Virgil Abloh's MCA Exhibition Reveals the Power—and Limits—of Design Disruption
Hemmed in by quotation marks and material double-entendres, the IIT College of Architecture–educated designer can’t break through the brands he uses to define his work.
Author: Zach Mortice
In Detroit, Empty Lots Become Parks, Helping to Rebuild Lost Social Equity
An ongoing plan by landscape architects Spackman Mossop Michaels (SMM) is tying together the neighborhood of Fitzgerald, which has been atomized by vacancy and foreclosure.
On Chicago's South Side, a Bold Mixed-Use Healthcare Project Aims to Be a Community Anchor and Public Health Salve
The proposed design of the Focal Point Community Campus for the southwest side of Chicago puts health care at the center of a holistic approach to…
Designing with Empathy: What Inclusive Design Means for Education and Workplace Architecture
At a Chicago Think Tank held at Cannon Design, architects and experts explored power asymmetries, racial dynamics, mental health considerations, and other challenges often neglected by designers.
The Deep Value of Community Engagement in Urban Planning
At a recent Metropolis Think Tank in Chicago, architects and developers explored the immense benefits of crossing social and cultural boundaries when planning new neighborhoods.
Sunlight and Landscape Views Shape Studio Gang's Latest Chicago Tower
Solstice on the Park, a rental apartment tower in the city's Hyde Park neighborhood, is within spitting distance of Lake Michigan and Frederick Law Olmsted’s Jackson Park.
For the Atlanta-Based Firm BLDGS, No Building Is Beyond Rescuing
While Atlanta is a developer-driven architecture market, BLDGS has managed to carve out a niche, building close ties with the city’s nonprofits and organizations.
With Haus Gables, Architect Jennifer Bonner Celebrates and Critiques the American Single-Family House
Located in Atlanta, the two-story, two-bedroom house was assembled from 87 cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels that provide both structure and interior surfacing.
Life After the Death of the Office: Avoiding Ubiquitous Workplace Design in a Tired Market
Thanks to cloud computing and Skype, there’s less need for a physical office, but the urge to transmit corporate culture and values persist.
Just In: Storefront for Art and Architecture Names New Executive Director
José Esparza Chong Cuy, currently an associate curator at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art, will take over the iconic New York City institution beginning November 1.
Landscape May Be Architects' Best Tool for Tackling Inequality
This past July, Ross Barney Architects hosted a Think Tank discussion on inequality that included representatives from the Metropolitan Planning Council and Related Midwest, as well as moderator Susan S. Szenasy.
Will the Culture of Good Taste Devour McDonald’s?
Two new sparkling buildings in Chicago—designed by Carol Ross Barney and Gensler, respectively—demonstrate a new design direction for the ubiquitous fast-food chain.
SOM Thinks Autonomous Vehicles Could Rapidly Change How Cities Grow and Develop
Existing streets could host new high-tech transportation services, though ensuring those new transit systems bring equitable growth is a challenge.
Chicago Exhibit Spotlights Charlotte Perriand’s Alpine Ski Resort
The legendary designer and Le Corbusier collaborator broke the mold with her Modernist, male contemporaries, according to a show at Matthew Rachman Gallery.
At the Venice Biennale, Jeanne Gang Uses Memphis's Cobblestones to Reflect on Monuments and Messy Civic Histories
Gang calls the installation, which will soon open at the Biennale's U.S. Pavilion, the “antithesis of a man on a horse up on a pedestal.”
Chicago's Aurélien Residential Tower Brings Luxury Down to Earth
Aurélien, a new residential high-rise in Chicago’s upscale Gold Coast neighborhood, balances drama with practical amenities in a park-like setting.
Carol Ross Barney is Chicago’s New Daniel Burnham
Over the past decade, Chicago architect Carol Ross Barney has moved beyond the design of buildings toward stewardship and restoration of urban ecology.
Does Apple's New Chicago Store Have Something to Say About the Future of Cities?
The company's new flagship has plenty of civic ambitions, but doesn't quite live up to them.
Frank Lloyd Wright Was a Proto-Algorithmic Architect
It seems that the most contemporary aspect of Wright’s work is his unique, manually recursive design process.
Studio Gang's Latest Residential Tower Fosters Neighborliness
A new residential tower by Studio Gang fosters neighborly interaction through imaginative architectural form.
