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It looks like Jeanne Gang’s involvement is the only way to get interesting, forward thinking architecture in Chicago. This was the best design out of the finalists by quite some distance.
Solstice
Aqua
St Regis/Vista
City Hyde Park
O’Hare
UChicago Dorms
Her work is inspirational and she deserves more high-profile commissions. She has put her contemporaries in Chicago to shame. Smith & Gill, SOM, Jahn, Goettsch etc. haven’t come close to her innovative and creative designs.
Chicago needs work from similar firms like SHoP, BIG, Calatrava and Foster to change the landscape. The blue-box era and persistent deference to Miesian principles needs to come to an end. David Childs’ original Spire site towers were indeed masterful before the major VE’d redesigns. Those would have set a new standard possibly and perhaps renewed the use of natural materials and sculptural forms. Someone needs to join Gang and get something bold/innovative built. We are completely living off of our past achievements at this point.
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