Chicago Architecture Today

Web Poll

Up or Coming

A new state-of-the-art high-tech firehouses at 59th and State St. which is one of six such facilities recently designed for Mayor Daley's Neighborhood's Alive 21 program. These fire stations are also LEED certified.

In The News...

Local

LOCAL ARCHITECTURE'S UPCOMING SEASON

New mezzanine at Grand & State substation

CHICAGO SEPT 8, 2008-– If you had an opportunity to see any of China's iconic contemporary architecture during the 2008 summer games, you no doubt couldn't help but be impressed. While Chicago doesn't have an upcoming season of anticipated projects which would quite measure up to any of that, we do have a number of exciting developments to look forward to this season and beyond. Some of these new design/build projects will potentially have an immediate and lasting impact upon our urban environment, visually and functionally. Several are as follows:

The Grand/State CTA - Red Line Station. Work continues to progress on this vital transportation hub which services an estimated 8,000 patrons daily. The renovation will add over 2,000 sq. ft. of mezzanine space along with new granite floors and stairs, glazed wall tiles, new elevators & escalators, kiosks and more.
The Roosevelt Rd. Metra Station. Truly an overdue renovation project if their ever was one. This station is one the city's more strategic portals near Soldier Field and the Museum Campus. The old platforms have all but been replaced along with new heated shelters . Elevators are currently being installed with the rickety wooded pedestrian walkway to be made kindling next.
The Residences at Lakeshore East. Chicago's newest major neighborhood is in the midst of its final phase as it adds a number of single-family residences and retail spaces to ring the perimeter of its ventrally-positioned iconic park area. Additionally, Jeanne Gang's Aqua Tower sits to the west of this development and is sure to be an attention-grabbing part of the entire area.
Roosevelt Square. Driving through the circle one can see a noticeable section of construction framework and scaffolding rising from among the glut of structures in the south Loop. This new urban plan promises to bring new life and vitality to this section of Chicago's South Loop through the development of a "walkable" community of residences, retail, restaurants, entertainment and public space.
Carson Pirie Scott Store. As frustrating as it has been to have Sullivan's historic landmark work under wraps all year for restoration, its good to hear that interior spaces are being re-adapted and utilized for School of the Art Institute classes and a public gallery. Its ultimate success will no doubt be measured by the installation of a proposed food market in the lobby space.
Additional Projects of Note. Several other projects with high expectations moving toward conclusion which will command our attention are: Block 37 and 22 W. Washington CBS2 Studios, One Museum Park and the Blue Cross Blue Shield building vertical addition.

Darrell Jones

Additional stories in Archives.

Comments? Email us at comments@chicagoarchitecturetoday.com

Also in the news locally..

Solstice model shines brightly-Chicago Tribune

Sphere of influence: Big Red Ball Rolls into the city-Time Out Chicago

Art Institute of Chicago Addition to Open in 2009-Interior Design, NY

First Impressions of Kinzie Station Buildings Design-Sun-Times

Tour of Chicago chocolate shops satisfies anyone's sweet tooth

Chicago landmark showcased in Architectural Digest

The Chicago Spire Emerges Below Ground

National

OMAHA PROJECT PLACES GREEN EMPHASIS ON LOCATION

OMAHA, NE, SEPT 1, 2008-East Campus Realty, LLC has designs on making "green" more than a one trick (ur.. one building) pony. Midtown Crossing at Turner Park in Omaha, Nebraska is the latest "walkable" community development and is located near the city's central business district. The $300 million project which consists if more than 1 million square feet of residential, retail, restaurants and entertainment space focuses on its proximity to vital public resources like employers, shopping and transportation as its "true LEED benefit." Work is scheduled to begin in 2009.

Also in the news Nationally..

Skyline struggles to give Phoenix sense of identity-Phoenix

Stern pick incites debate over New Yale Designs-New Haven, CT

Alaska the last glacier : University of Alaska Museum North-Fairbanks

Wright's Taliesin showcases 'organic' architecture-Spring Green, WI

Adobe-box penthouse: Well, this tops all-Philadelphia

Architect: Unisys sign would mar Liberty Place -Philadelphia

Comments? Visit our Message board or

Email us at comments@chicagoarchitecturetoday.com

Additional stories in Archives

International

Iconic Tower Aims to Refine Columbia's Reputation

ROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS, JULY 22, 2008-According to the digital urban blog site, Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas (Office for Metropolitan Architecture) has designed one of several new high-rise buildings to be constructed over the next several years on the river Maas on the Wilhelminapier in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Referred to as a "vertical city," the towers will be comprised of house apartments, hotel rooms, offices, health club, restaurants, retail and parking space. This structure will top out at 135 meters. The other buildings have been named for American cities with one named "The Chicago." Construction is to begin this year and is scheduled for completion in 2011.

Also in the news Internationally..

Skyline Gets Facelift Ahead of Asian Games-Wall Street Journal

CCTV, the new state television headquarters, will...-United Kingdom

Behind Beijing's new icons ...-China

The Only Way is Up (Skyscraper Revival)-Moscow, Russia

Mile High Tower scrapes the sky-Melbourne Herald Sun - Australia

Hexagons, teardrops and hubris=Financial Times - London

Top architects help to reshape Poland's capital city of Warsaw

Chinese Building On Success=CNBC European Business - London

Foreign Architects Rush into India-Urban Architecture India

Comments? Visit our Message board or

Email us at comments@chicagoarchitecturetoday.com

Additional stories in Archives...

Firm Foundation

Faro Monarca Tower

Medellin, Colombia

YAS Architecture, LLC specializes in architecture, interior design and urban design and within those program parameters, divides its work equally between both public and private sectors. With over 18 years of experience in the upper echelons of Chicagoland’s professional design community, YAS Architecture, LLC has developed a reputation for innovation and bold movements into contemporary interpretations of today’s design challenges.

Click here for the full profile and others on our

Firm Foundations Page.

Quad Connection

This month Chicago Architecture Today highlights

University of Southern California

School of Architecture

USC

School of Architecture

Watt Hall 204

Los Angeles, CA 90089-0291

www.arch.usc.edu

The University of Southern California, School of Architecture is a school that focuses on creating well rounded architecture students, with a focus on design. The school houses 500 undergraduate students and 80 graduate students whose creativity and ambitions make the architecture department unique amongst other schools. The school supports both a 5 year, and 4-year program, which follows the semester system. The 5-year program is the more favored one and you leave the school with a professional degree. Being located in Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States, gives USC students the resources they need for inspiration by using Los Angeles as their playground for exploration.

More on USC and other area architectural institutions of higher learning in

Quad Connection

On Location: Chicago

Sundance Channel has a new reality series titled "Architecture School" airing Wednesday's on various days at various times through Oct. 1, 2008.

Nine students in Tulane’s URBANbuild program must come up with a design for an affordable, 1,200-square-foot house, but only one design will be chosen. A couple of interesting twists accompany this solid premise: Though their projects are critiqued by local housing experts and architects, the students themselves pick which design will get built. And they have to build the house themselves. Check the Sundance Channel website for specific airing info.

* * *

According to reelchicago.com, not much is shakin' these days around town in the way of major motion picture shooting. Though On Location: Chicago did notice the the now familiar production signs posted in spots along Lake Street near Wacker Drive this past Friday. It turned out to be MoxiePictures here shooting commercials for Harris Bank. Also, the recently foreign-purchased Anheuser-Busch company has been running a nice local commercial out for Budweiser showing various venues around town.

Batman and Commissioner Gordon atop a roof

In light of the record-breaking opening showing of The Dark Knight, it may not be a stretch to say that no movie has done more for Chicago's image recently since the Blues Brothers. Review after review has lauded the city's architecture on near full display throughout the spectacularly-shot film. On another note, its also been a treat to hear the local's in area theaters ooh-ing and ahh-ing over seeing places familiar to them in the movie. One of the film's pleasant surprises is the discovery of all the additional local venues where either shooting occurred or where it was utilized in conjunction with computer-generated effects to simulate live action at that venue. Case in point was the Millennium Park Metra Station where the Batcycle is seen ripping through the remodeled commuter station. Certainly, having a local connection along with an inherent love for this city has no doubt paid dividends for producer Christopher Nolan, Batman and yes, Chicago.

The Wanted, staring Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman offers local moviegoers one of this season's best opportunities to gawk at all the familiar places and structures which comprise Chicago's downtown area. Scenes shot in the Financial district, the Loop and of the obligatory car chase on Lower Wacker are all quite prominent. Stunning night close-up shots of downtown buildings by air are a nice touch. Notably, the Carbide and Carbon building and its gold-tipped top and which now houses the Hard Rock hotel figures prominently in the film. By the way, when you see a castle-like fortress which appears to be situated off the bank somewhere along the Chicago river, don't expend any energy trying to figure out where it is cause it isn't.