The Chicago design community is always buzzing. From events happening around town to news coverage that can’t be missed, there’s a lot to keep track of in the Windy City. In this weekly news roundup, AD PRO has everything you need to know.
WeWork Announces New Location, Bringing Chicago Footprint to Over 1 Million Square Feet
WeWork announced that the company will open a new location in Chicago, bringing its footprint in the city to over one million square feet. The expansion will put WeWork offices on par with only a few other businesses in the city holding that much real estate: United Airlines, Bank of America, Northern Trust, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Illinois, and JPMorgan Chase. The move will add over 90,000 square feet of WeWork offices at 625 W. Adams St., the company's 12th Chicago lease. Chicago will have 3.2 million square feet of coworking space by the end of 2019, according to data from Newmark Knight Frank.
Designers Compete in Architecture-Themed Jeopardy for CAC Event
Designers went head-to-head in a game of architectural Jeopardy last week, hosted by the Chicago Architecture Center and WBEZ Curious City. The contestants included Tom Zurowski of Eastlake Studio, Brad Lynch of Brininstool + Lynch, Paola Aguirre of Borderless-Studio, and Jennifer Park of Jurassic Studio. The June 20 event also featured reflections about how Chicago architect Bruce Graham and engineer Fazlur Rahman Khan changed the Chicago skyline with the designs of the Hancock Center and Sears Tower.
Clayco Announces Newly Combined Firm
Top 20 construction and engineering company Clayco has announced that one of its subsidiaries, Lamar Johnson Collaborative, will now combine with BatesForum, a Clayco-owned architecture firm. The new firm will have more than 240 employees across five offices, and will be able to provide seamless design and delivery services to clients. “The future of design is integrated,” Clayco CEO and founder Bob Clark said in a statement. “Our integrated delivery model will set a new standard by completely disrupting the inefficiency of the traditional paradigm of design-bid-build.”
Chicago Architecture River Cruise Wins TripAdvisor Award
The Chicago Architecture River Cruise was named “Best Travel Experience in the United States” in TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards for Experiences. The tour was also ranked second best in the world, behind one of the Vatican. The ranking is based on reviews from more than 200,000 travel experiences.
New Bauhaus Lecture Examines Impact on Chicago and Cambridge
“Bauhaus in America: Chicago, Cambridge, & the Rise of Modern Architecture,” a talk at the Chicago Architecture Center, will give attendees the chance to learn about Bauhaus’s impact on two cities in different areas of the country. Architect, preservationist, and historian Michelangelo Sabatino will trace the history of the Bauhaus design, and look at how the movement influenced the two locales. The class takes place on July 19 at 10 a.m., and costs $40, or $25 for CAC members. Tickets are available here.
