The Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) recently announced Aug. 31 as the opening date for its new location at 111 E. Wacker Drive, a building originally designed by The Office of Mies van der Rohe. The new location, which will be called the Chicago Architecture Center (CAC), will be established after the Foundation spent the previous 25 years located at the Railway Exchange Building at 224 S. Michigan Avenue.
The CAC provides 20,000 sf in the building above the dock for Chicago Architecture Foundation River Cruise. The Center looks to be just that: at the center of everything architecture in Chicago. It will offer docent-led tours, architecture programs, and interactive exhibits.
Courtesy CAF.
“It’s visually beautiful from the inside looking out, but also from the outside looking in,” said Gordon Gill, Co-founder of AS+GG Architecture. “There was a long search for the perfect location and I remember when I walked into this space, it just took my breath away. The views are spectacular. You look out and see the heart and history of Chicago. The layout is so unique. It will offer a whole variety of experiences.”
During the first week of August, prior to the official public opening of the CAC on Aug. 31, select walking and bus tours will depart from the CAC.
For more information on the new Chicago Architecture Center, click here.
Courtesy CAF.
CAC box office. Courtesy CAF.
The Chicago Gallery. Courtesy CAF.
The Skyscraper Gallery. Courtesy CAF.
The Design Studio. Courtesy CAF.
The Lecture Hall. Courtesy CAF.
Related Stories
| May 18, 2011
Carnegie Hall vaults into the 21st century with a $200 million renovation
Historic Carnegie Hall in New York City is in the midst of a major $200 million renovation that will bring the building up to contemporary standards, increase educational and backstage space, and target LEED Silver.
| May 17, 2011
Redesigning, redefining the grocery shopping experience
The traditional 40,000- to 60,000-sf grocery store is disappearing and much of the change is happening in the city. Urban infill sites and mixed-use projects offer grocers a rare opportunity to repackage themselves into smaller, more efficient, and more convenient retail outlets. And the AEC community will have a hand in developing how these facilities will look and operate.
| May 17, 2011
Architecture billings index fell in April, hurt by tight financing for projects
The architecture billings index, a leading indicator of U.S. construction activity, fell in April, hurt by tight financing for projects. The architecture billings index fell 2.9 points last month to 47.6, a level that indicates declining demand for architecture services, according to the American Institute of Architects.
| May 17, 2011
Sustainability tops the syllabus at net-zero energy school in Texas
Texas-based firm Corgan designed the 152,200-sf Lady Bird Johnson Middle School in Irving, Texas, with the goal of creating the largest net-zero educational facility in the nation, and the first in the state. The facility is expected to use 50% less energy than a standard school.
| May 17, 2011
Gilbane partners with Steel Orca on ultra-green data center
Gilbane, along with Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates, has been selected to partner with Steel Orca to design and build a 300,000-sf data center in Bucks County, Pa., that will be powered entirely through renewable energy sources--gas, solar, fuel cells, wind and geo-thermal. Completion is scheduled for 2013.
| May 17, 2011
Should Washington, D.C., allow taller buildings?
Suggestions are being made that Washington revise its restrictions on building heights. Architect Roger Lewis, who raised the topic in the Washington Post a few weeks ago, argues for a modest relaxation of the height limits, and thinks that concerns about ruining the city’s aesthetics are unfounded.
| May 17, 2011
The New Orleans master plan
At an afternoon panel during last week's AIA National Conference in New Orleans, Goody Clancy Principal David Dixon and Manning Principal W. Raymond Manning shared their experiences creating the New Orleans Master Plan, a document that sets a new course for the city, from land use and transportation planning to environmental protection.
| May 17, 2011
Do these buildings look like buffalo to you?
It’s hard to contemplate winter now that we’re mid-spring, but when the seasons change, ice skaters in Winnipeg will be able to keep warm in plywood shelters designed by Patkau Architects. The designers created temporary shelters inspired by animal behavior—specifically, buffalo bracing against the wind. Check them out.
| May 16, 2011
USGBC and AIA unveil report for greening K-12 schools
The U.S. Green Building Council and the American Institute of Architects unveiled "Local Leaders in Sustainability: A Special Report from Sundance," which outlines a five-point national action plan that mayors and local leaders can use as a framework to develop and implement green schools initiatives.
