Archinect - News

John LaPlante, engineer who helped fix Chicago’s “Z-Curve,” dies from COVID-19

2020-03-23T18:36:00-04:00

John LaPlante, a longtime city employee who served as the first commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation, died Saturday at 80 after testing positive for the novel coronavirus less than two weeks earlier. The son of a Cook County judge and the head librarian for the Chicago Public Schools, Mr. LaPlante was a “municipally minded” Roseland native who cared deeply about his city and its government, according to his daughter Leslie.

LaPlante worked for the City of Chicago for over 30 years, starting as an intern in the 1960s for what was then the city’s department of public works. He served as chief traffic engineer in the 1980s and as the city’s Transportation Commissioner in 1992.

John LaPlante. Image courtesy of T.Y. Lin International.

While working as the chief engineer, LaPlante helped to rework the infamous “Z curve” that plagued Lake Shore Drive for decades. Throughout his long career as a public servant, LaPlante worked to support and institute “Complete Streets” and other pedestrianization improvements in the built environment.

After retiring from the public sector, LaPlante worked for transportation engineers T.Y. Lin International for many years, retiring in 2015.

Dignified Obama Presidential Center design receives subtle updates

2019-10-28T14:56:00-04:00

A new set of renderings have been unveiled for the controversial Obama Presidential Center (OPC) designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects (TWBTA) on Chicago's South Side.

The latest views present a more transparent and animated complex that has been tweaked to address ongoing aesthetic and siting concerns raised by the local community, landscape preservationists, and the design media.

Aerial and ground level views of the proposed presidential center. Images courtesy of Obama Foundation.

Compared with previous iterations of the project, the latest designs feature taller, more slender proportions as well as a greater number of openings and more glass. A central, multi-story entry portal rising 88-feet now marks the main face of the center's 235-foot tower, for example, while a retooled corner entry garden is marked along the building's mass by a faceted carve. The white stone-wrapped tower is set to be surrounded by landscapes designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, In...

New book shares the untold work of African American architects from Chicago's South Side

2019-09-30T11:49:00-04:00

Chicago is recognized for its iconic architectural history, however, there are some areas of this beloved architectural haven that have not found a voice until now. Writer and photographer Lee Bey has documented buildings located in Chicago's South Side for several years. With the hopes to expose their architectural and cultural influence within the city Bey showcased these photographs in an exhibition, Southern Exposure, during the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial. Since then Bey has published the book "Southern Exposure: The Overlooked Architecture of Chicago’s South Side"

Recently Bey sat with Iker Gil of, director of MAS Studio to discuss the book and the project's origin. According to Bey he explains "The exhibition and the book grew up together [...] The idea was to not make the book an exhibition book, but to use the exhibition as inspiration and to go beyond the show and showcase more buildings and places, and have the text delve deeply into the South Side’s—and Chicago’s...

Madame President Goes ALL-In; A Conversation with NOMA President Kimberly Dowdell

2019-09-26T18:35:00-04:00

For Archinect Sessions episode #145, we are joined by Kimberly Dowdell, a principal at HOK in Chicago and the current President of the National Organization of Minority Architects. Our conversation covers Kimberly’s impressive path to success in architecture and the leadership role she’s taking in NOMA. We’ll also discuss the upcoming NOMA conference taking place in Brooklyn in a few weeks from October 14th-20th.

Listen to episode 145 of Archinect Sessions, “Madame President Goes ALL-In”.

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Shownotes:

19th Annual Dunlop GSD Lecture: Kimberly Dowdell

Hamad International Airport Passenger Terminal Complex, the first project by Kimberly Dowdell at HOK, 2008...

Students from Illinois Institute of Technology and HafenCity University explore Chicago and Hamburg's similarities

2019-09-26T18:00:00-04:00

A joint exhibition two years in-the-making brings together architecture students from Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) and HafenCity University of Hamburg to investigate the "analogous nature" of each school's host city. Stemming from a study abroad research project led by Adjunct Professor Martin Kläschen, the students from both institutions focus on the parallels of both locations and the unique history of these "sister cities."

Chicago's special bond with the city of Hamburg was inaugurated in 1994. Through these regional affiliations, the U.S metropolis has become an even more prominent global city rich with global education, cultural exchange, tourism, and international business opportunities.

Doppelgänger. Image courtesy of IIT via @ittarchitecture/Instagram

Research uncovered by both institutions led to naming the exhibition, Doppelgänger, a German term referring to an individual's "identical lookalike" fe...

Celebrating 140 years of women in architecture at the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

2019-09-24T08:00:00-04:00

Believe it or not, female representation and leadership within academic architectural institutions have come along way over the last 100 years. To highlight this progress, the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is paying homage to previous female graduates who earned a degree in architecture from the school, starting with Mary Louisa Page in 1878. Page was he first woman to graduate from architecture school in North America; The university began offering architecture courses a decade earlier in 1868.

Now, in 2019, the university aims to recognize the contributions its female graduates have made to the architectural profession by hosting a Women's Reunion and Symposium from September 26th to the 28th. In addition to the symposium, the school will host an exhibition titled Revealing Presence: Women in Architecture at the University of Illinois 1874-2019 that highlights the work created by some of these graduates.

School of Architecture alumni dig...

Archinect’s picks for the 2019 Chicago Architecture Biennial

2019-09-19T11:00:00-04:00

...And other such stories, the third edition of the Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB) kicks off this week in the Windy City, where over 80 contributors, including Theaster Gates, MASS Design Group, Forensic Architecture, Walter J. Hood, and others, are presenting a bevy of provocative and thoughtfully considered works that aim to re-situate architectural discourse firmly at the center of larger social justice-driven conversations that surround the built environment today.

The American Indian Center of Chicago's Land Acknowledgement. Courtesy of Chicago Architecture Biennial / Kendall McCaugherty, 2019.

The biennial, sponsored by British fossil fuel corporation BP and curated by CAB artistic director Yesomi Umolu, aims to present an “expansive and multi-faceted exploration of the field of architecture and the built environment globally,” according to a press release. The effort, developed by Umolu and co-curators Sepake Angiama and Paulo Tavares, centers on four realms of “research...

Here are 7 Chicago-based architecture firms currently hiring on Archinect Jobs

2019-09-18T13:30:00-04:00

As part of Archinect's Spotlight on Chicago, we've selected seven firms this week that are seeking to hire the right candidate to join their team in the Windy City. From LCM Architects to Solomon Cordwell Buenz, learn more about the firms that are hiring and the job positions they have currently listed on Archinect Jobs below.

LCM Architects seeks an Accessibility Specialist
LCM has immediate openings for in-house, full-time Accessibility Specialists at various levels of experience. Responsibilities include reviewing architectural/engineering plans and specifications for compliance with accessibility codes and standards as well as preparing detailed reports documenting observed deficiencies. Candidates must have a degree in architecture, engineering, construction management or related field. The following licenses, certifications and registrations considered a plus: licensed architect or engineer, Certified Access Specialist program (CASp), Registered Accessibility Specialist, Cer...

While boycotting Chicago Architecture Biennial, ArchiteXX debuts Windy City run of "Now What?!" exhibition

2019-09-17T19:45:00-04:00

Now What?! Advocacy, Activism & Alliances in American Architecture since 1968, an exhibition created by gender equity-focused activist group ArchiteXX highlighting the impact of social movements on architecture and design, is currently on view at the Co-Prosperity Sphere gallery in Chicago.

The exhibition, which opens amid the backdrop of the 2019 Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB), is being presented without any official affiliation with the festival "due to the financial support [CAB] receives from BP," according to an ArchiteXX statement. BP, a London-based fossil fuel corporation, is the main financial sponsor for this year's CAB, and has donated $1 million to in support of the biennial and its affiliated projects and programs, including CAB's student design competition.

Coded Plumbing Exhibition with QSAPP at Columbia University and the Van Alen Institute by QSPACE_Courtesy of QSPACE

Remarking upon the content of the exhibition itself, co-curator and ArchiteXX co-founder Lori...

Stanley Tigerman Rides Again: Architect's final sketches go on display in Chicago

2019-09-16T20:09:00-04:00

A collection of engrossing sketches created by the late architect Stanley Tigerman are currently on view at Chicago's Volume Gallery. The exhibition, titled Tigerman Rides Again, presents some of the final creative works produced by the iconoclastic architect who passed away in June of 2019.

According to exhibition text, "After a hiatus from his daily drawing practice, Stanley Tigerman picked up his pen and his moleskin notebook in January 2019. He began creating images that harkened back to his early paintings and moved away from the drawings he made to express, explore, and develop ideas on architecture throughout his over five decade-long practice. While he is known for his lively and often colorful collages of buildings and cartoons, these black and white drawings revert to another time. The works produce optical illusions and align with his paintings from the 60’s that reveal influences of his former Yale professor, Josef Albers."

Tigerman Rides Again. Images courtesy of Volum...

Barcelona's Barozzi/Veiga selected to masterplan Chicago's Art Institute campus

2019-09-13T17:00:00-04:00

Rondeau and the architects said key factors guiding their thinking include working to open the museum to the city on its western, Michigan Avenue side, to Grant Park and the lake on its eastern side and even to the train lines that bisect what is, at about 1 million square feet, the nation’s second largest art museum, behind the Met.

Over coming months, Barozzi/Veiga will get to work crafting "a five-year, 10-year, 15-year plan" for the campus that envisions a way of opening up the campus, as Art Institute of Chicago director tells The Chicago Tribune. The effort is fueled by nearly $70 million in donations from the museum's board.

Introducing Archinect's Spotlight on Chicago

2019-09-12T14:30:00-04:00

For the month of September, Archinect is placing a special Spotlight on Chicago, highlighting important regional projects—including the Chicago Architecture Biennial opening next week—profiling local firms and practitioners, and delving into some of the most pressing issues in academia, practice, and employment that are taking shape there.

In fact, the focus is already underway, as the recent articles below show:

Archinect’s new Spotlight series brings increased attention to a different regionally significant city every month in an effort to highlight some of the most interesting and diverse aspects of architecture academia, employment, and professional practice that...

How BIM and Augmented Reality aid the construction of new dorms at UIC

2019-09-11T18:11:00-04:00

As many architects know, throughout each phase of a project, finding ways to streamline production and efficiency is vital, as are improving cost efficiency and project delivery times. Several construction companies are combining their use of design platforms like BIM with augmented reality (AR) applications to help achieve these and other goals. The future of construction is changing as a result.

Chicago-based Pepper Construction, for example, combines BIM approaches and Microsoft HoloLens to help design and construct their projects. Most recently, the firm applied these techniques to the construction of a new housing and academic facility at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).

The construction team, in collaboration with UIC, American Campus Communities, and architects Solomon Cordwell Buenz, turned their job site into an integrative and interactive construction zone.

Harrison Hall Construction...

John Ronan's Frank Lloyd Wright visitor center in Oak Park hits preservation hurdles

2019-09-09T19:45:00-04:00

A proposed 8,000-square-foot visitors center designed by Chicago's John Ronan Architects has been dealt a set back following a recent Oak Park Historic Preservation Commission decision to unanimously deny the project's efforts to impact a pair of homes located next door to the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio.

In the effort to build the visitors center, the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust of Oak Park seeks to move or demolish portions of one home and the entirety of another house next door to the property. The two homes are located within the Frank Lloyd Wright Prairie School of Architecture Historic District and are therefore subject to significant preservation review, according to The Chicago Tribune.

Responding to the decision, the trust writes, “American architecture was born in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Oak Park studio. This is where the story begins. It is where Unity Temple, Robie House and all of the great Prairie houses were created. A new visitor and education center should expre...

Check out this time-lapse of RAMSA's 70-story Chicago tower

2019-09-06T19:15:00-04:00

A Robert A. M. Stern Architects-designed high-rise has recently reached completion. And with a timeline of almost three years, the project's realization has made it Chicago's tallest "strictly residential" skyscraper, with the program lacking hotel, office, and retail program types.

The structure tops out right at 836 feet. EarthCam has recently uploaded a video of the tower's erection:

Searching for a job opportunity in Chicago? Here are 9 architecture firms currently hiring on Archinect Jobs

2019-09-04T17:45:00-04:00

Chicago is teeming with architectural history. From iconic structures like the Willis Tower to the soon-to-be-completed Vista Tower designed by Studio Gang, the city has continuously positioned itself as a place filled with architectural innovation.

For this week's weekly job round up we've selected nine Chicago-based firms that are looking for the right candidate to join their team and be apart of Chicago's architectural future.

Leatop in Guangzhou Province, CN by FGP Atelier in collaboration with JAHN Architects. Image courtesy of FGP Atelier

Garnett Architects, LLC seeks an Architect/Project Director and Designer
The ideal candidate will be an outgoing and motivated professional with 5-7 years of experience. The open position requires a strong organizational skillset to assist with, and manage, small office design groups on a wide range of interior architectural projects in both Chicago and in cities outside the state. The applicant should be comfortable leading presentations and...

University organizes tour of notable African-American architects' work in Chicago

2019-08-07T10:45:00-04:00

Black architects are underrepresented yet have made considerable contributions to the Chicago cityscape. Join the Dean of the College of Architecture at Illinois Institute of Technology and tour notable projects by black architects on the south side of Chicago beginning with the Johnson Publishing building, the first and only downtown high rise project designed by a black architect. We will visit Ping Tom Memorial Park, First Church of Deliverance, 31st Street Harbor Building, and more

Detroit's Maurice Cox to lead Chicago's planning department

2019-07-19T13:12:00-04:00

New York native Maurice Cox is stepping down from his role this fall as Detroit's planning director. He's expected to take on a role as the top planning executive for the City of Chicago, a city official confirmed.

After four years at the helm of Detroit's planning department, Maurice Cox is headed to Chicago to serve as the city's top planning executive under the Windy City's new mayor, Lori Lightfoot.

A Brooklyn native, Cox is an architectural designer, educator, and former mayor of Charlottesville, Virginia. Prior to arriving in Detroit, Cox directed the Tulane University City Center, a community outreach and design-build institute housed within the Tulane School of Architecture. Prior to that role, Cox served as the design director for the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, D.C.

Cox told The Detroit News, "I feel strongly that Detroit's neighborhoods are receiving the attention that they deserve and people feel strongly that they have a road map for the quality of life for neighborhoods, whether it's streets, parks or greenways. Cox added that those efforts are "driven by the residents who stayed."

A new housing type is coming to Chicago

2019-07-17T14:21:00-04:00

A new housing typology will be coming to the Chicago neighborhoods of West Humboldt Park and Bronzeville, where Perkins + Will architect Greg Tamborino will bring his independently-produced, competition-winning affordable housing designs to a pair of vacant lots.

Tamborino was recently announced as the winner of the Disruptive Design competition, a contest looking to "address the challenges associated with designing and building affordable, owner-occupied housing," according to competition organizers.

The homes feature accessible ramps leading to the first floor level, which has been designed to accommodate ADA guidelines. Image courtesy of Disruptive Design.

Tamborino's designs were selected from among 133 international competition entries, and bested proposals by competition finalists Joel Huffman and teammates Georgi Todorov and Petya Petrova.

Tamborino's designs stand out because of the home's adaptable qualities and thoughtfully composed organization, according to competition ...