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Design
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Find the latest in
design-related news around the Chicagoland area from various
media outlets right here at Local Design News. Items include
proposed projects, current projects, awards and honors,
design competitions and other design news of professional
interest. Check out what's happening in fields such as
commercial, civic, residential, landscape, academic,
industrial and religious architectural design.
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Additional
COMMERCIAL DESIGN NEWS
The fall
architecture season preview: The spaces in between
buildings, not eye ...
Chicago
Tribune (blog)
Chicago architect John
Ronan designed this charter high school as a companion
building to his award-winning Gary Comer Youth Center in the
gritty Greater ...
Park
District moves forward with office renovation in Glenview
By By LYNNE
STIEFEL
lstiefel@pioneerlocal.com
Designed by Chicago
architect Bert Charles Hubbard, the building was constructed
in 1928 for $35000. The money was raised by the Glenview
Civic Association, which purchased the site in 1923. It was
used for village offices, ...
BLACK ENSEMBLE THEATER TO
BREAK GROUND ON NEW $16 MILLION
PERFORMANCE ARTS AND
CULTURAL FACILITY
CHICAGO (August 26, 2010) —
The Black Ensemble Theater will mark the groundbreaking of
its new $16 million performance arts and cultural facility,
the Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center, at 4440 N. Clark
Street, Sept. 10, at 2 p.m. The ceremony, which is open to
the public, will feature performances from popular Black
Ensemble productions and include remarks from founder and
executive director Jackie Taylor. Invited guests include:
Governor Pat Quinn, Mayor Richard M. Daley, and Alderman
Eugene Schulter. Actor Harry Lennix will chair the
ceremony.
“This is an exciting time in
our history, as a new building will help to facilitate the
resurgence of the theater as an authentic space where a
great people can exist and thrive with autonomy while
tearing down barriers and building bridges through
storytelling,” Taylor said. “Our Board of Directors and
capital campaign committee have been diligent in raising
more than 80 percent of the funds needed to build the Black
Ensemble Theater Cultural Center and we look forward to
working with our patrons, community leaders and supporters
to secure the $3 million needed to complete this important
project.”
Chicago native Taylor founded
the Black Ensemble Theater in 1976 with a mission to
eradicate racism, merging her roles as actress and educator
to build awareness and foster greater understanding of the
African-American contribution to the cultural fabric of
American history through theater. This charge is realized
through outstanding, award-winning productions that attract
highly diverse racial audiences as well as effective
educational outreach programming that reaches more than
10,000 youth each year.
“For years, the Black Ensemble
Theatre has provided artistic programming and educational
outreach to help better the lives of African American
Youth,” Governor Pat Quinn said. “The new Center will
provide yet another source of activities – such as critical
afterschool programs – to motivate children and teens in a
positive direction.”
For the past 24 years, the
Black Ensemble Theater has been headquartered in Chicago’s
diverse Uptown community at the Uptown Center Hull House on
North Beacon Street. As the theater thrived, receiving
increased national acclaim and a growing fan base worldwide,
a need for a stand-alone, singularly affiliated space
emerged. At its new location, the Black Ensemble Theater
Cultural Center will be positioned to accommodate
larger-scale productions, bigger audiences and a wider range
of programming, and it is expected to increase the economic
growth of the community, attracting more businesses, patrons
and institutions to the area.
“I would like to congratulate
Jackie Taylor and the Black Ensemble Theater on the ground
breaking of their new facilities. For more than 30 years,
the Black Ensemble Theater group has been a major
contributor to Chicago's theater community and is known
nationwide for their stage productions that highlight
African American culture. This new expanded facility will
allow the group to reach even further artistic heights while
maintaining its place as a vehicle for all patrons of the
arts to appreciate, understand and enjoy the African
American experience,” said Mayor Richard M. Daley.
“We are honored that the Black
Ensemble Theater chose our community to create their
permanent home and I know that they are going to see
continued support from the residents of the 47th Ward,” said
Alderman Eugene Schulter. “I believe that the Black
Ensemble Theater Cultural Center is going to provide a
strong foundation for the ongoing economic development of
the Ravenswood neighborhood, helping to make Clark Street a
viable option for new businesses. In addition, as we’ve
seen with the other cultural centers, the construction of
this facility and the programs to be offered are going to
create more jobs for Chicago residents.”
With its expanded and enhanced
capabilities, the Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center is
designed to engage the community and encourage more
holistic, positive critical thought about how
African-Americans are seen and presented. The new facility
will include amenities such as:
-
300-seat main stage
theater (double the capacity of the current venue)
-
150-seat stage to serve
niche audiences and smaller-scale productions
-
Classroom space that can
be used by the community
-
Rehearsal hall and dance
studio that will feature scene, costume and wardrobe
rooms
-
Seven (7) dressing rooms
-
Work space for musicians
-
Expanded front lobby space
with two concession areas
-
Indoor parking garage
John Morris
Architects/Planners, a renowned architect in the theater
community, designed the Black Ensemble Theater Cultural
Center. Morris has led or been a part of design teams for
high-caliber performance art buildings such as the
Steppenwolf Theatre Company; Raven Theatre; Old Town School
of Folk Music; Northlight Theatre; Lookingglass Theatre
Company; and Beverly Arts Center. A mix of new and existing
construction, the Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center
will tout many cost- and energy-saving features through the
incorporation of recycled products, regional materials,
renewable resources, water-conserving plumbing technologies
and a green roof featuring indigenous plants (LEED
certification will be pursued and is expected to be
achieved.) Furthermore, the Center is located near public
transportation to promote efficient travel and promote
access for all.
Said John Morris, “The new
Center will provide an intimate, club-like venue with the
acoustical ‘chops’ to handle the high-energy, R&B production
numbers that accompany Black Ensemble’s captivating work.
The studio-caliber acoustics, perfect sightlines and full
production facilities will set them apart from other
venues.”
The Black Ensemble Theater has
been described as a local cornerstone, a national treasure
and an international success. The Black Ensemble Theater
Cultural Center will mark a significant moment in the Black
Ensemble Theater’s history as well as that of American
Theater. Taking its place alongside such institutions as
the historic Apollo Theater in New York, Freedom Theatre in
Philadelphia, Karamu House in Cleveland and The Ensemble
Theater in Houston, the Black Ensemble Theater Cultural
Center will be the first new dedicated African American
Theater to open in decades. For more information on the
Black Ensemble Theater or the new Black Ensemble Theater
Cultural Center, please visit
www.blackensembletheater.org or call Jackie Taylor at
773-769-1540.
e-architect.co.uk
Greenway Self-Park, Chicago
Parking Garage, Building design by HOK - Photos, Building,
New Illinois Architecture, Architect, USA - Greenway
Self-Park ...
AMC RANDHURST-12 TO BE
FIRST LEED CERTIFIED THEATRE
Mt. Prospect, IL (Vocus/PRWEB
) May 15, 2010 -- The redevelopment of Randhurst Mall
continues with the ground breaking for the new state of the
art AMC Randhurst-12. This follows the successful openings
of Jersey Mike’s, Five Guys, Chipotle Mexican Grill and T
Mobile and the announcements of the lease signings of The
Sports Authority, Pei Wei Asian Diner, PNC Bank, PetSmart,
and The Hampton Inn.
“There is a resurgence in the Chicago real estate market and
the successful development of Randhurst Village is a perfect
example,” according to Brett Hutchens, President, Casto
Southeast Realty Services LLC. Mr. Hutchens added, “For many
years Randhurst was a shopping and entertainment destination
for the northwest suburbs and the redevelopment will return
it to that status.”
For many years Randhurst was a shopping and entertainment
destination for the northwest suburbs and the redevelopment
will return it to that status.
The public is invited to the groundbreaking ceremony which
will occur at 9:00 am, Tuesday, May 18th at the site of the
new theatre. Representatives from AMC Theatres, Casto, JP
Morgan and the Village of Mt. Prospect will be in
attendance. The approximately 2,000 seat theatre will anchor
the Mainstreet section of Randhurst Village and will replace
the existing 16-plex at Randhurst.
AMC Randhurst-12 will be the company’s first LEED certified
theatre incorporating several elements of environmentally
sustainable design ranging from the use of locally sourced
materials for construction, energy conservation through the
use of efficient mechanical systems with no harmful
discharge of CFCs into the environment, and water
conservation through the use of low-flow fixtures among
several other sustainable initiatives.
AMC Randhurst-12 will be representative of AMC’s newest
state of the art theatre design and will include features
such as:
Comfortable lounge-style seating areas in each auditorium
for families and groups to enjoy their entertainment
experience;
State-of-the-art 4K digital projection in all auditoriums
including 3D screens and live broadcast capabilities in
several auditoriums.
One auditorium with a special, large-format screen
presentation designed with the latest in digital projection
and an upgraded sound system; and
Innovations in concession design offering a retail
environment for the guest with an extensive variety of
customized food and beverage choices.
AMC Randhurst-12 is expected to open to the public in May
2011.
Daily Herald
Employees at Schaumburg's
new Crate & Barrel store are finishing preparations for
Thursday's opening, the first of two long-awaited ...
CIVIC DESIGN NEWS
architectmagazine.com
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill
Architecture, known for net-zero and positive-energy
designs, is helping its hometown of Chicago meet
carbon-reduction goals.
Making no
little windshield art: Daniel Burnham featured on this
year's city ...
Chicago
Tribune (blog)
In the background is a
diagram from the 1909 "Plan of Chicago," which Burnham
co-authored with Chicago architect Edward Bennett. ...
What might
have been at the CTA's revamped Belmont and Fullerton
stations
Chicago
Tribune (blog)
Chicago's architectural history is full of great unbuilt
designs, like Eliel Saarinen's influential second-place
design in the Chicago Tribune Tower ...
New
Hellenic museum to rise in Greektown
Chicago
Tribune
... which in Chicago,
unless you're over 50 stories, just doesn't happen," he
said. "It gives an opportunity to have three distinct faces
of architecture, ...
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RESIDENTIAL DESIGN NEWS
A RESIDENCE OF VISUAL
SURPRISES IN LINCOLN PARK
CHICAGO
-- What do you get when you combine a seasoned
architect with an old friend of means looking to spare no
expense for his dream single-family residence? Well, in the
case of the contemporary residence at 1959 Howe Street
designed for a former University of Illinois classmate and
retired marketing giant Leo Burnett executive you get a
quite a showstopper.
Amidst the traditional and
contemporary-styled mansions of Lincoln Park, Chicago-based
architect Thomas Hickey of Thomas Hickey & Associates has
put his 45-year experience (including a 22-year association
with Harry Weese) to work to push the extremes of creative
expression. The result is a uniquely exceptional project
which integrates a traditional façade which transitions via
an open courtyard to a contemporary dwelling which only
begins a discovery of spaces and geometric forms which are
visual delights.
In the design world today, it
is a difficult task to find a structure that successfully
mixes a historical style with today’s contemporary forms.
However, at the Howe Street residence one will see just
that. Architect Thomas Hickey in an effort to maintain a bit
of the historical architectural character of the
neighborhood was able to preserve the original 1890’s
English workers cottage style by keeping the existing
cottage façade and redesigning it as an entry courtyard,
placing his latest contemporary expression behind it.
Additionally, a residence on the lot north of the building
was torn down in order to create a garden area that reflects
a suburban-like front yard. The rear consists of garden
space and garage/studio loft that utilizes skylights to
maximize natural light. On the interior, Hickey surprises
with a mix of materials from wood to glass to steel, a mix
of geometry from trapezoids to curvular and a range of color
which all lend toward a lively, playful environment.
The Howe St. project is a
three-story eco-friendly residence comprised of solar panels
that heat the water and makes use of an elaborately designed
skylight to trap heat and circulate warm air throughout the
house in the winter. An atrium stair curves along the wall
and a glass bridge allows light to penetrate through from
the glass block and skylights above. As for the sense of
space, it feels very spacious and free. Upper rooms have
walls with square cut-outs, acting as interior windows to
open towards the atrium for additional light, ventilation
and views of the living area and kitchen. Several of these
views result in a telescopic effect providing sightlines
from one end of the house to the other. The master bedroom
has a two-story high ceiling, a loft, and access to a
solarium and the roof deck. The 10’ rooftop cube creates a
chimney effect as an effective exhaust system and also
allows one to feel and view outside even in nature’s
un-permitting weather.
With such limited square
footage to work with, Thomas Hickey was able to successfully
open up the space to be comprised of everything a single
family suburban home can offer and more. With killer views
at the rooftop, along with its quiet, friendly neighborhood,
there is nothing one can ask for more in the city. The only
real challenge is for the residents to compliment this
inviting space as they fill it up with personal expressions
which make it their own. From all appearances, this seminal
project is already well on its way to all-around
impressiveness.
Prefab
housing seeks a home in the city
Chicago
Tribune
Architect Michelle
Kaufmann, who designed a prefab home on display at the
Museum of Science and Industry, said that working in Chicago
— even on an exhibit ...
Architect
captures the shape of change
Magazine.nd.edu
If you doubt that, consider
the Chicago architect's design to update the Manilow House
in rural Wisconsin, pictured here. Oh, sure, the gabled main
house and red-barn wing of the family’s summer home may look
like a conventional Midwestern farm house at first glance.
Yet there’s certainly nothing traditional about that
titanium-clad roof oozing over and around the home.
Glass tower
moves ahead in Oak Park despite criticism
Chicago
Breaking News
The buildings this replaces
are no items of architectural beauty. While I'm not sure Oak
Park needs more housing and retail space, it does need
another hotel. Even after this thing gets built, Oak Park
will still retain its Wright ...
Chicago
Neighborhood Development Awards Presented
Chicago
Tribune
CHICAGO, IL – Chicago's community development world
celebrated its present and .... Richard H. Driehaus
Foundation Award for Architectural Excellence in ...
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Additional
LANDSCAPE DESIGN NEWS
Trees cut
down at Federal Center, but it's not ...
Cityscapes
Blog
Chicago architect T.
Gunny Harboe and landscape architect Carol Yetkin have
worked with the GSA to determine what was originally in the
planting beds. "We are faithfully recreating something that
is applicable to today's use of the ...
Riverside
wins award for architecture, landscape
Suburban Life
Publications
Each of Illinois' six
chapters — Chicago, Eastern Illinois, Northeast Illinois,
Northern Illinois, Central Illinois and Southern Illinois —
chose several ...
ACADEMIC DESIGN NEWS
New Trier -
Architecture for Humanity Chicago - A regional chapter ...
www.afh-chicago.org
Designs resulted from a May
schematic design charrette Architecture for Humanity –
Chicago hosted in conjunction with New Trier Township High
School, ...
LINCOLN HALL EARNS LEED
GOLD
UIC's latest major
construction project, the renovation of Lincoln Hall, was
expected to earn Silver certification under the US Green
Building Council's LEED-NC rating system. Due to factors
like the building's energy- and resource-efficient design,
use of environmentally friendly materials, and the
surrounding landscape's water conservation program, the
project was able to earn a Gold certification, making it one
of only ten Gold projects in Chicago under the same LEED-NC
(New Construction) rating system. Read more about Lincoln
Hall's Green Features at
http://sustainability.uic.edu/initiatives/buildings.html.
An eye on
architectural photography; School of Art Institute show
installed
Chicago
Tribune (blog)
It's being mounted by
the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and features work
by students in the school's summer architectural photography
class. ...
Design Essay: Renovating
mid-Century Modern Libraries
Mark C. Hirons
| Contract |
June 8, 2010
The University of Chicago’s
Law School campus, designed in 1958 by Eero Saarinen, is a
quintessential piece of mid-Century Modern architecture. In
15 years of working with the Law School and the university,
OWP/P | Cannon Design respected the functional and Modernist
aesthetic and built upon the strength of Saarinen’s original
design with numerous renovations and additions. The redesign
modernized and enhanced spaces to improve the quality of the
student experience, better support 21st century learning
methodologies and completely replace and upgrade the campus’
infrastructure to improve energy efficiency and technology.
Ultimately in rehabilitating and recapitalizing the campus,
OWP/P /Cannon Design served as stewards to Saarinen’s
architectural vision for this prestigious law school.
Elevating the Student Experience
Throughout renovations of
classroom, auditorium, lounge, and library environments the
various deans of the law school understood the importance of
elevating the student experience. Often previously perceived
as a cold, somewhat sterile setting indicative of many
mid-Century Modernist buildings, the goal of making these
spaces feel engaging and expressing the highest level of
quality was essential.
Within the classroom wing, a
new concourse was created to provide supporting learning
spaces just outside seminar rooms and provide accessibility
to all. Acoustical wood panels were incorporated to enhance
the acoustics and aesthetic quality of the spaces and create
a sense of warmth. The auditorium was transformed into a
more flexible, accessible space that now also serves as a
large classroom with custom wood/upholstered seating with
power/data access, writing surfaces, microphones for
interaction, and one of favorite student features, cup
holders.
Within the library, the
student services offices were integrated into a single suite
to provide students a single point to access all
administrative resources needed during their term in law
school, thus streamlining the student’s experience. This
space was made accessible by means of a new stair within the
reading room, which acts as a centerpiece for student
circulation and activity. By relocating up to 30 percent of
the book collection to an automated robotic retrieval book
system on campus, the library gained significant area to
support various student study spaces including, private
carrels, quiet individual/team conference rooms, open
collaborative custom study tables, lounge setting, and a
media lounge. Read more at:
http://www.contractdesign.com/contract/design/Design-Essay-Renova-2119.s...
U. of C. to explore its right brain
Chicago
Tribune
May 7, 2010 ... The
University of Chicago is well-known for its impressive
history of producing prize-winning economists,
scientists and purveyors of ...
New Austin
school breaks the mold
Chicago
Tribune
The architecture provides order amid urban chaos, as does an
innovative work-study program that places students in
clerical and entry-level jobs at law ...
New Chicago
Campus Reflects the Adler School Social Vision: Social ...
PR Web
The Chicago architectural firm OWP/P Cannon Design created
the campus design after receiving input a broad array of
campus constituents, including students, ...
Master plan
in works as Eastern plans for future
The
Daily Eastern News
Loebl, Schlossman and Hackl, a
Chicago-based architecture, planning and interiors firm,
will work with the university on the assessments. "This is
the same group we worked with back in 1999 on the first
iteration of the master plan," ...
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Additional
ADDITIONAL DESIGN NEWS
Chicago-based firms named finalists for $700M project in
China
REjournals.com
(blog)
The recently-formed
Brininstool, Kerwin and Lynch (“BKL”), the Chicago-based
architectural firm, is among two finalists selected to
design a significant ...
Cityscapes:
Abandoning high-rise plans, Fourth Presbyterian ready ...
By
Chicago Tribune Blog
Who is the architect doing the
addition? Seems strange not to include this info. BK: As the
story says, it's the Chicago office of Gensler. Posted by:
Seth | August 16, 2010 at 10:36 PM. For once, couldn't you
have said "one of the ...
Changing
the World, One Design at a Time
Voice of
America
With degrees in
architecture and product design, Pilloton started to make
'green' furniture in Chicago. She soon recognized that she
wouldn't be able to ...
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