Ben Davis ties together three stories - the restored Chicago Art Expo, the spectacular gala benefit preview of Chicago artist Theaster Gates's new Stony Island Arts Bank and a battle over community control and school closings... View full entry
Opinions about the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art ranged from excitement to distaste as residents got their first chance to speak about the proposed addition to the lakefront at two public hearings this week. [...]
The Chicago Park District sponsored the hearings Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss museum plans for architecture, landscaping and traffic.
— chicagotribune.com
Previously on Archinect:George Lucas open to moving his museum to Los Angeles if Chicago isn't working outLucas museum faces lawsuit from Friends of the ParksHow the Lucas Museum Design Will Change Chicago's Lakefront - Rendering Reveals View full entry
The Chicago Biennial is set to launch this weekend with a flurry of events and exhibitions, including Archinect's live podcasting event Next Up. Alongside the Biennial’s programming are a slew of periphery events located around the city and spanning the spectrum of architectural topics. Near the... View full entry
Archinect is excited to announce the Chicago installment of our two-part live-podcasting series, Next Up, hosted in collaboration with the Chicago Architecture Biennial! Taking place on the Biennial's opening weekend, the (live!) marathon set of interviews, panels and discussions with Biennial... View full entry
No two people, let alone architects, perceive even the most frequented cities in the same way. How do designers experience their cities as locals? Archinect got in touch with Scott Durst, owner of Chicago-based seDURST, who shared a snappy list of go-to places where he likes to spend his... View full entry
Designed by Rafael Vinoly Architects, which also designed the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business in Hyde Park, the 792-unit building would be the first of three that Crescent Heights plans just south of the park. [...]
Crescent Heights has become one of the busiest apartment buyers in downtown Chicago, recently paying $126 million for a 298-unit apartment building in the South Loop. It also owns 160 rental condominiums in Walton on the Park, a Gold Coast high-rise.
— Chicago Real Estate Daily
More on development in Chicago:Obama Presidential Center competition attracts 140 firms, early 2016 selection date of architect expected to be delayedRequirements for affordable housing in Chicago under attack from developersIn Chicago, forming economically integrated suburbs is more complex than... View full entry
The [Barack Obama Foundation] said 99 of the [140] firms were based in the U.S. with 'many' from Chicago...The Foundation expects [to shortlist] fewer than 10 finalists, who will be asked to respond to the still-to-be-released 'Request for Proposals.'...A Foundation spokesman said that given the number of responses, 'we are reviewing' the self-imposed early 2016 deadline for President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle to select an architect. — Chicago Sun-Times
More about the Obama Presidential Center on Archinect:First big-name architects confirmed for Obama Presidential Center Coming soon: search for architect of Obama's presidential centerChicago will indeed be the home of the Obama Presidential CenterUniversity of Chicago will reportedly win race for... View full entry
Archinect's Architecture School Lecture Guide for Fall 2015Archinect's Get Lectured is ready for another school year. Get Lectured is an ongoing series where we feature a school's lecture series—and their snazzy posters—for the current term. Check back frequently to keep track of any... View full entry
