Chicago: The Latest Architecture and News

Helmut Jahn: Life + Architecture is a new exhibit at the Chicago Architecture Center honoring the late Chicago architect and style icon. Get to know this extraordinary man who will continue to inspire generations to come.

Ever since the world’s first skyscraper was built here in 1885, Chicago has been a city of tall buildings. As its skyline has changed it has inspired other cities around the world to pursue high-rise solutions of their own.

During 28 years as architecture critic at the Chicago Tribune, Blair Kamin deepened civic awareness of design. Join Kamin as he revisits three decades of skyline-shaping towers, imaginative local projects and transformations of the public realm.

Refine your eye for design in this special series of programs hosted by notable Chicago architects. Held the first Tuesdays in March, April and May, See Like an Architect examines timeless fundamentals in conceiving and communicating architecture.

The COVID-19 pandemic puts health and safety in homes and workplaces to the test. Improved ventilation and sanitation have taken on special urgency among the many performance aspects of building design. ESD Global executive chairman Raj Gupta and International WELL Building Institute president and CEO Rachel Hodgdon will present examples of office towers being adapted for safe re-occupancy, such as Chicago’s 150 North Riverside, and explain the growing use and relevance of the WELL Building Standard (a certification akin to LEED for energy efficiency) in the healthy buildings movement. Chicago Architecture Center President and CEO Lynn Osmond moderates a discussion to follow, during which speakers will delve into the challenges and opportunities of implementation and competitive advantages for healthy buildings. What will it take to transform our work environments?

The Chicago Architecture Center’s ongoing series of Architect Talks continues with a conversation and guest lecture with 2020 Pritzker Prize laureates Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara of Grafton Architects, co-presented with the Irish Consulate General in Chicago. Founded in 1978, Grafton lays claim to noteworthy projects from Lima to London and is known for embedding each building within its own unique context. The studio’s forward-looking, influential designs have helped elevate modern architecture, cementing Ireland’s reputation as a design capital. Farrell and McNamara will spotlight several civic and institutional works including Milan’s Bocconi University, awarded the inaugural World Building of the Year Award at the World Architecture Festival; UTEC University in Lima, Peru, which received the RIBA International Prize in 2016; and ongoing projects for the City of Dublin, London School of Economics and the University of Arkansas, in addition to recounting their experiences as curators of the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale. A discussion afterward will further illuminate the architects’ process, work and lifelong commitment to mentorship.

What buildings in Chicago are most endangered this year? Find out at the unveiling of the 19th annual “Chicago 7,” a list from Preservation Chicago that identifies significant structures preservationists hope to protect from the wrecking ball.

Don’t miss this special year-in-review program with Chicago Architecture Center President and CEO Lynn Osmond. Hear how local architects, planners and developers pushed ahead with key projects and initiatives during a most challenging 2020.

Videos

This year, the Chicago chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Chicago) is honoring the city’s outstanding architectural projects virtually at Designight 2020. For the first time in the event’s sixty-five year run, the organization’s Design Excellence Awards ceremony and celebration will be a free online experience for members and non-members alike.