Upon finishing their second film, Waterline: Chicago’s Urban River Corridor, Adam Gross from Spirit Of Space shared with us the third and final film of the series on the Phil Enquist Harvard Studio. As a walk through the students’ final designs, 12 DESIGNERS, 12 VISIONS presents the culmination of an intense research-based design project for this eclectic group of students.
In this studio, the students of the GSD have embraced and maximized the latent potential of the South Branch with inventive and resourceful urban proposals in which existing vacancies are transformed into fresh, vibrant urban conditions. Highlighting each individual’s visionary plan for the South Branch of the Chicago River, this film captures the students’ carefully-crafted presentations and the insightful comments of the guests invited to the final critique.
Illustrating both the energy and power found in the academic design studio, the film demonstrates why it is essential to document, distribute, and preserve the inspiring ideas that are generated through the imaginative realism inherent to the design education. Provocative ideas spark meaningful conversation, and this short film encourages the scholarly discourse to continue well beyond the final critique.
