Author: zachmortice

Metropolis Ι June 2015 Ι Chicago’s Design with Company fashions an architectural garden party for the third annual Ragdale Ring Pavilion. Tucked away on the sleepy Gilded Age campus of the Ragdale Foundation in Chicago’s northern suburbs, the third annual Ragdale Ring Pavilion beams with youthful allure. The temporary timber structure strikes a Pac-Man–like profile, framing a stage for summer performances… Continue reading Postmodern Proscenium

Architectural Record Ι June 3, 2015  Chicago’s 606, the nation’s second elevated rails-to-trails park, will open June 6, and its designers and client have taken pains to ensure that it’s a unique expression of the Second City, not just to be compared to New York’s High Line. In form, function, and funding, the 606’s evolution has taken a… Continue reading Chicago’s 606 Elevated Park Set for Weekend Opening

Landscape Architecture Magazine Ι April 2015 For a relatively new landscape typology, elevated rail parks suffer from no shortage of claims about what they can do for cities. Namely, they can renovate decaying infrastructure, add green space to dense urban areas, improve public health by offering more opportunities for exercise, and honor, rather than demolish, historic industrial… Continue reading The Express Lane

Contract Design Magazine Ι June 24, 2015 INNOCAD co-founder Martin Lesjak, Contract magazine’s 2015 Designer of the Year, develops new products for every interior project, and his Volksbank South Tyrol bank headquarters is no different. The custom Berg & Tal furniture system—designed in collaboration with the firm bergundtal—defines the 86,000-square-foot space in the Northern Italy town of… Continue reading Volksbank

Contract Design Magazine Ι April 3, 2015 Nozomi, a sushi bar in the Spanish city of Valencia, combines eras of Japanese architecture both beloved and shunned. In the foreground is rich, warm Japanese woodwork, screens, lattices, and delicate ceiling beams harkening to Japan’s 17th century and further in the past. In the background, stark concrete floor and… Continue reading Nozomi Sushi Bar

AIA Architect Ι May 29, 2015 Ι Chicago Architecture Biennial co-artistic director Sarah Herda discusses Chicago’s place in the realm of architecture Go to the Venice Architecture Biennale. Stroll the kaleidoscopic diversity of pavilions in the Giardini. Explore the wood-beamed brawn of the Arsenale pavilions, universally consistent and excellent. Check out the incredible wealth of design innovation that stops… Continue reading What Chicago Architecture Can Teach the World

Contract Design Magazine Ι March 4, 2015 The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, one of the top of its kind in the country, needed a new collaborative space that reflected the future with a global presence. In sharp contrast with the Booth School of Business Gleacher Center, the recently opened annex to the Gleacher Center… Continue reading University of Chicago Booth School of Business Gleacher Center Annex

Architects Newspaper Ι June 2015 Ι Affordable housing battles rising rents along Chicago’s newest park.  Chicago’s new linear park and bike corridor, The 606, opens in June. It is hotly anticipated for its potential to transform several West Side neighborhoods, but community groups have questioned who benefits from that transformation. Some affordable housing advocates see New York City’s High… Continue reading Parks for All?

Contract Design Magazine Ι Jan. 28, 2015 How does one define the work of INNOCAD, the Austrian firm led by Martin Lesjak? The firm’s portfolio—architecture and interiors for offices, exhibitions, hospitality, retail, and residences—affirms a designer’s ability to pull power, grace, and emotion from otherworldly spaces. A standout firm that is expanding the breadth of its work,… Continue reading 2015 Designer of the Year: Martin Lesjak