Chicago’s gentrifying River North neighborhood is a gritty mix of older commercial and newer residential buildings. Among these is 747 North Clark Street, a 22,000-square-foot condominium completed last year.
Two time zones and 700 miles may separate Christopher Marcinkoski and Andrew Moddrell, but that doesn't prevent the founders of PORT Urbanism from collaborating on research and large-scale public projects.
For a family of five, the designer and architect sought to gut and renovate a building that had been partially converted from a 5,500-square-foot church to a residential space, preserving historic elements of the existing structure while updating the home with modern conveniences.
Chicago’s Garfield Park Conservatory is a historic structure known for its extensive botanical collections. For the next year, however, the nearly 90,000-square-foot glazed building will be home to a very different attraction—one that will illuminate the architecture of its contiguous display houses.
The Barack Obama Presidential Library and Museum will be built near the University of Chicago on the city's South Side, beating out potential sites at Columbia University and the University of Hawaii, the New York Times reported yesterday. While the library's exact location has yet to be finalized, two Frederick Law Olmsted-designed parks—Jackson Park and Washington Park—are in the running. An architect has yet to be named.The location appears a logical choice: Obama taught at the University of Chicago Law School before running for office and Michelle Obama was raised on the South Side. The Obamas also have a house
The Obama Drone Aviary would transport Presidential artifacts to the public. The drama surrounding the siting of President Barack Obama’s future Presidential Library has unfurled like a juicy tabloid story, with the minute details making headlines and stoking fierce debate. Most recently, speculation abounded when the Barack Obama Foundation, the organization charged with selecting a site, polled the Windy City’s residents—and no other prospective cities—on their feelings towards the project, while Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has lobbied to build the library on city parkland if Chicago is indeed selected. Now, with the Chicago mayoral race in serious contention, the Foundation
A series of structures that once comprised a lumberyard is transformed into an innovative school for grades 7 to 12 in a northwest Chicago neighborhood.
Site Size: 6,922 square feet Project Size: 5,900 square feet Program: The clients wanted a house with an abundance of natural light, a direct connection to the outdoors, and privacy from the neighboring houses and elementary school. Location: Set on the last lot on a block of repetitive single-family homes to the north, the house is separated from a nearby elementary school to the south by a large parking lot and playground. Solution: The three-story house, clad in wood and glass on the ground floor and copper and glass above, is separated from its neighbors by a freestanding, board-formed concrete
If it were only a case of “practice what you preach,” the sustainably designed Midwest offices of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) would offer an impressive enough example, with a new space that exploits daylight and incorporates reclaimed materials.
