A dozen graduate design students studying with Skidmore Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) Urban Design Partner Philip J. Enquist spent a semester investigating issues and opportunities for a stretch of the Chicago River’s South Branch from Wolf Point to Pilsen.
Waterline presents their proposals for this critical stretch of urban waterway in a summer-long exhibit at the McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum.
The diverse group of students, representing concentrations in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design and urban planning developed a broad variety of solutions to ponder. Waterline proposals include using underutilized riverfront land to create a new micro-economy, re-visioning post-industrial properties as a riparian habitat that could leverage public and private investment into a new kind of development, reclaiming Pilsen’s vacant industrial corridor as a Chicago Water Institute and extending the existing River City development into a more naturally cohesive “Water City.”
The Chicago River was the city’s superhighway in the early decades of Chicago’s existence. Its initial development was neither pedestrian-friendly, civic in nature nor environmentally smart. The designs of Waterline showcase why the Chicago River should once again be considered the city’s most important asset and sets the stage for increased awareness, education and reinvention of the River.
Waterline opens to the public on June 22, 2012 and continues at the McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum through August 31.
OPENING RECEPTION
Waterline opens with a reception from 5 to 7 PM on June 21, 2012 and will be on display at the McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum through August 31. Previews and press availabilities will be provided by appointment starting June 11, 2012.
Please request appointments through Ed Keegan at (312) 360-4557 or Edward.keegan@som.com. If you are planning to attend the opening reception, please RSVP to beth.murin@som.com or by phone (312) 360-4179 and be sure to mention that you’re a member of the media.
PARTICIPANTS
Participating students in Waterline include Adriana Chavez, Aleksandr Nizhikhovskiy, Cameron Barradale, Catherine Tang, Evelyn Zwiebach, Nina Chase, Roger Weber, Sadatu Dennis, Stephanie Saltzman, Suemac Hatcher, and William Dibernardo. Instructor Philip Enquist was assisted by Teaching Assistant Conor O’Shea. +
Related Stories
| Mar 21, 2011
RATIO Architects announces merger with Cherry Huffman Architects
RATIO Architects, Inc. with studios in Indianapolis and Champaign, Ill., recently announced it has merged with prominent Raleigh, N.C., firm Cherry Huffman Architects.
| Mar 18, 2011
Universities will compete to build a campus on New York City land
New York City announced that it had received 18 expressions of interest in establishing a research center from universities and corporations around the world. Struggling to compete with Silicon Valley, Boston, and other high-tech hubs, officials charged with developing the city’s economy have identified several city-owned sites that might serve as a home for the research center for applied science and engineering that they hope to establish.
| Mar 17, 2011
Perkins Eastman launches The Green House prototype design package
Design and architecture firm Perkins Eastman is pleased to join The Green House project and NCB Capital Impact in announcing the launch of The Green House Prototype Design Package. The Prototype will help providers develop small home senior living communities with greater efficiency and cost savings—all to the standards of care developed by The Green House project.
| Mar 17, 2011
Hospitality industry turns to HTS Texas for ‘do not disturb’ air conditioned comfort
Large resort hotels and hospitality properties throughout the Southwest have been working with local contractors, engineers and HTS Texas for the latest innovations in quiet heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment. The company has completed 12+ projects throughout Texas and the Southwestern U.S. over the past 18 to 24 months, and is currently working on six more hotel projects throughout the region.
| Mar 16, 2011
AIA offers assistance to Japan's Architects, U.S. agencies coordinating disaster relief
“Our hearts go out to the people of Japan as a result of this horrific earthquake and tsunami,” said Clark Manus, FAIA, 2011 President of the AIA. “We are in contact with our colleagues at AIA Japan and the Japan Institute of Architects to offer not only our condolences but our profession's technical and professional expertise when the initiative begins focusing on rebuilding."
| Mar 16, 2011
Are you working on a fantastic residence hall project? Want to tell us about it?
The feature story for the May 2011 issue of Building Design+Construction will focus on new trends in university residence hall design and construction, and we’re looking for great projects to report on and experts to interview. Projects can involve new construction or remodeling/reconstruction work, and can be recently completed, currently under construction, or still on the boards.
| Mar 16, 2011
Foster + Partners to design carbon-neutral urban park for West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong
Foster + Partners has been selected by the board of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority to design a massive 56-acre urban park on a reclaimed harbor-front site in Hong Kong. Designed as a carbon-neutral development, “City Park” will seamlessly blend into existing streets while creating large expanses of green space and seventeen new cultural venues.
| Mar 15, 2011
What Starbucks taught us about redesigning college campuses
Equating education with a cup of coffee might seem like a stretch, but your choice of college, much like your choice of coffee, says something about the ability of a brand to transform your day. When Perkins + Will was offered the chance to help re-think the learning spaces of Miami Dade College, we started by thinking about how our choice of morning coffee has changed over the years, and how we could apply those lessons to education.
| Mar 15, 2011
What will the architecture profession look like in 2025?
The global economy and the economic recession have greatly affected architecture firms' business practices. A Building Futures survey from the Royal Institute of British Architects looks at how these factors will have transformed the profession and offers a glimpse of future trends. Among the survey's suggestions: not only will architecture firms have to focus on a financial and business approach rather than predominantly design-led offices, but also company names are predicted to drop ‘architect’ altogether.
| Mar 15, 2011
Passive Strategies for Building Healthy Schools, An AIA/CES Discovery Course
With the downturn in the economy and the crash in residential property values, school districts across the country that depend primarily on property tax revenue are struggling to make ends meet, while fulfilling the demand for classrooms and other facilities.