Architects
Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, Structural and Plumbing Engineering
SOMSite Area
3,026.50 m2Project Area
111,484 m2Building Height
307m (73 stories)Project Year
2013Photographs
Courtesy of SOMArchitects
Lisa Wronski
Infinity Tower / SOM
An Ever-Changing House: Dennis Maher's Story
Roof shingles, bird cages, rusty window frames, broken lamps, fishtanks, postcards. Most people would look at this collection of items and think “garbage,” but artist Dennis Maher sees beyond this so-called "junk."
Maher, a professor of architecture at the University of Buffalo, has always been interested in how art and architecture relate to demolition, renovation, and restoration. And so, in 2009 he purchased an abandoned property from D’Youville College.
What started as a small reconstruction project soon turned into a full-fledged quest for re-use. The interior structures of the house have grown so much that the house has practically become a living organism.So what is it like living in a space that is constantly growing and adapting? Find out after the break!
13th Annual Structures for Inclusion Conference
The thirteenth annual Structures for Inclusion conference (SFI-13) will be held March 23-24 at the University of Minnesota’s Minneapolis Campus. The conference is preceded by the Public Interest Design Institute, a training program sponsored by the American Institute of Architects, that will be held at the same location on March 21-22. These are two major events that help compose the inaugural Public Interest Design Week, March 19-24.
World-Class Soccer Stadium Underway in Haiti
Three years have passed since a tremendous earthquake devastated Haiti. The long reconstruction process includes the construction of the country’s first stadium to be completed this year. Partners of Project Phoenix have created plans for Phoenix Stadium, a massive world-class professional soccer stadium soon to be located in Cite Soleil, Haiti. This project developed as a result of the 2012 Clinton Global Initiative when collaboration began between Morad Fareed of Delos and Boby Duval of L’Athletique D’Haiti. The vision is to create a world-class stadium for soccer games as well as many other community functions.
Read more about Phoenix Stadium after the break!
Studio Gang Breaks Ground on Ecologically Diverse Urban Mecca
For the past several years the Chicago Park District and the City of Chicago have been working on appropriate uses for Northerly Island, a 91-acre man-made peninsula in Chicago, Illinois. The lakefront site branches off from Museum Campus, a section along Lake Michigan that is home to the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, and Adler Planetarium. Serving as an expansion to these cultural programs, Studio Gang Architects have created an innovate design that integrates educational, cultural, social, and recreational activities into Northerly Island.
Read more about Northerly Island's future after the break!
AD Classics: Wolfsburg Cultural Center / Alvar Aalto
Wolfsburg Cultural Center, located approximately 230 kilometers west of Berlin in Wolfsburg, Germany, was constructed from 1959 to 1962. It was designed by Finnish architect and designer Alvar Aalto. Aalto was born in Kuortane, Finland and studied architecture at the Helsinki University of Technology, graduating in 1921.
Dordrecht Energy Carousel / Ecosistema Urbano
The Centre for Visual Arts and Amsterdam design bureau Carve recently invited ten European design firms to develop unconventional, inventive, and playful objects for a new public space in the western Netherlands city of Dordrecht. Responding to the challenge, Spanish architecture firm Ecosistema Urbano designed the Dordrecht Energy Carousel - an energy-generating chandelier of hanging ropes meant to engage kids of all ages in the densely populated suburbs surrounding Governeusplein Square.
Read more about Dordrecht Energy Carousel after the break!
Chicago's Cook County Aims to Eradicate Demolition Waste
Cook County, Illinois, recently brought the elimination of construction waste to a new level by creating the first demolition debris ordinance in the Midwest. This groundbreaking ordinance requires most of the debris created from demolition to be recycled and reused instead of being sent to the landfill. The ordinance helps contribute to Cook County’s zero waste goal, part of the Solid Waste Plan Update.
The new law states that at least 7 percent of suburban construction and demolition debris must be recycled, and an additional 5 percent must be reused on residential properties. This new legislation will have a great impact as it affects about 2.5 million suburban Cook County residents.
More after the break...
AWP to announce masterplan for La Défense
La Défense, Paris’ major business district, is about to undergo a transformation with the help of Paris architecture firm AWP. AWP’s plan was presented to government agencies EPADESA and DEFACTO as well as local communities in November 2012, but will be released to the public for the first time in March. The proposed plan not only updates and adds to the current site: it rethinks and reevaluates what already exists. More on the plan after the break.
Catherine Opie: In & Around L.A.
Catherine Opie has photographed people and architecture in and around Los Angeles, California for over twenty-five years. She has successfully captured the interplay between architecture and urban life by photographing the subcultures and castaways of Los Angeles, from the undersides of freeways to lonely Beverly Hills mansions. These works create a portrait of Los Angeles as a singular built environment.