The Chicago Architecture Biennial is a wonderful and important addition to the city’s cultural landscape (see here for our last blog post in April).
Last year, the CAB announced the Lakefront Kiosk Competition, with a single winning entry to be installed as a permanent and as a part of a broader initiative to enhance cultural life on the city’s lakefront. 3 additional kiosks are installed as a partnership between Chicago architectural schools, each with one design firm.
Illinois Institute of Technology partnered with Pezo von Ellrichshausen to design a 40’ tall stacked wood kiosk for North Avenue Beach (image above). Each hexagonal layer rotates very similar to Frank Lloyd Wright’s octagonal office at his home and studio. The piece is a captivating addition to the skyline.
Image courtesy of Arch Daily.
The School of the Art Institute worked with NLE Architects and Thornton Tomasetti engineers to create a stone kiosk for Montrose Beach. Limestone blocks, similar to what used to protect the city’s shorelines, cantilever out over the beach to create an unforgettable beach attraction.
Image courtesy of Arch Daily.
The University of Illinois at Chicago collaborated with Paul Anderson and Paul Preissner on their Kiosk. The resulting barrel vault is split diagonally creating two triangles, one enclosed and one open. Destined for Harold Washington Playlot Park at 5200 S. Hyde Park Boulevard, this geometrically inspired kiosk will serve the public year round.
Image courtesy of Arch Daily.
The last pavilion was decided by a competition. There were over 400 entries from over 40 countries worldwide. The winning entry came from a few faculty members from the Rhode Island School of Design. Aaron Forrest and Yasmin Vobis are the principals of the firm Ultramoderne. Their design, reminiscent of Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion consists of a large, flat roof supported by columns. A viewing platform will allow visitors to see just above the roof, focusing their views on either the lake or the Chicago skyline. The kiosk is temporarily built in Millennium Park and will be moved to Queen’s Landing, across Lake Shore Drive from Buckingham Fountain.
“Chicago Horizon”, designed by Ultramoderne. Image courtesy of Arch Daily.
