Dutch Journal of the Moment

Installment 8 of the Berlage Institute's journal hunch was published in late September, exploring the "implications of doubling the Dutch population."







Previous issues have analyzed global cities, dealt with September 11, focused on dreaming, and asked the question of what will architects do in the future. Each issue uses the resources of the Institute, usually featuring symposia from the school, student work, essays by professors, and so forth.

On the Boards

New York-based firm Davis Brody Bond is designing a performing arts center on the south side of Chicago for the Muntu Dance Theater of Chicago. Located at 47th and Greenwood, the project, "will be an important cultural and economic link in a community development effort that already includes revitalized commercial, residential and educational sectors."



Muntu's mission is to, "involve and educate their audience and community in the exploration of the African Diaspora...[holding programs with] with local schools." Because of this educational aspect the Center will house classrooms and practice studios, in addition to its 400-seat performance theater.







The most distinctive architectural element is the perforated concrete wall, intended to resemble West African textile design, and its relationship to the glass projections that act like windows or stages to the street. These two pieces should give the building a strong presence at night, as the interior glows through the various openings.

Mark Your Calendar, Bird Lovers

On March 11, 2005, the Illinois Institute of Technology will be hosting Birds and Buildings: Creating a Safer Environment, a one-day conference "for architects, landscape designers, building owners and managers - anyone interested in bird-friendly design solutions." From the conference web page:

Over one billion birds strike windows in the U.S. every year...rapidly becoming the most significant contributor to the overall decline in bird populations. Birds don't see or understand windows and reflections. Instead, they see trees and sky -- and fly into the glass...At this conference, speakers and panelists will discuss their experiences designing bird-friendly buildings and retrofitting existing facilities. The event will conclude with a brainstorming session to consider the most common building designs that have the most fatal impact.

Ironically, participants need only walk down the street to Helmut Jahn's recently completed campus dormitory. When I walked from 35th Street Green Line station along the east side of the dorm, I saw dead birds lying on the ground next to the clear glass wall separating the elevated train from the courtyard, a recipe for bird collisions.





Does Helmut Jahn hate birds?



One of the speakers will be Jeanne Gang, most likely talking about her firm's competition-winning proposal for the Ford Calumet Environmental Center which features a woven exterior to prevent bird collisions.



This conference is long overdue. This is apparent in the glass walls all over the city with makeshift solutions for this problem, many mounting silhouettes in the shape of birds to the glass. It seems that architects don't acknowledge this concern when designing buildings, favoring transparency and a contemporary aesthetic over anything else. It's time for architects to re-evaluate the importance of transparency, perhaps opting for layering and depth and other design methods where the result falls somewhere between transparent and opaque.



(via Chicagoist)

An Eastern Influence

Yesterday, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that, "every time Daley takes a trip, he comes back with a pad full of notes and a head full of ideas. Last week's trip was no different." The trip the newspaper's referring to was a weeklong trade mission to China and Japan, including a visit to Chicago's sister city, Osaka.



According to the article Daley returned determined to provide high-speed train service to both airports and improve service on trains, also talking about planting trees in parking lots, a "new type of gas station that averts oil leaks", covering construction sites with tarps to contain debris, and speeding up construction at O'Hare. Each item was in response to something he saw in Japan and China, the last item specifically in reference to the speedy construction of Kansai Airport serving Osaka.



After spending a couple in Japan last month, I can sympathize with Daley's situation: seeing the differences between here and there and imagining how things could be improved at home. But the implications of liking something and trying to institute the same in a different locale is important, because the differences run deep and are rooted in culture, social convention, politics, etc. Keeping in mind that change is not immediately attainable, these are some positive differences that I noticed, somem different from the Mayor's political agenda:

Cleanliness

Despite the millions of people living in the dense conditions of Tokyo, litter is pretty much nonexistent. I attribute this to a few things: 1. public service workers who clean up parks, streets, etc, 2. respect for the urban environment and its qualities of shared space, and 3. respect for the rules that dictate trash disposal (three categories: combustible, noncombustible and recyclable, with their respective bins). This last item is important, because even though these trash cans are very hard to come by, there is still virtually no trash on the ground. I think that this respect for the rules (in this case due to living on an island and not having much space for landfills) impacts how people think about refuse and what they do with it. It's everybody's concern, not just the government and the garbagemen. Mayor Daley should take a lesson from Japan's garbage collection when he's thinking about the much-to-be-improved recycling program in Chicago, where residents definitely thinks of garbage in a different way.



Train Efficiency

In the Sun-Times article, the reporter recounts that, "Daley and his entourage were in an underground train station when a message board flashed news that their train would be one minute late. When the mayor's party boarded the train, a voice apologized for the inconvenience." While I didn't experience a delay first-hand, my friend Eric told me that if a train is late, slips will be handed out to commuters that they can show their work, so they aren't docked pay, for example. So, to me the extreme efficiency of the train system is just a part of an extremely efficient society overall. Arriving a little late to a white-collar job in Chicago is not grounds for monetary punishment, but my friend's story made me realize it is a big deal in Tokyo. I can imagine this all takes hard work and effort, making it great for a tourist, but probably not very enjoyable for a resident who's a part of making the city and the country efficient. Nevertheless, being able to depend on "public" transportation (the quotes refer to the privatization of Japan's railways, something with good and bad points) would definitely be something for the Mayor to pay attention to, even if a start is only real-time indicators of when the next train will arrive or how late it's running, as mentioned in the article.



Service

As early as the airport outside Tokyo, I got a sense of how important service at all levels is in Japanese culture. From the white-gloved worker at the airport whose sole duty was to help people navigate the ropes at the customs line to the smiling faces at each convenience store, restaurant, or shop, service is helpful and friendly but never intrusive or seeming labored. In Chicago, and probably many other places, people in hourly-wage service jobs tend to look miserable, act disinterested, and be pushy. Of course, not everybody is all these, but it's rare that somebody is not at least one. It seems like Daley wouldn't be able to do anything about this (and it's probably not on his radar, just my frustrated mind), but when he wields his words, a simple "why doesn't the guy or gal behind the counter smile anymore?" does wonders. Basically, when the Mayor bitches, the local business community listens.



Tips and Tolls

Last on this list, but definitely not last on a list of differences between Japan and Chicago, is Tips and Tolls. Recently Chicago was high on a list of restaurant tipping (can't remember where I encountered this fact) with an average of over 18%, higher than New York City. This infatuation with tipping seems misguided, creating a hierarchy of service based on the amount of a tab and percentage given for tip. In Japan, tips are included in the prices of items and services, including restaurants, taxis, and so forth. Prices are higher overall partly because of this, but that can be overlooked when the ordeal of deciding and leaving a tip is nonexistent. Somewhat related is the tolls for highways, so much higher than in the States that if the US instituted Japan's tolls overnight, citizens would probably revolt. An example: to drive about four hours from Tokyo towards Kyoto (reaching roughly Nagoya) cost the equivalent of $70. Yes 70 dollars. But Japan's highways don't have billboards, making for scenic driving. There is very little construction on the roads compared to the US and its ongoing construction creating traffic jams, delays and frustration. But, most importantly, the high cost of tolls influences people to use alternative means of travel, primarily trains. With Chicago's ongoing traffic nightmare, and its public transit problems, Mayor Daley is surely paying attention to this issue.

Lest I start sounding like a preacher for the colonialism of Japanese culture and values, we must remember that Japan's current situation is rooted in hundreds of years of feudal society and a homogeneous population, among other reasons, of course. In a way, the US is an experiment, and the citizens are the guinea pigs, I guess making people like Daley the scientists. But that doesn't mean we can't borrow ideas from other cultures, shaping them to fit our situation, hopefully finding the best means for all of us to live decent, fulfilling lives.

Publication of the Moment

After reading Michael Beirut's "What We Talk About When We Talk About Architecture", the Yale School of Architecture's journal Retrospecta (companion to its more well-known Perspecta) sounds awfully appealing.







The latest issue of the student-edited publication features student work, as always, but highlights the studio reviews by transcribing the crits by notable jurists, like Zaha Hadid and Peter Eisenman. A typical example:

Kenneth Frampton: ...These computer renderings produce aesthetic effects very well, seamless, very seductive, but they are not about anything. They are delusions! They are mirages! I'm sorry, it's very aggressive to say this, but aren't we going to start talking? It's just ridiculous to say, "Ok -- individual interpretations," "So on and so forth." One has to talk about something fundamental, otherwise we're never going to talk about anything anymore.

Demitri Porphyrios: I'm not sure what you're talking about.

Frampton: I'm talking about the fact that there is a total degeneration...

Porphyrios: Do you want some coffee?

Frampton: No, I don't. Sorry, I don't...

Porphyrios: Look, look, look. This is a disgusting situation. It's not right to get upset...

While Beirut's focus is on the appeal of this dialogue over the typical jargon, going so far as recommend a Car Talk radio show for design, I can't really say I ever got into a jury's commentary as a student. Maybe that was due to lack of sleep or the fact I just wanted to get the presentation over with, but my first instinct is not to revisit those times.



On second thought, though, not being the one critiqued definitely changes things, and probably hearing eminent scholars and architects spew forth their words of wisdom isn't the worst way to kill an hour. But, ultimately, I prefer the "when I feel like it" aspect of the printed page, as well as its visual nature, over the scheduled programming of radio. Call me old-fashioned.

Michigan Avenue Streetwall

Blair Kamin, in a couple articles, takes a stab at the recently-landmarked Michigan Avenue streetwall, from Randolph Avenue south to Roosevelt.



In an article published October 8, Kamin covers the City of Chicago's approval of Krueck + Sexton's design for the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies. The 10-story building would feature a distinctive folding glass wall overlooking Grant Park that would stand out from its mainly heavy, masonry neighbors. While the approval process is far from complete, Spertus' new home is planned for construction to start next May with completion in 2007. I'm hoping all goes well for the Institute and the architects, since their design seems fresh and appropriate for its highly visible location.







Kamin continues his focus on Michigan Avenue, in a longer piece published today on the future of the streetwall. With a helpful graphic, Kamin highlights the new developments that will be fitting into the existing streetwall, spanning the length of the landmark zone.



Starting at the southern end (L-R): on Roosevelt will be the Columbian condominium tower, 1000 South Michigan, another residential tower, is a couple blocks north, followed by the Spertus on the 600 South block, and finally the Heritage at Millennium Park already under construction and towering over the neighboring Cultural Center.







Kamin's order of preference (favorite to least favorite) seems to be Spertus, Heritage, 1000 South, Columbian, illustrating how the planning decisions can both positively and negatively impact design. Positively in the case of the Spertus and its folded glass wall, and negatively in the case of 1000 South, Kamin arguing that the building would have a more elegant profile with additional floors over the Landmark Commission's limitations.



One argument Kamin makes, that I partly agree with, is that the streetwall needs to be thought of beyond purely Michigan Avenue. The Heritage is an ideal example, as it sits on Wabash (one block west) but clearly impacts the view from Grant Park. But I disagree with his assertion that the Golden Gate-red CNA is "a blockhead that ruins the class portrait." While the building itself isn't anything special, the red exterior is a great exclamation point, particularly in the postcard view from the Adler Planetarium, where it sits between the Sears Tower and the AON Tower. CNA is an example of a "background building" coming to the fore and livening up the skyline of the city, something designers and City Hall should think about.

Monday, Monday

This week's update:





Phoenix First Assembly Childrens Pavilion in Phoenix, Arizona by DeBartolo Architects.



The updated book feature is Charles Rennie Mackintosh by Alan Crawford.



Some unrelated links for your enjoyment:

DUH

Dilbert's Ultimate House, designed by thousands of readers of the daily comic strip. (via Archinect)



Artifact

"A free guide to the best of the Web for architecture, communications, media & culture, design, fashion & beauty, music & the performing arts and visual arts."



UT SolarD

"The University of Texas at Austin's entry to the Solar Decathlon competition."

St. Louis Bluesier

A few months ago I posted an article on the Syndicate Trust and Century Building in St. Louis, a building threatened by demolition. To be built in its place would be, of all things, a parking garage serving the Old Post Office renovation across the street. That sounds like half-assed preservation to me: preserving one landmark at the expense of another landmark. Preservation is full of value judgments, but this one escapes me.



Well, following a recent comment on that earlier post, it turns out the Century Building's demolition has begun, "in spite of two remaining lawsuits regarding two different components of the shady deal." Click here for more info.

Book of the Moment

Labeled a "288-page mojo manual" in a Village Voice review, Daniel Libeskind's Breaking Ground: Adventures in Life and Architecture is sure to become the most popular architect book with non architects since...well, ever.







With Daniel is one of the most popular architects in the world - thanks to his appointment as masterplan architect for the World Trade Center site - and amid lawsuits and other messes, this book has masterly timing. Regardless, after reading the above review which points out the parallels between Libeskind and Danny, the little boy in Kubrick's film The Shining (a parallel Libeskind makes in the book), I might just have to venture to the public library and check it out.



Update 10.26: A couple audio clips on Libeskind and his book:

Libeskind discusses his masterplan on wbur.org, aired September 29,



and Libeskind talks on The Leonard Lopate Show, on the same day as above.

On the Boards

The latest residential high-rise to cause a stir in Chicago is 340 East Randolph, aka 340 on the Park. Designed by local firm Solomon Cordwell Buenz, the 62-story building's site is just east of Dirk Lohan's Blue Cross Blue Shield headquarters and is part of the Lakeshore East development (though it is the most removed of the many structures planned, also orienting itself primarily south and away from the rest of the development). Perhaps responding to its neighbor, 340 is a glassy box, though the articulation of its fa�ade recalls multi-story residential structures by Le Corbusier.



Via the fa�ade's composition and its materials, 340 separates itself from many recent examples that merely paint exposed concrete and have much less glass on the exterior wall. A multi-story horizontal band at the 25th floor helps to break up the tall elevation, calling out the pool and wintergarden on that floor, duplicated at the top of the building.

In Chicago, views predominate when people choose to live in a high-rise. Developments that have unencumbered views (ideally guaranteed by natural and/or city-protected features) sell quickly and at great profit. Riverbend is a good example, situated where the Chicago River turns south, and now 340, with amazing views of Grant Park and beyond. In the past developers have taken advantage of lake views, building towers miles north of downtown, but with Chicago's plan to shift office space west in the Loop and group residences near the park, Grant Park is replacing the lake as the thing to look at. The recent completion of Millennium Park solidifies its importance in bringing people into downtown to live.

Dutchinect

Archinect has two new features this week, both dealing with the conference held the beginning of this month in Chicago, Sustainable Communities, Learning from the Dutch Experience.







Archinecter John Jourden interviews both Aaron Betsky, director of the Netherlands Architecture Institute, and Nathalie de Vries, of the Dutch architecture firm MVRDV.

Monday, Monday

This week's update:





Boathouse in Amsterdam by Eindhoven Architecten BV.



The updated book feature is Light in Japanese Architecture by Henry Plummer.



Some unrelated links for your enjoyment:

RIBA Sterling Prize 2004

Norman Foster's "Gherkin" is the winner of this year's prize, beating out structures by Peter Cook, Daniel Libeskind and others.

Slide show



Wood Design Awards

Wood Design & Building's 2004 award's issue with twelve projects in three categories (Honor, Merit, Citation).



Signature Work of Art Design Competition

The McCormick Museum Foundation is sponsoring a competition for a piece to be featured in their new public museum (also to be named in another competition).

Weekly Upgrade

My weekly page is changing servers Saturday night (CST) and should be back up and running Sunday morning at the latest. The new server will have much more disk space and allow for larger images and the potential for additional content. Also, the performance should improve overall.



Thanks for your patience during the switch when the weekly page is down.



Update 10.17: Success! The server switched worked and the weekly page is up and running again.

Murcutt Speaks

Margaret Throsby, on ABC FM Australia, talks with architect Glenn Murcutt. You can listen in both Real Audio and Windows Media formats.







Thanks to Samuel B. for the link.

Wiki-Casino

Today I discovered Wikipedia. I'm probably extremely late in coming across this amazing site, which allows any user to add content with the added benefit of that content able to be edited by other users.

After registering, I looked around, naturally heading over to the Architecture category, where I happened across a list of casinos. Thinking all the way back to yesterday's post, I wondered what guise might a Loop casino take? Could this be it?


Casino Lisboa in Macau, China.

Probably not, but the collision of forms is indicative of a multi-use project: the slab in the rear with octagonal bays probably a hotel, a mid-rise component on the right-hand side another use, and the base taken up by the casino itself. Not too far off from Block 37, just physically half a world away.

Block 37 Update

The Chicago Sun-Times reports the City of Chicago is selling the infamous Block 37 property to Mills Corp., the latest in a string of developers attempting to build on the prominent Loop site, for $12.3 million, about $20 million less than what the city paid for the land two years ago.



According to the article the, "difference amounts to a subsidy that...is justified because of 'extraordinary costs' faced by Mills in accommodating the CTA project [underground station for airport shuttle trains] and in building underground pedways." The subsidy appears to be taking a place of a TIF, the usual method of using future taxes now to aid in construction, though it remains to be seen if a TIF is given anyways.



The most shocking tidbit refers to the possible addition of a casino in the mixed-use project. Both the city and the developer asserted vaguely, "It could [be possible], if it's done correctly" and, "We've agreed to agree there might be a casino on this site," respectively. One source in City Hall said, "it would be 'unseemly' to invite gamblers to a site adjacent to local government offices and the courts." Granted, though I imagine the clientele at a Loop casino would be an upscale lot and may even host a politician or two from next door.



The addition of a casino in the Loop would have long-term ramifications, since complementary uses may flock to the area, in order to take advantage of its presence, changing the character of the area. This happens in areas outside the city but may be more difficult in an area with more limited parking and available land. Regardless, a casino's presence could slowly alter the immediate area, which the Mayor has developed as a Theater District over his tenure. It won't be Vegas in the Loop, but it'll be noticeably different.



All this remains to be seen, of course, but it should be interesting to watch the project unfold.



(Previously on this page.)

OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK ..

Tate Modern's web page has a virtual exhibit of Bruce Nauman's Raw Materials, a sound installation in the London museum's main turbine hall. Naturally it won't substitute for the real thing, but it's a clever way of trying to replicate the experience. Cool stuff.



For those of you living in Chicago who can't make it to London, you're in luck. The MCA exhibit Stalemate (running until January 2, 2005) has as its centerpiece Nauman's 1985 work Chambres d'Amis (Krefeld Piece). It features three small rooms, each in a different medium with the last being sound. Two speakers in the far corners of the small space spew forth dialogue that is also used at the Tate.

(via Archinect)

Monday, Monday

This week's update:





The Austin Theater in Austin, Texas by Mir� Rivera Architects.



The updated book feature is The Philosophy of Symbiosis by Kisho Kurokawa.



Some unrelated links for your enjoyment:

I am a 2x4 Junky

The latest feature at Archinect, submitted by Grace Bonney.



Paris, Texas

MovieMartyr.com's review of Wim Wenders' 1984 film, one of my all-time favorites.



Tema Stauffer

Images by the artist that are currently on display at the Jen Bekman Gallery in New York City. (via Gothamist)

It's Official

Back in July, I groaned on this page after reading in the print version of Architectural Record that Daniel Libeskind was named Cultural Ambassador for Architecture for the U.S. Department of State. My bewilderment had to do with the timing of the appointment and the complete lack of coverage by anybody outside Record. It seemed to me like it was very news-worthy, but nobody was carrying it as news.

Until now. Archinect reports that Libeskind announced at the Venice Biennale that he received the appointment. OK. Now what exactly does he do as Cultural Ambassador?



Well, visiting his page at CultureConnect, we see that Libeskind is one of thirteen Cultural Ambassadors. He's in the company of singer/dancer Debbie Allen, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, basketball player Tracy McGrady, jazz musician Wynton Marsalis, actor/producer Ron Silver, and actress Doris Roberts (of Everybody Loves Raymond). That's quite a diverse group, though I still don't get it. Perhaps Patricia S. Harrison, Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs can illuminate things:

Following September 11th, the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has worked to increase foreign understanding of U.S. goals; to reach out to more people with accurate information about the United States; to develop a dialogue with Muslim societies.
...
Bringing the work of accomplished Americans to the rest of the world in a way that would build understanding and respect and give hope to youth is our objective. CultureConnect brings the strengths of American culture to the world and brings the cultures of the world to America.
...
These Ambassadors travel overseas to engage with youth and undertake projects in their areas of accomplishment--clinics, performances, coaching sessions, motivational speeches, teach master classes, and leadership training.

Reading further into Libeskind's CultureConnect page, he has traveled as Ambassador to Tunis, Tunisia, and Italy. Other than that information, everything will be COMING SOON! Hopefully soon enough we'll learn if this program is worthwhile and works as intended, in terms of mutual understanding and respect, but also in terms of Americans learning about other cultures, not just spreading American culture.

Chicago Cenacle

Walking around Lincoln Park on a beautiful fall day yesterday, I snapped these photos of the Cenacle Retreat and Conference Center. The complex is one of my favorite "anonymous" pieces of architecture in the city.

Actually, according to the AIA Guide to Chicago, the complex was built in 1967 and designed by Charles Pope. The Guide goes on to say that the Cenacle is, "an example of the warm side of clean, quiet modernism in brick."


The building complex is set back from the east-west street Fullerton, the parking lot located between the sidewalk and building's main entry. While this decision can be seen as unfortunate, it does lessen the impact of the two tall and long brick volumes (as the AIA Guide proclaims). The setback also puts the complex on display, an unencumbered view available with the open expanse of parking.


The two housing blocks are oriented perpendicular to each other, each short end a blank wall that finds relief through brick patterns. These two blocks also frame the main entry and the chapel behind. The brick vocabulary is continued through each element, the wing walls of each volume also a consistency in the design.


Overall the complex has a human scale that makes it inviting and an unobtrusive piece in the relatively low-scale neighborhood.


Another effective architectural device is the projecting brick verticals, not only for their function of reducing direct sunlight but also for the interesting facade pattern created.

The Cenacle Retreat is located at 513 W. Fullerton, one block west of Clark.

PJ the Whore Retires

Archinect reports, in a press release from the architect's office, that Philip Johnson, at 98 years of age, is retiring from his practice Philip Johnson/Alan Ritchie Architects.



Johnson has been in practice about sixty years, roughly since the International Style exhibition he co-curated in 1932. Johnson has been a proponent of architecture styles, from Modernism and Post-modernism to Deconstructivist, the last via another MOMA exhibition in the late 1980's. Famously calling himself a whore, Johnson has always been able to shake things up, something he may likely do even after stepping down from practice.

AIA Chicago Awards Wrap-up

It looks like the AIA Chicago 2004 Design Excellence Awards had some obvious choices:

Contemporaine by Perkins and Will


Starlight Theater and Kam L. Liu Building by Studio Gang/O'Donnell, and Marble Curtain by Studio Gang)


Factor 10 House by EHDD and Herman Miller Building C1 by Krueck & Sexton (both winning 2004 National AIA/Committee on the Environment awards already)


Soldier Field by Lohan Caprile Goettsch with Wood + Zapata


Lipson Alport Glass Associates by Valerio Dewalt Train


State Street Village by Murphy/Jahn


Oklahoma City Federal Building by Ross Barney + Jankowski

and also some relatively unknown gems:

Doblin Residence by Valerio Dewalt Train
In this "house for a solitary person", VDT located the residence behind a simple facade that's made up of two galvanized steel, scissor doors. One side opens to a garage; the other side opens to a garden. Reminiscent of an early warehouse project by Santiago Calatrava, in this case the doors refer to the industrial past of the site - the house being a renovation of a burned-out warehouse - and perhaps the solitary nature of the owner. It's a simple solution that is very rich.


Cohodes Residence by Dirk Denison Architects
My friend Brandon worked on this project for almost three years, DDA's site illuminating the design process of the house over that time. A deceptively simple, modern plan is actually very complex, the interior spaces broken up by courtyards in the deep, one-story plan. A folded ceiling plane adds some dynamics to the orthogonal plan, with creative ways of bringing light to the interior one of the design's best features, as in the image above. The jury cites the clean detailing as a positive aspect of the house.


I & S Residence by mac D+A
The highlight of this Gold Coast condo is definitely the wood-clad den, a retreat behind frosted-glass sliding doors. The simplicity of the layout and detailing contrast with the "Parisian-inspired exterior", making me think this apartment could be located within Lucien Lagrange's latest.


Antron Resource Center by Perkins & Will/Eva Maddox
Antron, a commercial carpet manufacturer, modified its space in the Merchandise Mart for NeoCon last year by focusing on the actual carpet fibers and their colors. By bundling different colors into plastic tubes and suspending long ropes, the fibers became objects in and of themselves that could be played with by people. Rather than lay down some carpet squares, the display suggests that the final product has almost infinite possibilities.


Rural Studio Exhibit by Xavier Vendrell Studio with Andrew Freear and Jennifer Bonner
Finally, this project makes Rural Studio's reliance upon recycling salvaged materials its inspiration, using carpet tiles, hay bales, wooden pallets, and other materials to define the space of the exhibit and to support the exhibit itself. This is the least aesthetically beautiful of these five projects, but that's excusable because of its message. Though beauty can be found in the stacking of recycled materials in a colorful manner.

Scene and Herd

Friday, October 8 from 5-8pm is the opening of "Scene in Chicago 2004" at Judy A. Saslow Gallery at 300 W. Superior in Chicago.



Artists include:

Juan Angel Chavez (mixed-media assemblage)
Dolan Geiman (screen-prints, paintings and mixed-media assemblage)
Don Guss (digital photography - above image)
Jeanette Nyberg (whimsical oil paintings)
Amy Woodbury (acrylic paintings with Asian influences)

The show runs until November 13.

Urinal Invasion

A previous post on this page looked at a trend in urinals: formal design evoking everything from a mouth and lips to nuns and six-armed men.

Well, the latest trend, discovered over at The New York Times (registration req'd), is urinal advertising. But I'm not referring to ads placed above urinals - the norm in bars and restaurants for a while - but ads placed in the porcelain bowls. And it's not just visual advertising but aural as well, the motion-sensitive, battery-operated devices spewing forth commercial announcements, music, whatever the marketing geniuses who developed this have in mind. According to the Times article, Molson is using the Wizmark in Quebec and Country Music Television will be using it for its upcoming awards show.



Ever since a plastic urinal drain screen many years ago told me to "Say No to Drugs", I figured it was only a matter of time before ads took the place of P.C. slogans. The time is here, though it's much more obnoxious than I imagined.

Monday, Monday

This week's update:





Mountain Pavilion in Bambajima, Toyama, Japan by Peter Salter.



The updated book feature is Groundhog Day by Ryan Gilbey.



Some unrelated links for your enjoyment:

AIA Chicago 2004 Design Excellence Awards

This year's awards sees the addition of the Sustainable Design Award to the Distinguished Building and Interior Architecture categories. More coverage to follow.



Repeat's Calendar for October 2004

"Primitively designed and luridly colored...your one-stop resource for

architectural events taking place in the Chicago area."



PSA Publishers

Profiling architects the world over, by location.

Blatant Personal Plug

TENbyTEN Magazine just hit the newsstands with its latest issue, the Romance issue (v3n1). One of the articles inside is by me, titled Recycling, Renewal, and Radicchio: Ken Dunn and Mobile City Farmstead, which you can read online now. I am also lucky enough to be a contributing editor to the wonderful magazine, the lovechild of editor Annette Ferrara.

My article is about Ken Dunn, head of Resource Center - a non-profit environmental education organization, and Mobile City Farmstead, a soon-to-be-built physical embodiment of his City Farm program, which uses vacant lots around Chicago to grow vegetables and employ local residents.



Pick up your copy today!

"Sunday Morning" Links

After today's CBS News Sunday Morning, I looked online to find more information on its story on treehouses. While the CBS site only provided this link but no transcript, I found other stories of interest, as follows:

The New "Eiffel Tower" of Chicago. Although I don't fully understand the title (Chicagoans don't really hate Millennium Park like Parisians hated the Eiffel Tower when it opened), Cynthia Bowers reports on the newest addition to Chicago.



Seurat and La Grand Jatte. This time Cynthia Bowers covers the enduring appeal of Georges-Pierre Seurat's famous "A Sunday on La Grand Jatte", on display at the Art Institute of Chicago.



Making a Difference With Art. A story on various artists over the 25-year history of the television program, including crop artist Stan Herd.

Who's Who

A few weeks ago, Crain's Chicago Business published its "Who's Who In Chicago Business" list, featuring the most powerful individuals in different professional areas. In the Architecture & Engineering category, the following individuals are listed:

Carol Ross Barney, President Ross Barney Jankowski



Daniel P. Coffey, President and design principal Daniel P. Coffey & Associates



James R. DeStefano, CEO DeStefano + Partners



Sidney Epstein, Chairman A. Epstein & Sons International



Donald J. Hackl, President Loebl Schlossman & Hackl



Helmut Jahn President and CEO Murphy/Jahn



Michael B. Klein President and CEO Airoom Architects & Builders



Lucien Lagrange, Principal Lucien Lagrange Architects



Dirk Lohan, Principal Lohan Anderson



Grant G. McCullagh, Chairman McClier Corp.



Adrian D. Smith, Consulting partner Skidmore Owings & Merrill



Stanley Tigerman, Architect Tigerman McCurry Architects

There aren't really any surprises on this list, and reading the description one gets an idea of what really matters in the list: "...powerful Chicagoans ? and their publicists ? clamor for a berth in Crain's annual Who's Who in Chicago Business...If you're in Who's Who...You're a player, a person who can pick up the phone and make a deal happen, someone whose advice, and financial support, is sought by the city's most important political, civic and business organizations."