Studio Gang Architects – DesignApplause

responsive second concept proposal for chicago’s lucas museum of narrative art.

Sep 17, 2015

a new proposal view of the lucas museum of narrative art with cityscape from the south east. all new proposal renderings are courtesy of the lucas museum of narrative art.

Chinese architect Ma Yansong [ MAD Architects ] second concept presentation of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art responds to being too big and unruly for the lakefront and the existing buildings in Museum Campus. With 25% less building mass and 40% less footprint, the second iteration sticks to the initial concept though its new scale is now cooperating with the surroundings. Regretfully, the naysayers wanting the same unobstructed views of the lake from Lake Shore Drive that the seldom used ‘parking lot’ offers will still not be happy campers along with the tail-gaters.

a bird’s eye view of the lucas museum of narrative art and surrounding park setting.

Though the building went from 110 feet tall to 137 feet tall, the new proposal is more sleek, lighter looking. The landscaping design, by New York’s SCAPE landscape architects and Chicago’s Studio Gang Architects, responds to the new proposal and delivers Ma’s vision that the building’s form itself is a rolling hill, though now with new dunes and bike and foot flow winding around it.

rendering of the visitor experience on the public plaza of the lucas museum of narrative art. the plaza as well as the surrounding greenspace will be open and accessible to park visitors.

a look inside the lucas museum of narrative art. the diagram shows the spiral ramp, three theaters, galleries, classrooms and library.

an aerial view of the lucas museum of narrative art site.

There are still unanswered questions what happens to traffic when the Chicago Bears play at home therefore traffic-flow plans are in order and we want to see more concept details. And please don’t stop being critical. Ma and team is responding. And please don’t stop squabbling the ‘parking lot’ is the best option because there is land available for a ‘parking facility’ immediately west of the Drive. If you’re debate is the view from Lake Shore Drive is ‘unpleasing to the eye’ please suggest leveling Soldier Field.

an aerial view of the the lakefront site.

The ‘view of the lake’ from Lake Shore Drive argument however, is only angle-deep. Here’s why. If you really wish to see the lake, don’t settle for views from LSD. It’s a whole new world being at the water’s edge. Seriously.

a side-by-side comparison of the lakefront site as it currently exists and how it will look with the museum and accessible, added green-space in place.

Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got
Till it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

big yellow taxi | joni mitchell | 1970

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, in development for Chicago’s lake shore museum campus, will celebrate the power of visual storytelling through collections and exhibitions of narrative painting, illustration, photography, film and cinema arts, animation and digital art. The Museum’s highly innovative facility is designed by Beijing-based MAD Architects. The Lucas Museum’s collection, conceived and initiated by George Lucas, continues to develop and grow in order to fulfill the Museum’s educationally driven mission.

a preview of the future… zoë ryan. graham foundation.

Nov 13, 2014

event> a preview of the future…
venue> graham foundation | madlener house 4 west burton place chicago 312.787.4071
date> 17 november 2014 | 6p cst

under the overarching title, the future is not what it used to be, the 2nd istanbul design biennial explores the potential of the design manifesto to envision and interrogate the future, now. in our contemporary context of rapid social and political change, how might design manifestos address larger issues while remaining grounded in everyday life? could the manifesto move beyond its western origins and incorporate ideas from across cultures? are new forms of media generating new forms of manifestos? zoë ryan, john h. bryan chair and curator of architecture and design at the art institute of chicago, and curator of the 2nd istanbul design biennial, will discuss its making, which is on view through december 14, 2014.

zoë ryan is a curator and writer. she is the john h. bryan chair and curator of architecture and design at the art institute of chicago where she is building the museum’s first collection of contemporary design and expanding its architecture collection. her recent exhibitions include building: inside studio gang architects (2012); fashioning the object: bless, boudicca, and sandra backlund (2012); bertrand goldberg: architecture of invention (2011); and hyperlinks: architecture and design (2010). prior to working at the museum, ryan was senior curator at the van alen institute in new york. ryan has authored and edited numerous publications, including, building with water: designs, concepts, visions (birkhauser press, 2010). ryan is often called upon as a juror and critic and has lectured on her work internationally. she has served on the advisory committee of the experimenta design biennial in lisbon, and has been a juror for the national design awards, cooper hewitt national design museum and the wheelwright fellowship, graduate school of design, harvard university. ryan is an adjunct associate professor in the school of design at the university of illinois at chicago and is a lecturer in the art history department of the school of the art institute.

this talk is presented in partnership with the architecture & design society of the art institute of chicago.

designapplause talked to zoë leading up to 2nd istanbul design biennial [ more ]

MAD architects + studio gang win chicago’s george lucas museum.

Jul 28, 2014

above> rendering of northerly island is from the framework plan | 2009 | courtesy of studio gang architects | click > enlarge

Four days after announcing that Chicago would be the home of The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art (LMNA), today George Lucas announces the architects: Ma Yansong, founder of Beijing based MAD architects and Jeanne Gang, founder of Chicago’s Studio Gang Architects. VOA Associates, based in Chicago, will serve as the executive architect and lead the implementation of MAD’s design.

The museum will be designed by Yansong and Gang the surrounding landscape and a pedestrian bridge to Northerly Island, a peninsula east of the museum site. The proposed site is a parking lot located between Soldier Field and McCormick Place. In addition there are three adjacent Museums – the Adler Planetarium, the Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium, all comprising a 57-acre parcel on Lake Michigan known as Museum Campus.

Yansong is a precocious figure for Chinese architecture, having made a name for himself around the world as a business leader and innovative architect. Recently named 2014’s Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and one of Fast Company‘s 100 Most Creative People in Business, Yansong founded MAD Architecture in 2004 in Beijing, and earlier this year announced the opening of another office in Los Angeles.

absolute towers aka marilyn monroe towers | 2011 | courtesy of mad architects

aqua tower | 2009 | courtesy of studio gang architects

Gang in 2009 designed the tallest building in the world to have a woman as lead architect, her first skyscraper, and in 2011 a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellow and Genius grant winner, the same year named in Fast Company‘s ‘Masters of Design’. She was recently honored with the 2013 National Design Award for Architecture, from the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. She found Studio Gang Architects in 1997.

The Lucas release said of the team, “We are bringing together some of the top architects in the world to ensure that our museum experience begins long before a visitor ever enters the building,” said George Lucas, founder of the LMNA. “I am thrilled with the architectural team’s vision for the building and the surrounding green space. I look forward to presenting our design to the Chicago community.”

The project requires the approval of the Chicago Plan Commission. There’s opposition from both the open-space advocates and Chicago Bears fans who use the parking lot to tailgate. In addition there’s a key legal issue. In 1970, after the 70-story Lake Point Tower and McCormick Place convention center was built, a law was passed to pay attention to the city’s 14 policies for the shoreline. One policy says no further private development east of Lake Shore Drive. To be determined – is the Lucas Museum classified as a private or public institution. The three museums of the Museum Campus all occupy buildings that they own, but the museums were built long before the law took effect.

Chicago’s Mayor Rahm Emanuel heavily lobbied for the Lucas Museum and made the studied decision to include Gang in the task force that selected the site. The open-span advocates also are aware, or should be, of Gang’s body of work, rich with the restoration of wildness to nature in urban settings. Her projects tackle social problems, notably how to create environmentally sustainable cities. Gang believes that the design of institutions such as museums or aquariums not only reflects human culture but can also shape it.

The museum will be home to more than 500,000 objects including ‘Star Wars’ and Norman Rockwell art. No price tag has been announced but figure on $1 billion – Lucas pledged $700M when talking to San Francisco about this project. Conceptual drawings are expected in September 2014 and the museum plans to open in 2018.

The runner-up was Amsterdam’s UNStudio who built a pavilion in 2009 in Millennium Park for the 100th anniversary of Daniel Burnham’s Plan of Chicago. Another on a short-list was London’s Zaha Hadid Architects who also built a pavilion for the anniversary.

courtesy of mad architects

[ MAD Architects ] is a global architecture firm committed to developing futuristic, organic designs that embody a contemporary interpretation of the Eastern spirit of nature. MAD’s works incorporate sustainable design and advanced architecture technology to achieve harmony with natural and urban environments. With its core design philosophy of the “Shanshui City,” which is a perfect combination of city density, functionality and the artistic conception of natural landscape that aims at composing a future city that takes human spirit and emotion at their cores, MAD endeavors to create a new balance among society, the city and the environment through new forms of architecture. More than 80 architects from all over the world work in MAD’s offices in Beijing and Los Angeles.

courtesy of studio gang architects | ©sally ryan photography

[ Studio Gang Architects ] is a collective of 50-plus architects, designers, and thinkers whose work engages pressing contemporary issues and their impact on human experience. Honored with the 2013 National Design Award for Architecture from the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, the Studio acts as a laboratory—testing ideas on various scales, from cities and environments to material and physical properties. Cross-field research, collaboration, and iterative experimentation using both digital and analog technologies are integral to the Studio’s process. Each project is designed to resonate with its specific site and culture while addressing global themes such as reuse and sustainability. [ new yorker profile ]
[ VOA Architects ] is a 40-year-old nine-location global architectural design firm. VOA Associates, whose designs include Roosevelt University’s 32-story vertical campus in downtown Chicago and the Swedish Embassy in Washington, D.C., will implement Mr. Ma’s design. “We will take the concept design and create a digital sculpture that will serve as the blueprint for construction,” said Michael Toolis, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, VOA Associates. “Each aspect of the museum will be digitally created using technology that enables us to test daylight, create interactive models and examine how the design performs in different environments.”

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ask the right question. expo chicago 2013.

Sep 21, 2013

The second annual Expo Chicago, the International Exposition of Contemporary and Modern Art, is dedicated to strong and innovative art and design. This year’s design amplifies Studio Gang Architects (SGA) previous experiments using suspended large-scale sculptural elements to define distinct areas for gathering and relaxing, while simultaneously creating an optical experience of the art and activity that shifts as visitors move through the space. Refining the Expo floor’s organization (a grid cut through by a strong diagonal pathway) will also increase ease of navigation and further enhance the art’s visibility.

left > right / modern wing exhibit | pre-Expo assembly

In both Expo 12 & 13 SGA incorporates the firm’s collaborative, inquiry-based and research-driven approach presented in 2012 in an exhibition in Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago. “Full-scale mock ups test the capabilities and behavior of materials, as can be seen in the hanging “Rope Rooms” in the exhibit. Investigating and uncovering a material’s properties such as fluidity, viscosity, bending, or stiffness, independent of a particular project, is often beneficial for the work that may come next.”

left > right / cutaway cabinets & bend | snarkitecture | 2013

Renowned architecture firm Snarkitecture serves up Cutaway Cabinets, a new series designed by Snarkitecture for MCA Chicago Pop-Up Bookstore at EXPO. Appearing at first as simple white boxes, the cladding of each cut-away in a series of irregular excavations. The openings reveal an internal spine whose surfaces create a range of display and storage options. In addition, Bend, a series of upholstered foam elements provide seating under the main center cone, designed by Snarkitecture in partnership with Volume Gallery, Chicago. Bend debuted at Design Miami 12.

todd glickman, director of new business and strategy | my new secret tribe

While at MCA’s pop-up we discover ‘artist designed footwear’ Bucketfeet, a globally inspired footwear brand that connects people across the world through art! The two-year-old Chicago-based company has designer Scott Wilson [Minimal] as one of their advisors and was asked by Tony Karman to come to Expo. [ details ]

[DesignApplause] Todd, the concept, how does art and design reside in Bucketfeet?
[Todd Glickman] That’s a very interesting question. On the design side we’ve tried to create a silhouette to where the shoe is functional. If you look inside the shoe it’s all organic soft cotton canvas with a removable latex insole that has bubbles under the ball of the feet. So you’ll like your shoe for the aesthetic and they’ll last a long time and be very comfortable.
[DA] Do you have ‘Secret Tribe’ in a size 13? I’d like to wear them to Vernissage tonight.
[TG] The right question, yes, we do!

eugin batz | spatial effect of colors and forms, an exercise for color-theory, from a course taught by vasily kandinsky, tempera over pencil on black paper | 1929>30 | bauhaus-archiv berlin

art |architecture |design | 1917 > today
[ de stijl: mondrian and his influence ] [ bauhaus ] [ lessons from the bauhaus ]

In the art world, DesignApplause attempts ‘objects-only’ which could include a sculpture, or a photograph or painting of an Air Stream trailer for example. However, typically the art conversations are pieces by designers that reside in design galleries. For Expo 2013, for the first time, we put this question to the dealers we talked to: is there any architecture or design inspired art in your booth today?

The very first gallery…

steam | alexandre arrechea | magnan metz gallery | 2013

[DA] Alberto, is there any architecture or design inspired art in your booth today?
[Alberto Magnan] Alexandre Arrechea is a Cuban born artist. He works a lot with design and art. This piece is represents Chicago bridges which are all stacked on each other and this is a design project he has going.

multicolored cube | alois kronschaeger | tierney gardarin | 2013

[DA] Cristin, we were talking about the design influence on this artist.
[Cristin Tierney] This is the work of Alois Kronschaeger. He’s based in Brooklyn and originally from Austria. He works in the arenas of fine art that crosses over into design, fashion and architecture. He’s about to have a large scale installation which will be part art and part architecture, 10,000 sq/ft of experiential art, at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tucson opening October 4.

untitled | gyorgy kepes | robert koch gallery | 1939>41

[DA] Ada, do you have design or architecture influenced work displayed today?
[Ada Takahashi] Ron, you are going to like this artist. Gyorgy Kepes taught at the Institute of Design in Chicago. He taught a class on light and design. In this photogram you can see he’s playing with numbers and letters as design elements. Gyorgy was very influential here in Chicago and Moholy Nagy asked him to teach.
[Robert Koch] I’m an architect.

scenery | kathy taslitz | the international sculpture center | 2013

[DA] Sonya, …… ?
[Sonya] Kathy has a pretty diverse background. Her mom was an artist. She was an advertising account executive and morphed into a photo stylist in fashion and home furnishings. She’s now an award winning interior designer. Scenery is fiberglass, video projection and sound, which is about as diverse as her background.

the artist | moto waganari | hollis taggart galleries | 2013

[DesignApplause] Martin, …… ?
[Martin Friedrichs] Moto Waganari is a German architect who’s given name is Lutz Wagner. He works in a CAD program to design these beautiful sculptures. Mostly figure studies but also other things. He then prints them on a 3D printing process. Key essential elements of his work is also the shadows that his works cast. He’s very particular about what source of light is used.

spin-the-spin | alice aycock | galerie thomas schulte | 2012

[DA] Gonzalo, …… ?
[Gonzalo Alarcón] Alice Aycock studied architecture but her degrees are in fine art. But you can see the architectural influence , especially in the 70s installations, as many of her works, her elements of minimalism hybrid forms, computer programming, to create a complex combination of architectural and sculptural pieces. this piece represents her current study of energy of the city, a spinning off and colliding of thoughts and ideas.

aluminum diamond curtain | tim prentice | maxwell davidson gallery | 2013

[DA] Charlie, …… ?
[Charles Davidson] We’re looking at a piece of kinetic sculpture by Tim Prentice, a very successful architect but found his true love was really making artwork. Most of his sculpture is to define wind currents. And he designs each piece from the perspective that he thinks about where the piece is located so they really react with the intended space.

[DA] Charlie, I see a pavilion from Tim on the horizon. I’ve talked to 10 galleries already and I am hit and miss on the backgrounds of the art that draws me into the gallery. I was drawn in by this piece that looks like the Foster designed 30 St Mary Axe building in London (2001>2003) and thinking the building inspired this artist.

beehive temple | mary ann unger | maxwell davidson gallery | 1987

[CD] A debatable assumption. This is a mockette of a larger piece which is on the campus of Lehigh University. This is the wooden study by Mary Ann Unger who died in 1998. A lot of her drawings are very geometrical and architectural.

headdress | pedro s. de movellan | maxwell davidson gallery | 1997

[DA] Back at you Charlie.
[CD] We’re looking at a sculpture by Pedro De Movellan, an American sculpture who does all kinetic work who works in wood, metal and mostly carbon fiber now. His father was an architect and his mother an artist.

Did not find an artist on premise to tell their own story. But did go off-site Friday night to see Herbert Murrie who has a fine art degree and started as an artist then to a very successful graphic design practice for 30-plus years while still painting and now back to painting full-time for five years.

notes & thangs colors & bangs | herbert murrie | jennifer norback fine art | 2009

[DA] Herb, does your design training play into your art?
[HM] My process, especially the collage which does not look like collage, is both technical and complex, and there are pieces that have to be designed, constructed. Add ‘chance’ which has two meanings; in English it can mean accident or hazard. In French “avoir de la chance” means to be lucky. I have questioned for a very, very long time if there is a destiny for us or is it completely blind; the push pull between accident, destiny and luck.

Sadly I’ve run out of time. I’ve only asked 12 galleries and found eight hits. What if all 100 were asked? Not to mention IN/SITU and special exhibitions. And the range went from “Jaume Plensa would not liked being lumped in with architects and designers” to Robert Koch saying “I’m an architect.” Here’s what I’m thinking: and it’s not attributed to Yogi Berra or anyone else but me and it makes sense to me. “You can take the this out of that, but you can’t take the that out of this.”

Expo Chicago 2013 is a very tight and fussy show.

event> Expo Chicago @expochicago
date> 19 > 22 September 2013
venue> Navy Pier’s Festival Hall
general admission> 20 > 22 September 2013 | Sunday 22 Sept. 22 | Fri + Sat 11a > 7p | Sun 11a > 6p

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Building: inside studio gang architects. Chicago.

Sep 19, 2012

modern wing the art institute of chicago | 159 East Monroe | member preview: 22 > 23 september 2012 | public: 24 september 2012 > february 24 2013 | click > enlarge

“Full-scale mock ups test the capabilities and behavior of materials, as can be seen in the hanging “Rope Rooms” in the exhibit. Investigating and uncovering a material’s properties such as fluidity, viscosity, bending, or stiffness, independent of a particular project, is often beneficial for the work that may come next.”

Building: Inside Studio Gang Architects, the first exhibition in the world to explore the work of Chicago-based and world-renowned Studio Gang Architects in-depth, comes at a pivotal time in the firm’s history. The exhibition will frame the work of Studio Gang around major issues of contemporary architecture in a radical departure from past presentations at the museum: a more traditional exhibition will be complemented by a participatory environment that reflects the firm’s collaborative, inquiry-based, and research-driven approach. [ studio gang architects ]

MoMA’s ‘foreclosed: rehousing the american dream’ exhibit.

Feb 21, 2012

the oranges new jersey | mos architects | click > enlarge

Opened on 16 February through 30 July, New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) will be running an exhibit featuring the proposals of five interdisciplinary studios that were asked to re-think and re-invent the future of housing in the midst of the foreclosure crisis that remains a threat to many Americans and their homes. Over the Summer of 2011, MOS Architects, Studio Gang Architects, Visible Weather, WORKac, and Zago Architecture selected five “megaregions” across the country on which to speculate the form that housing could take: physically, socially and economically. The Open Studios exercise was organized by Barry Bergdoll, MoMA’s Philip Johnson Chief Curator of Architecture and Design, with Reinhold Martin, Director of Columbia University’s Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture.

cicero illinois | studio gang architects

With this exhibit, MoMA heightens an awareness of the U.S. foreclosure problem via architecture, design, and planning, albeit a niche perspective. This exhibit both inspires and provokes. Depending on who’s telling the foreclosure story: the promises of government and bankers, the opines of economists and media, the taut tales of the foreclosed, our planners are hardwired dreamers raising questions, presenting the what-ifs, creating visions and realities that can inspire. Ironically, the woeful boarded up homes that are seen everywhere as we drive through neighborhoods, dreaded by those who own housing near the monuments of foreclosure, are also needed reminders and initiators at this juncture that there is still much to do and more what-ifs are desireable. [ details ] [ arch daily ] [ metropolis ] [ new york times ]

The MoMA is located at 11 West 53 Street, New York, NY 10019. Hours are Wednesday through Monday: 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Friday: 10:30 a.m.-8:00 p.m. Closed Tuesday. Admission is free for all on Target Free Fridays 4 p.m. – 8 p.m.