architecture – DesignApplause

expo chicago 2023 discovers artists that embrace architecture and design.

Apr 14, 2023

above> self-portrait / zanele muholi / southern guild (cape town) booth #217

note: this post in ‘in-progress’ as we await more details…

more than 140 leading art galleries from 65 cities in 25 countries show off their stable of talent at expo chicago 2022 which is the perfect confabulation and launchpad to contemplate what inspires the art. in this instance, DesignApplause submits that architecture, design, and engineering are one and the same and art is not.

> “what is the difference between art and design? as it applies to graphic design, i will say that the difference between art and design or artist and designers, is expression vs communication. … expression is about the artist and their view, design is about the audience and viewer. expression can be abstract and intangible but design has to be clear for the most part.” ~ anonymous

> “when one attempts to define art, there will be an artist to prove it wrong. ‘art is beautiful’ art becomes ugly. ‘art is emotional’ art becomes emotionless. ‘art is form’ art becomes idea. that’s the problem, art will always shatter definitions.

having said that, i will ignore my own advice and take a crack. i think it comes down to function. design can have many functions, whereas art has one single function. the function of art. digging deeper, the art concept can be portrayed in many different ways. the function of art isn’t singular, its endless.

so design is applied art? or maybe an eames chair is a design object when you’re trying to sell it or sit in it, and an art object when you’re observing it, etc. ~ anonymous

DesignApplause asked galleries if their artists in this show pursued any architectural or design studies in their background. 15 of 30 (50%) galleries point out the following:

southern guild will exhibit at expo chicago for the first time this april, presenting ceramics, sculpture, paintings and wall reliefs by leading artists from across the african continent. these include zanele muholi (south africa), zizipho poswa (south africa), andile dyalvane (south africa), oluseye (nigeria/canada), kamyar bineshtarigh (iran/south africa), patrick bongoy (drc), dominique zinkpè (benin) and stanislaw trzebinski (kenya). rich in materiality and divergent in form, the works in southern guild’s presentation speak of the ingenuity of the human hand and the labour-intensive processes that elevate the prosaic to the sublime.

a highlight of the gallery’s booth will be a large bronze self-portrait by acclaimed artist and visual activist zanele muholi, whose solo exhibition opens at southern guild’s cape town gallery in may 2023. the sculpture represents the artist’s departure from an exclusively photographic oeuvre into a broader, multidisciplinary practice. the booth will also feature two large-scale ceramic and bronze sculptures from zizipho poswa’s critically acclaimed recent solo, ubuhle bokhokho, inspired by the hairstyles traditionally worn by black women across the continent, as well as recent works by andile dyalvane, madoda fani and chuma maweni – all regarded as foremost ceramicists in africa.

anchoring the booth will be an expansive and tactile palimpsest by iranian artist kamyar bineshtarigh effaced from the wall of his studio building – a layering of marks, traces and textures accumulated over two years. central to the artist’s visual lexicon is the explorative use of farsi script and calligraphy that pivots around memory and place, revealing the intricacies of transliteration. southern guild’s booth will also include new paintings by cape town-based artist manyaku mashilo that draw inspiration from historical photographic archives to build self-determined mythological scenes where imagined embodiments of blackness migrate through abstract liminal spaces. in addition, the gallery will present bronze and hand-blown glass sculptures from kenyan artist stanislaw trzebinski’s 2022 solo, solastalgia, that imagine the potent and surreal future of a decimated earth after the extinction of humans.

what makes this gallery unusual but all artists of have studied design.

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above> memphis vase / ettore sottsass / alan koppel gallery (chicago) booth #245 / 1992

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above> untitled / alberto biasi / dep art gallery (milan) booth #400

alberto biasi is one of the protagonists of post-war italian art, as well as one of the founders of the historic gruppo n. after the loss of his mother, he spent part of his childhood with his paternal grandmother in carrara san giorgio, a small town in the province of padua. biasi returned to his hometown at the end of world war ii, and attended classical high school. he later enrolled in the department of architecture at the university of venice, as well as, in a top-level industrial design course. upon the completion of his studies, in 1958 he began teaching drawing and art history at a public school. from 1969 to 1988, biasi served as professor of advertising graphic arts at the professional institute in padua.

in 1959, he participated in various youthful artistic events and with some peers students of architecture formed the enne-a group. in 1960, he exhibited with enrico castellani, piero manzoni, agostino bonalumi and other european artists at the galleria azimut in milan. also in 1960, during a period characterized by the spirit of innovation and experimentation, he formed gruppo n in close collaboration with manfredo massironi. the following year, he joined the movement “nuove tendenze” (“new trends”). in 1962, as gruppo n, he exhibited with bruno munari, enzo mari and milan’s gruppo t in the first programmed art exhibition at the negozio olivetti in milan.

during this period, especially between 1959 and 1960, biasi created the trame, rectangular and permeable objects, where modularity has optical-kinetic implications in relationship between light and the shifting of a person’s gaze. shortly after the realization of the trame series came another important work: namely, rilievi ottico-dinamici, overlapping lamellar structures in contrasting colors that spark special visual effects. always during the 1960s, he produced the torsioni series with the use of mostly bicolor lamelle, used to generate optical dynamism through different observer viewpoints, and his ambienti pieces. he also realized light prisms, which he designed in 1962 and were transferred to environmental dimensions in 1969.

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above> various / rodrigo valensuela / asya geisber gallery (new york) booth #473

rodrigo valenzuela works across photography, video, and installation, merging his interest in art history, architecture, the concept of work, and the realities of laborers. valenzuela builds scenes in his studio, often working with simple building materials such as cinder blocks, pipes, wooden palettes, corrugated metal, and two-by-fours. the resulting monochrome photographs constantly shift between flatness and architectural space, and between documentary photography and fiction, encouraging an incessant yet pleasurable tension. his compositions resemble miniature ruins built from studio detritus, and are documentative of the artist’s performance in the studio. simultaneously, they clearly reference certain modernist masters – be it abstract-expressionist painters or minimalist sculptors – as well as latin-american brutalist architecture.

rodrigo valenzuela (b. santiago, chile 1982) lives and work in los angeles, ca, where he is an assistant professor and head of the photography department at ucla. valenzuela is the recipient of the 2021 guggenheim fellowship in photography and smithsonian artist research fellowship. he has received the joan mitchell award, art matters foundation grant, and artist trust innovators award. recent solo exhibitions include screen series at the new museum, ny (2019), lisa kandlhofer galerie, vienna, au (2018), work in its place, jordan schnitzer museum of art, eugene (2018); american-type, orange county museum (2018); labor standards, portland art museum (2018); future ruins, frye art museum, seattle (2015). recent residencies include the core fellowship at the museum of fine arts, houston, tx, skowhegan school of painting and sculpture, me, macdowell colony, nh, bemis center for contemporary arts, ne, lightwork, syracuse, ny, and the center for photography at woodstock, ny.

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above> lithostatic / farah salem / hyde park artcenter (chicago / lisbon) booth #453 / 2022

the hyde park art center is proud to present a micro-exhibition of works by regina agu and farah salem that reflect on the relationship between geography, the body, and the histories and traditions embedded in landscapes. salem’s most recent multimedia installations trace relationships between land and ancestral healing practices. informed by her profession as an art therapist and counselor applying somatic-based therapies for trauma healing, research and experiments with movement-based and musical traditions from the arabian peninsula, salem’s practice explores the potential erasure of socio-cultural conditioning that influences and distorts shared realities. salem studied graphic design.

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above> karen knorr / sundaram tagore gallery (new york) booth #209

american/british artist and activist karen knorr (b. 1954) is known for her sumptuous, conceptually driven photographs that employ opulent palaces, museums and temples of western europe and asia to frame issues of power rooted in cultural heritage.

knorr was born to american parents in frankfurt, germany, and raised in san juan, puerto rico. she studied art in paris and london, where she eventually settled in 1976 and still lives today. her multi-cultural upbringing was deeply influential, especially in the formative years of her career when she used photography to make sense of her world as a young puerto rican american assimilating to life in london. her experience as an outsider is part of what sparked her longtime interest in exploring issues surrounding culture and society.

knorr was also inspired by the artistic practices of friends and contemporaries, including photographers bill brandt, bill owens and diane arbus, as well as conceptual artists michael asher, martha rosler, andrea fraser and hans haacke, one of the leading proponents of institutional critique. in the 1970s, knorr studied under noted photographer eileen cowin and artist victor burgin, who opened her eyes to new ways of critically engaging with photography and its relationship to institutions and heritage.

over the course of her career, knorr has used video and photography as a method of critical inquest. her work has consistently examined the meaning of place, often drawing from folklore, myths and allegories to express contemporary ideas. more recently, her titles reference historic works of literature, such as aesop’s fables, the poems of ovid and ancient epics from india, including the rāmāyana, the mahābhārata and the panchatantra.

knorr uses this layered storytelling approach to distance herself from more literal documentary photography. lush, playful and spectacularly colorful, her images of exotic animals digitally fused into grand architectural settings are as aesthetically thrilling as they are thought-provoking. knorr’s work resides almost exclusively in place and space.

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above> pimba agida lll / remy jungerman / fridman gallery (new york) booth #276 / 2020

in his work, remy jungerman explores the intersection of pattern and symbol in surinamese maroon culture, the larger african diaspora, and 20th century “modernism.” in bringing seemingly disparate visual languages into conversation, jungerman’s work challenges the established art historical canon. as art and culture critic greg tate has remarked “jungerman’s work leaps boldly and adroitly into the epistemological gap between culturally confident maroon self-knowledge and the dutch learning curve around all things jungerman, afropean and eurocentric.”

born and raised in suriname, he is a descendant, on his mother’s side, of the surinamese maroons who escaped enslavement on dutch plantations to establish self-governed communities in the surinamese rainforest. within their rich culture, many west-african influences are preserved including the prominent use of abstract geometrical patterns. placing fragments of maroon textiles, as well other materials found in the african diaspora such as the kaolin clay used in many african religious traditions or the nails featured in nkisi nkondi power sculpture, in direct contact with materials and imagery drawn from more “established” art traditions, jungerman presents a peripheral vision that can enrich and inform our perspective on art history.

jungerman attended the academy for higher arts and cultural studies in paramaribo, suriname, before moving to amsterdam where he studied at the gerrit rietveld academy. jungerman studied architecture.

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entering its tenth year as a leading international art fair, expo chicago, the international exposition of contemporary and modern art will host more than 140 leading international exhibitors at expo chicago 2023 in navy pier’s festival hall, presented alongside one of the highest quality platforms for global contemporary art and culture. the exposition draws upon the city’s rich history as a vibrant international cultural destination, while engaging the region’s contemporary art community and collector base. the 2023 edition of expo chicago will present various programs and events throughout chicago during expo art week (april 10–16, 2023).

vernissage:
thursday, april 13 | 12:00noon – 6:00pm
by invitation only.

general admission:
friday, april 14 | 11:00am – 7:00pm
saturday, april 15 | 11:00am – 7:00pm
sunday, april 16 | 11:00am – 6:00pm

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a man for all reasons brit architect/designer david chipperfield wins 2023 pritzker architecture prize.

Mar 7, 2023

civic architect, urban planner and activist, sir david alan chipperfield has been selected as the 2023 laureate of the pritzker architecture prize, the award that is regarded internationally as architecture’s highest honor.

truly a man for all reasons. whether it’s a museum, a spoon or a lounge chair, either modern or traditional, his effort is subtle yet powerful, subdued yet elegant, he is a prolific architect and designer who is radical in his restraint, demonstrating his reverence for history and culture while honoring the preexisting built and natural environments, as he reimagines functionality and accessibility of new buildings, renovations and restorations through timeless modern design that confronts climate urgencies, transforms social relationships and reinvigorates cities.

“i am so overwhelmed to receive this extraordinary honour and to be associated with the previous recipients who have all given so much inspiration to the profession,” remarks chipperfield. “i take this award as an encouragement to continue to direct my attention not only to the substance of architecture and its meaning but also to the contribution that we can make as architects to address the existential challenges of climate change and societal inequality. we know that, as architects, we can have a more prominent and engaged role in creating not only a more beautiful world but a fairer and more sustainable one too. we must rise to this challenge and help inspire the next generation to embrace this responsibility with vision and courage.”

above> procuratie vecchie, photo courtesy of richard davies // below> procuratie vecchie, photo courtesy of alessandra chemollo

above/below> royal academy of arts masterplan, photo courtesy of simon menges

above> royal academy of arts masterplan, photo courtesy of the royal academy of arts

above/below> amorepacific headquarters, photo courtesy of noshe

above> amorepacific headquarters, photo courtesy of noshe

above/below> america’s cup building ‘veles e vents,’ photo courtesy of christian richters

above> america’s cup building ‘veles e vents,’ photo courtesy of christian richters

above/below> the hepworth wakefield, photo courtesy of iwan baan

above/below> saint louis art museum, photo courtesy of simon menges

above/below> james-simon-galerie, photo courtesy of ute zscharnt

above/below> inagawa cemetery chapel and visitor center, photo courtesy of keiko sasaoka

above> inagawa cemetery chapel and visitor center, photo courtesy of keiko sasaoka

above/below> river and rowing museum, photo courtesy of richard bryant / arcaid

[ about the prize ]
to honor a living architect or architects whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision, and commitment, which has produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built environment through the art of architecture.

the international prize, which is awarded each year to a living architect/s for significant achievement, was established by the pritzker family of chicago through their hyatt foundation in 1979. it is granted annually and is often referred to as “architecture’s nobel” and “the profession’s highest honor.”

the award consists of $100,000 (us) and a bronze medallion. the award is conferred on the laureate/s at a ceremony held at an architecturally significant site throughout the world.

jay and cindy pritzker believed that a meaningful prize would encourage and stimulate not only a greater public awareness of buildings but also would inspire greater creativity within the architectural profession.

the prize takes its name from the pritzker family, whose international business interests are headquartered in chicago. their name is synonymous with hyatt hotels located throughout the world. the pritzkers have long been known for their support of educational, scientific, medical, and cultural activities. jay a. pritzker, (1922-1999), founded the prize with his wife, cindy. his eldest son, tom pritzker, the chairman and president of hyatt foundation, explains, “as native chicagoans, it’s not surprising that our family was keenly aware of architecture, living in the birthplace of the skyscraper, a city filled with buildings designed by architectural legends such as louis sullivan, frank lloyd wright, mies van der rohe, and many others.”

he continues, “in 1967, we acquired an unfinished building which was to become the hyatt regency atlanta. its soaring atrium was wildly successful and became the signature piece of our hotels around the world. it was immediately apparent that this design had a pronounced effect on the mood of our guests and attitude of our employees. while the architecture of chicago made us cognizant of the art of architecture, our work with designing and building hotels made us aware of the impact architecture could have on human behavior. so in 1978, when we were approached with the idea of honoring living architects, we were responsive. mom and dad (cindy and the late jay a. pritzker) believed that a meaningful prize would encourage and stimulate not only a greater public awareness of buildings but also would inspire greater creativity within the architectural profession.”

many of the procedures and rewards of the pritzker prize are modeled after the nobel prize. laureates of the pritzker architecture prize receive a $100,000 grant, a formal citation certificate, and since 1987, a bronze medallion. prior to that year, a limited edition henry moore sculpture was presented to each laureate.

[ sir david chipperfield awarded pritzker architecture prize ]

this glass is for the birds migratory birds that is.

Oct 30, 2022

above > saflex flysafe 3d

worldwide, billions of birds are killed as they collide with glass windows and building facades — so much so that many cities and countries now require bird-friendly glazing in new buildings.

in response to this global problem, eastman, in partnership with seen ag, has introduced a new polyvinyl butyral (pvb) interlayer for laminated glass: saflex flysafe 3d, a highly effective solution to avoid bird collisions without compromising on the view or beauty of glass facades.

unlike other bird-protection approaches that use decals, printing, or etching on the surface of the glass, saflex flysafe 3d features three-dimensional, reflective sequins between two layers of glass. the sequins catch the light at different angles, subtly twinkling to deter birds from the glass — something two-dimensional dots and stripes don’t do.

due to the 3d nature of the sequins, less coverage is required; the discreet sequin pattern covers less than 1% of the glass area. other solutions considered highly effective have at least five times the coverage and can be greater than 25%. and because the sequins are layered between glass, it is a long-lasting bird-protection solution.

“given the prevalence of glass in modern architecture, bird collisions are a global problem,” said heather singler, commercial director of eastman’s global architecture business. “too often, birds fail to see glass, or misjudge reflections — all leading to avoidable collisions. and we can indeed avoid these collisions. saflex flysafe 3d has proven to be highly effective as a bird collision deterrent.”

collision laboratories in hohenau-ringelsdorf, austria, have tested and rated the 3d-reflective technology used in saflex flysafe 3d. in both transmission and reflective testing, it is recognized in the industry and by ornithologists as one of the best — classified as highly effective, durable, and with better aesthetics. additionally, saflex flysafe 3d helps builders and building owners meet emerging regulations and certifications for bird protection, including securing leed sspc55 pilot credits for bird collision deterrence thanks to a threat factor of less than 10 from the american bird conservancy.

the minimal coverage of the bird-deterring sequins makes saflex flysafe 3d interlayers ideal for a variety of applications, including atriums, balustrades, cladding, curtain walls, exterior doors, facades, link bridges, podium glass, skylights and windows.

in addition to bird collision avoidance, saflex flysafe 3d interlayers can be combined with selective coatings and other saflex products to enhance glass further, giving it greater security, stability, acoustic control, solar control and protection from harmful uv rays.

“even if your municipality doesn’t require bird-friendly buildings, it’s the right thing to do,” singler said. “our experts can help you spec the right type of interlayer — or combination of interlayers —to meet your safety, structural and aesthetic goals while protecting countless birds without trade-offs in efficiency and surface coverage.”

to learn more about the benefits of saflex flysafe 3d interlayers and how they make glass construction safer for our feathered friends, visit saflex.com/flysafe.

founded in 1920, eastman is a global specialty materials company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. with the purpose of enhancing the quality of life in a material way, eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability. the company’s innovation-driven growth model takes advantage of world-class technology platforms, deep customer engagement, and differentiated application development to grow its leading positions in attractive end markets such as transportation, building and construction, and consumables. as a globally inclusive and diverse company, eastman employs approximately 14,000 people around the world and serves customers in more than 100 countries. the company had 2021 revenues of approximately $10.5 billion and is headquartered in kingsport, tennessee, usa. note: mark may 14 in you calendar as it’s [ world migratory bird day ]

unrivaled residences found in repurposed chicago tribune tower.

Sep 15, 2022

above > tribune tower | crown terrace

a problem with most new construction in the residential high-rise segment is everything sort of looks the same, nothing really distinctive and unique. another irrational feature of new is the bedrooms are so small, quite out of scale with the rest of the unit and if you have a king-size bed your only hope is a big walk-in closet. chicago now offers an exception within the newly converted chicago tribune tower, a gothic masterpiece of a building. the tower was originally designed for commercial office space but has been repurposed into unrivaled residences and public spaces. below are a few examples.

architecture by scb / interior design by the gettys group. [ tribune tower competition of 1922 ]

above> tribune tower | illinois street lobby entrance

above> tribune tower | a lobby off the main reception area

above> tribune tower | courtyard overview

above> tribune tower | private parking area

above/below > tribune tower | crown terrace

above> tribune tower | deck

above/below> tribune tower | indoor pool

above> tribune tower | deck

above/below> tribune tower | deck

above> tribune tower | unit 2901

above> tribune tower | unit 3101 bedroom // below> unit 3101 living room

above> tribune tower | unit 402 living room

above/below> tribune tower | unit 2601 living room + private terrace

above/below> tribune tower | unit 2001 living room

above tribune tower | unit 2001 living room

above> legacy tribune building photo found in chicago bar restroom

mies van der rohe partner joe fujikawa mid-century home recently sells.

Aug 12, 2022

chicago architect joesph (joe) fujikawa‘s home recently sold. this news was startling because i was in this house a long time ago. joe was my second client in my own newly formed business in the late 70s, my first client being chicago mayor michael (j) daley. joe, asked me to create an identity and an award for the world trade council in chicago. there i met the president of the association, robert s ingersoll. mr. ingersoll was chairman and chief executive of the chicago-based borg-warner corporation as well as former ambassador to japan. this began an enormous run of commercial real estate projects. and i picked up mentors in joe and jerry (johnson).

i asked joe if he loved art. he said, “ron i love it ! i just don’t have a place to hang it.”

fujikawa was a californian who studied architecture at illinois institute of technology in the 1940s and 1950s under ludwig mies van der rohe and then worked in mies’ chicago firm, becoming a partner.

after mies’ death in 1969, fujikawa was a partner in the successor firm, fujikawa conterato lohan associates. in the 1980s, fujikawa founded a new firm, fujikawa johnson. fujikawa contributed to mies’ crown hall at illinois tech and other buildings, and his later firm designed the chicago mercantile exchange on wacker drive, the metcalfe federal building in the loop and one illinois center, among others.

along with his wife, grace, and two children, fujikawa lived in hyde park until building this house around 1971, his son, steve fujikawa, told crain’s before putting the house on the market in october. the architect died in 2004, and grace fujikawa died in 2016.

steve fujikawa told crain’s that when the family moved in, he was in high school and didn’t quite apprehend that the house was anything special compared to the colonials and other traditional-looking homes in the neighborhood. he grew convinced when his friends at new trier township high school, about six blocks south, “always told me i lived in the coolest house.”

the house is the latest in a series of midcentury suburban homes to sell quickly this year. among the others are houses in riverwoods, indian head park and chicago heights.

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381 fairview avenue, winnetka, il 60093
$765,000
modernist trophy in east winnetka. brilliant architectural design and engineering by noted mies van der rohe associate joseph fujikawa built as his own private residence. open floor plan that is terrific for entertaining or peaceful enjoyment. metal floating stairs are reminiscent of mies’ arts club stairs, one of chicago’s famed design icons. large continuous balcony off bedrooms that overlook tiered garden and private backyard. built-in cabinetry, terrazzo floors and more.

diébédo francis kéré receives the 2022 pritzker architecture prize.

Mar 15, 2022

above> startup lions campus, photo courtesy of francis kéré

diébédo francis kéré, architect, educator and social activist, has been selected as the 2022 laureate of the pritzker architecture prize, announced tom pritzker, chairman of the hyatt foundation, which sponsors the award that is regarded internationally as architecture’s highest honor.

“i am hoping to change the paradigm, push people to dream and undergo risk. it is not because you are rich that you should waste material. it is not because you are poor that you should not try to create quality,” says kéré. “everyone deserves quality, everyone deserves luxury, and everyone deserves comfort. we are interlinked and concerns in climate, democracy and scarcity are concerns for us all.”

francis kéré (b. diébédo francis kéré, 1965) was born in burkina faso – one of the world’s least educated and most impoverished nations, a land void of clean drinking water, electricity and infrastructure, let alone architecture.

“i grew up in a community where there was no kindergarten, but where community was your family. everyone took care of you and the entire village was your playground. my days were filled with securing food and water, but also simply being together, talking together, building houses together. i remember the room where my grandmother would sit and tell stories with a little light, while we would huddle close to each other and her voice inside the room enclosed us, summoning us to come closer and form a safe place. this was my first sense of architecture.”

diébédo francis kéré, photo courtesy of lars borges

xylem, photo courtesy of iwan baan

gando primary school, photo courtesy of erik-jan owerkerk

the success of gando primary school awarded him the aga khan award for architecture in 2004, and was the catalyst for establishing his practice, kéré architecture, in berlin, germany in 2005. the realization of additional primary, secondary, postsecondary and medical facilities soon followed throughout burkina faso, kenya, mozambique and uganda. kéré’s built works in africa have yielded exponential results, not only by providing academic education for children and medical treatment for the unwell, but by instilling occupational opportunities and abiding vocational skills for adults, therefore serving and stabilizing the future of entire communities.

serpentine pavilion, photo courtesy of iwan baan

sarbalé ke, photo courtesy of iwan baan

opera village, photo courtesy of francis kéré

national park of mali, photo courtesy of francis kéré

lycée schorge secondary school, photo courtesy of iwan baan

burkina faso national assembly, rendering courtesy of kéré architecture

benin national assembly, rendering courtesy of kéré architecture

his work has expanded beyond school buildings in african countries to include temporary and permanent structures in denmark, germany, italy, switzerland, the united kingdom, and the united states. two historic parliament buildings, the national assembly of burkina faso (ouagadougou, burkina faso) and benin national assembly (porto-novo, republic of benin), have been commissioned, with the latter currently under construction.

additional awards include the cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine’s global award for sustainable architecture (2009), bsi swiss architectural award (2010); the global holcim awards gold (2012, zurich, switzerland), schelling architecture award (2014); arnold w brunner memorial prize in architecture from the american academy of arts & letters (2017); and the thomas jefferson foundation medal in architecture (2021).

the architect has been a visiting professor at the harvard university graduate school of design (massachusetts, united states), yale school of architecture (connecticut, united states), and holds the inaugural chair of architectural design and participation professorship at the technische universität münchen (munich, germany) since 2017. he is an honorary fellow of royal architectural institute of canada (2018) and the american institute of architects (2012) and a chartered member of the royal institute of british architects (2009).

kéré is a dual citizen of burkina faso and germany and spends his time professionally and personally equally in both countries.

[ purpose ]
to honor a living architect or architects whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision, and commitment, which has produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built environment through the art of architecture.

the award consists of $100,000 (us) and a bronze medallion. the award is conferred on the laureate/s at a ceremony held at an architecturally significant site throughout the world.

brit architect richard rogers’ greatest legacy not a building but his activism.

Dec 19, 2021

above> norman foster, richard rogers, carl abbott

as richard rogers retires from the practice he founded more than 40 years ago, former colleague sarah gaventa considers his legacy.

richard rogers’ greatest achievements, to me, are not the buildings to which his name is attached – and whose design is often the work of others – but his contribution to the role and value of architecture in our society.

his highly effective activism, which is what it would be called now – lobbying and steering politicians and decision-makers, advocating for improving our cities and public spaces and the lives of citizens through quality design – seems far more important.

this activism applies to the practice too. he spotted and nurtured great talent; some who stayed to be his partners and others who went off to start their own successful practices – and whom he happily recommended for work.

above> millenium dome // below> 3 world trade

above> senedd cymru, welsh parliament // below> industrialized housing

above> taoyuan airport t3

[ rogers stirk harbour ] [ legacy source ] [ norman foster ]

studio gang debuts new gallery featuring blue tin production and a broader abolitionist movement.

Dec 13, 2021

a collaboration with blue tin production and studio gang creates two inaugural happenings: an exhibition — a different future in the making: building garment worker power & a broader abolitionist movement; and blue tin production’s corporate office — 63rd house. a third element includes the opening of studio gang’s new gallery space in wicker park where this exhibition debuts. that’s quite an announcement!

the opening of the gallery coincided with the opening of the 2021 chicago architecture biennial (cab), where studio gang was a partner. because of the pandemic which affected long-established global venues, such as the venice architecture biennale, whose dates were put off twice — first, from may to august 2020, then to may 2021, chicago’s events will offer content within a neighborhood-centric format throughout the city.

the 2021 chicago event, titled the available city includes 15 site-specific architectural installations: located on public and private lots located in chicago’s neighborhoods of north lawndale, bronzeville, woodlawn, englewood, pilsen, and the south loop. there are also two exhibition-based explorations located in an unused storefront space in bronzeville and at the graham foundation.

[ the exhibition ]

a different future in the making shows how these questions are being explored by blue tin production, the first apparel manufacturing worker co-operative in the u.s. run by immigrant, refugee, and working-class women of color. materializing blue tin’s radical model and vision using the tools and techniques of garment work, this exhibition also reveals how the co-operative is seeding greater change through their newest project: 63rd house, a community space and manufacturing studio in chicago lawn designed by studio gang.

what can bottom-up, systemic change look like in the garment industry—and beyond—when exploitation and violence are replaced by community and care? and what role might architecture and design play in this transformation?

on view
20 november 2021 > 11 february 2022
1520 west division street chicago
[ tickets/reservations ]

above> a concept presentation of the 63rd house headquarters / below> a trench coat made by blue tin, glimpsed through a hand-sewn curtain by diana aguilar and hale ekinci, 2021

[ studio gang ] photos steve hall (c) hall + merrick

2021 chicago architecture biennial. englewood installations.

Oct 27, 2021

above/below> englewood village plaza concept / courtesy of atelier bow-wow
[ englewood village plaza / atelier bow-wow / tokyo ]

the englewood village plaza at 58th street and halsted serves as the entry point to the englewood nature trail. as a two-mile-long green infrastructure reuse project, the trail builds on foundational values of anti-displacement, fostering career pathways, and community stewardship. the plaza will serve as a gathering space for the englewood community with a range of uses including a weekly community market, a learning garden, and a site for cultural discussions and film screenings—all rooted in black culinary and land traditions.

through a co-creation process with grow greater englewood, atelier bow-wow designed raised gardening beds, indoor growing houses, new office space, a forty-person communal table, and the englewood commons. both the community table and the commons serve multiple functions: the former is a place where residents can break bread with their neighbors and families, feeding both body and soul. the latter, to be constructed in 2022, will be a gathering deck for events, markets, and performances. together, these communal spaces, which will be open to all partners and community residents, reinforce the idea that community wealth is rooted in its health.

atelier bow-wow is a tokyo-based firm founded by yoshiharu tsukamoto and momoyo kaijima in 1992. the pair’s interests range from architectural design and urban research to the creation of public artworks, which are produced based on the concept of “behaviorology.” atelier bow-wow has designed and built houses and public buildings mainly in tokyo, but also in europe and the us. their urban research led to the experimental project micro-public-space that has been exhibited across the world. among their books are graphic anatomy (toto, 2007) and behaviorology (rizzoli, 2010).

neighborhood: englewood
venue: the englewood village plaza
address: 58th street and halsted, 60621
hours to visit: daily between 11am-4pm
project by: atelier bow-wow

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visit the [ chicago architecture biennial ] to explore more about the biennial, what is on view throughout the city, and upcoming programs and events. look for DesignApplause to spell out these events in weekly separate articles.

[ upcoming programming! ] #cab21 #chicagoarchitecturebiennial

photography by gloria araya
this is a developing story…

2021 chicago architecture biennial collateral projects.

Oct 6, 2021

the 2021 chicago architecture biennial announced more than 100 city-wide cultural partners that will present programming in coordination with this year’s chicago architecture biennial, the available city, which will take place from 17 september 18-december 2021 at locations across the city. the 2021 edition will present ideas and possibilities for vacant urban spaces, activated with and for local community groups in collaboration with designers

above > courtesy som

designed and fabricated by som and the university of michigan taubman college of architecture and urban planning, the pavilion is an open-air learning lab and gathering space for a school in chicago’s south shore. led by professors tsz yan ng and wes mcgee, the splam [spatial laminated timber] pavilion showcases the potential for prefabricated timber.designed and fabricated by som and the university of michigan taubman college of architecture and urban planning, the pavilion is an open-air learning lab and gathering space for a school in chicago’s south shore. the product of a multi-year creative collaboration between skidmore, owings & merrill (som) and university of michigan taubman college, led by professors tsz yan ng and wes mcgee, the splam [spatial laminated timber] pavilion showcases the potential for prefabricated timber. “automated manufacturing technologies enable us to precisely and efficiently prefabricate a kit of parts which can be delivered to the construction site on demand, leveraging skilled labor where it is most effective in the process,” ng and mcgee said in a statement.

neighborhood: south shore
address: epic academy / 8255 south houston avenue, 60617

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the douglass 18 miniature golf course redesigned with a theme of bird conservation opens in north lawndale, a project by the lincoln park zoo and community partners with the support of the chicago park district.

above > courtesy nathan loevy

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above> courtesy studio gang

the opening of the gallery coincided with the opening of the 2021 chicago architecture biennial (cab), where studio gang was a partner.

[ the exhibition ]

a different future in the making shows how these questions are being explored by blue tin production, the first apparel manufacturing worker co-operative in the us run by immigrant, refugee, and working-class women of color. materializing blue tin’s radical model and vision using the tools and techniques of garment work, this exhibition also reveals how the co-operative is seeding greater change through their newest project: 63rd house, a community space and manufacturing studio in chicago lawn designed by studio gang.

what can bottom-up, systemic change look like in the garment industry—and beyond—when exploitation and violence are replaced by community and care? and what role might architecture and design play in this transformation?

on view
20 november 2021 > 11 february 2022
studio gang gallery
neighborhood: wicker park
address: 1520 west division street chicago
[ details ]

[ 2021 chicago architecture biennial overview ]