zurück zur Liste - wa-ID
- wa-2031968
- Tag der Veröffentlichung
- 17.06.2021
- Aktualisiert am
- 15.09.2021
- Verfahrensart
- Award
- Teilnehmer
- Students, architects, designers, planners, and artists
- Beteiligung
- 59 Arbeiten
- Bewerbungsschluss
- 02.07.2021
- Abgabetermin
- 19.07.2021
- Preisgerichtssitzung
- 01.09.2021
Wettbewerbsaufgabe
For the 2021 Chicago Prize, the Chicago Architecture Center and the Chicago Architectural Club call for new visions for the State of Illinois Center/James R. Thompson Center.
Designed by Helmut Jahn, the State of Illinois Center, also known as James R. Thompson Center, is facing the threat of complete demolition. Located in the Chicago “Loop” it is a major transportation node, commercial center and workspace. The building has been criticized for being ugly, oversized, inefficient, and poorly maintained. However, the Thompson Center has been pivotal to urban transit and a highly democratic contemporary civic center. At the time of its construction in 1985, Helmut Jahn’s State of Illinois Center was a stark contrast to Chicago’s historic and modernist architecture, yet today it is an architectural icon in its own right. For the fourth year in a row, the Thompson Center has been listed in the Landmarks Illinois’ annual Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois and it was included in Preservation Chicago’s Chicago 7 Most Endangered list in 2018, 2019, and 2020. The Chicago Architectural Club and the Chicago Architecture Center ask the 2021 Chicago Prize participants to envision a new life for the building through restorative architecture.
The architecture of Chicago is defined by its many layers of innovative architecture that have occurred throughout its history--the preservation, rethinking, repurposing and renewal of its most important buildings is critical to carry on the city’s long-standing reputation as a center of architectural innovation.
The Thompson Center’s design was progressive for its time. Dwelling in the vertical shadows of modern icons like Mies van der Rohe’s Daley Center, Helmut Jahn’s mid- rise Thompson Center pierced the trends of neighboring International Style and Neoclassical buildings with a revolutionary concept for a civic building, one that represents a promising future of “transparency and accessibility”. Bringing together the various services of government offices in one building, the Thompson Center is also a major transit hub and a place for gathering to enjoy art, shop, and dine. Jahn brings open space indoors with the remarkable glazed 17-story grand atrium. Known as a “people’s center” or a “people’s palace”, the building was a symbol of government accessibility, transparency, and commitment to serving the people. This was a bold departure from how government buildings used to interface with the public.
With modern materials adorning the slight colorful twists of the patriotic red, white and blue, and a building shape referencing the grand domes of the government structures in our state’s capitol, Jahn’s postmodern marvel has been recognized worldwide in both praise and criticism. Often mistaken for a stadium or perhaps a spaceship, since its construction, the James R. Thompson Center has generated contrasting feelings: it has been praised for its progressive architecture, and criticized for being oversized, inefficient, and costly to operate. Deferred maintenance and the lack of long-term reinvestment has taken a toll on the building through worn surfaces and failing systems. Helmut Jahn’s original design specified the use of double pane glazing for the building’s facades, which was later substituted with single pane glazing due to cost considerations. This resulted in overheated offices in the summer and severe condensation/ice buildup in winter. Additional cooling towers were later installed to regulate these drastic conditions, which have proven costly to maintain and operate. It is reported that the building’s energy usage is double that of similar downtown structures.
In 2015 former Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner announced his interest in the sale or demolition of the Thompson Center. Located in Chicago’s Central Business District and having exceptional access to transit, the property is expected to command top dollar if sold to a developer. In 2019, Illinois Democratic Governor Jay Robert Pritzker signed a bill to begin its sale. In May of 2021, just days before Jahn’s passing, Governor Pritzker issued the RFP for the Thompson Center.
“Governor Pritzker has the opportunity, after years of neglect by his predecessors, to lead thru the sale of the Thompson Center by giving it new life. Repurposing the building the right way could go beyond what the building ever was, making it better, more public, and a place where you want to work, stay overnight, live or just visit and feel good. Miracles and dreams can become real.” (Helmut Jahn, 2020)
The Thompson Center has been pivotal to Chicago as a transit hub, a revolutionary civic center that opened itself to the city, and an architectural milestone that symbolized a bold transition and looked toward a new future of architecture. Can our approach to renewal be one that doesn’t result in erasure but that builds upon the foundations of the past?
Jury
Thomas Haetherwick
Carol Ross Barney
Michelle T. Boone
Philip Castillo
Peter D. Cook
Mikyoung Kim
For the 2021 Chicago Prize, the Chicago Architecture Center and the Chicago Architectural Club call for new visions for the State of Illinois Center/James R. Thompson Center.
Designed by Helmut Jahn, the State of Illinois Center, also known as James R. Thompson Center, is facing the threat of complete demolition. Located in the Chicago “Loop” it is a major transportation node, commercial center and workspace. The building has been criticized for being ugly, oversized, inefficient, and poorly maintained. However, the Thompson Center has been pivotal to urban transit and a highly democratic contemporary civic center. At the time of its construction in 1985, Helmut Jahn’s State of Illinois Center was a stark contrast to Chicago’s historic and modernist architecture, yet today it is an architectural icon in its own right. For the fourth year in a row, the Thompson Center has been listed in the Landmarks Illinois’ annual Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois and it was included in Preservation Chicago’s Chicago 7 Most Endangered list in 2018, 2019, and 2020. The Chicago Architectural Club and the Chicago Architecture Center ask the 2021 Chicago Prize participants to envision a new life for the building through restorative architecture.
The architecture of Chicago is defined by its many layers of innovative architecture that have occurred throughout its history--the preservation, rethinking, repurposing and renewal of its most important buildings is critical to carry on the city’s long-standing reputation as a center of architectural innovation.
The Thompson Center’s design was progressive for its time. Dwelling in the vertical shadows of modern icons like Mies van der Rohe’s Daley Center, Helmut Jahn’s mid- rise Thompson Center pierced the trends of neighboring International Style and Neoclassical buildings with a revolutionary concept for a civic building, one that represents a promising future of “transparency and accessibility”. Bringing together the various services of government offices in one building, the Thompson Center is also a major transit hub and a place for gathering to enjoy art, shop, and dine. Jahn brings open space indoors with the remarkable glazed 17-story grand atrium. Known as a “people’s center” or a “people’s palace”, the building was a symbol of government accessibility, transparency, and commitment to serving the people. This was a bold departure from how government buildings used to interface with the public.
With modern materials adorning the slight colorful twists of the patriotic red, white and blue, and a building shape referencing the grand domes of the government structures in our state’s capitol, Jahn’s postmodern marvel has been recognized worldwide in both praise and criticism. Often mistaken for a stadium or perhaps a spaceship, since its construction, the James R. Thompson Center has generated contrasting feelings: it has been praised for its progressive architecture, and criticized for being oversized, inefficient, and costly to operate. Deferred maintenance and the lack of long-term reinvestment has taken a toll on the building through worn surfaces and failing systems. Helmut Jahn’s original design specified the use of double pane glazing for the building’s facades, which was later substituted with single pane glazing due to cost considerations. This resulted in overheated offices in the summer and severe condensation/ice buildup in winter. Additional cooling towers were later installed to regulate these drastic conditions, which have proven costly to maintain and operate. It is reported that the building’s energy usage is double that of similar downtown structures.
In 2015 former Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner announced his interest in the sale or demolition of the Thompson Center. Located in Chicago’s Central Business District and having exceptional access to transit, the property is expected to command top dollar if sold to a developer. In 2019, Illinois Democratic Governor Jay Robert Pritzker signed a bill to begin its sale. In May of 2021, just days before Jahn’s passing, Governor Pritzker issued the RFP for the Thompson Center.
“Governor Pritzker has the opportunity, after years of neglect by his predecessors, to lead thru the sale of the Thompson Center by giving it new life. Repurposing the building the right way could go beyond what the building ever was, making it better, more public, and a place where you want to work, stay overnight, live or just visit and feel good. Miracles and dreams can become real.” (Helmut Jahn, 2020)
The Thompson Center has been pivotal to Chicago as a transit hub, a revolutionary civic center that opened itself to the city, and an architectural milestone that symbolized a bold transition and looked toward a new future of architecture. Can our approach to renewal be one that doesn’t result in erasure but that builds upon the foundations of the past?
Jury
Thomas Haetherwick
Carol Ross Barney
Michelle T. Boone
Philip Castillo
Peter D. Cook
Mikyoung Kim
2021 Chicago Prize: James R. Thompson Center
Teilnehmer
Students, architects, designers, planners, and artists
COMPETITION INFORMATION
For the 2021 Chicago Prize, the Chicago Architecture Center and the Chicago Architectural Club call for new visions for the State of Illinois Center/James R. Thompson Center.
Designed by Helmut Jahn, the State of Illinois Center, also known as James R. Thompson Center, is facing the threat of complete demolition. Located in the Chicago “Loop” it is a major transportation node, commercial center and workspace. The building has been criticized for being ugly, oversized, inefficient, and poorly maintained. However, the Thompson Center has been pivotal to urban transit and a highly democratic contemporary civic center. At the time of its construction in 1985, Helmut Jahn’s State of Illinois Center was a stark contrast to Chicago’s historic and modernist architecture, yet today it is an architectural icon in its own right. For the fourth year in a row, the Thompson Center has been listed in the Landmarks Illinois’ annual Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois and it was included in Preservation Chicago’s Chicago 7 Most Endangered list in 2018, 2019, and 2020. The Chicago Architectural Club and the Chicago Architecture Center ask the 2021 Chicago Prize participants to envision a new life for the building through restorative architecture.
The architecture of Chicago is defined by its many layers of innovative architecture that have occurred throughout its history--the preservation, rethinking, repurposing and renewal of its most important buildings is critical to carry on the city’s long-standing reputation as a center of architectural innovation.
The Thompson Center’s design was progressive for its time. Dwelling in the vertical shadows of modern icons like Mies van der Rohe’s Daley Center, Helmut Jahn’s mid- rise Thompson Center pierced the trends of neighboring International Style and Neoclassical buildings with a revolutionary concept for a civic building, one that represents a promising future of “transparency and accessibility”. Bringing together the various services of government offices in one building, the Thompson Center is also a major transit hub and a place for gathering to enjoy art, shop, and dine. Jahn brings open space indoors with the remarkable glazed 17-story grand atrium. Known as a “people’s center” or a “people’s palace”, the building was a symbol of government accessibility, transparency, and commitment to serving the people. This was a bold departure from how government buildings used to interface with the public.
With modern materials adorning the slight colorful twists of the patriotic red, white and blue, and a building shape referencing the grand domes of the government structures in our state’s capitol, Jahn’s postmodern marvel has been recognized worldwide in both praise and criticism. Often mistaken for a stadium or perhaps a spaceship, since its construction, the James R. Thompson Center has generated contrasting feelings: it has been praised for its progressive architecture, and criticized for being oversized, inefficient, and costly to operate. Deferred maintenance and the lack of long-term reinvestment has taken a toll on the building through worn surfaces and failing systems. Helmut Jahn’s original design specified the use of double pane glazing for the building’s facades, which was later substituted with single pane glazing due to cost considerations. This resulted in overheated offices in the summer and severe condensation/ice buildup in winter. Additional cooling towers were later installed to regulate these drastic conditions, which have proven costly to maintain and operate. It is reported that the building’s energy usage is double that of similar downtown structures.
In 2015 former Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner announced his interest in the sale or demolition of the Thompson Center. Located in Chicago’s Central Business District and having exceptional access to transit, the property is expected to command top dollar if sold to a developer. In 2019, Illinois Democratic Governor Jay Robert Pritzker signed a bill to begin its sale. In May of 2021, just days before Jahn’s passing, Governor Pritzker issued the RFP for the Thompson Center.
“Governor Pritzker has the opportunity, after years of neglect by his predecessors, to lead thru the sale of the Thompson Center by giving it new life. Repurposing the building the right way could go beyond what the building ever was, making it better, more public, and a place where you want to work, stay overnight, live or just visit and feel good. Miracles and dreams can become real.” (Helmut Jahn, 2020)
The Thompson Center has been pivotal to Chicago as a transit hub, a revolutionary civic center that opened itself to the city, and an architectural milestone that symbolized a bold transition and looked toward a new future of architecture. Can our approach to renewal be one that doesn’t result in erasure but that builds upon the foundations of the past?
SCHEDULE
Competition Announcement: May 21
Competition Information: June 7
Jury Announcement: Coming Soon
Questions Period Deadline: June 25
Early Registration Closes: June 25
Regular Registration Closes: July 2
Competition Submission Deadline: July 19 at 5pm CST
Jury Deliberation: Late July
Winners Announced: August
Chicago Architecture Center Exhibition: Early Fall
Informationen
chicagoarchitecturalclub.org/2021-CHICAGO-PRIZE-JAMES-R-THOMPSON-CENTER
Teilnehmer
Students, architects, designers, planners, and artists
COMPETITION INFORMATION
For the 2021 Chicago Prize, the Chicago Architecture Center and the Chicago Architectural Club call for new visions for the State of Illinois Center/James R. Thompson Center.
Designed by Helmut Jahn, the State of Illinois Center, also known as James R. Thompson Center, is facing the threat of complete demolition. Located in the Chicago “Loop” it is a major transportation node, commercial center and workspace. The building has been criticized for being ugly, oversized, inefficient, and poorly maintained. However, the Thompson Center has been pivotal to urban transit and a highly democratic contemporary civic center. At the time of its construction in 1985, Helmut Jahn’s State of Illinois Center was a stark contrast to Chicago’s historic and modernist architecture, yet today it is an architectural icon in its own right. For the fourth year in a row, the Thompson Center has been listed in the Landmarks Illinois’ annual Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois and it was included in Preservation Chicago’s Chicago 7 Most Endangered list in 2018, 2019, and 2020. The Chicago Architectural Club and the Chicago Architecture Center ask the 2021 Chicago Prize participants to envision a new life for the building through restorative architecture.
The architecture of Chicago is defined by its many layers of innovative architecture that have occurred throughout its history--the preservation, rethinking, repurposing and renewal of its most important buildings is critical to carry on the city’s long-standing reputation as a center of architectural innovation.
The Thompson Center’s design was progressive for its time. Dwelling in the vertical shadows of modern icons like Mies van der Rohe’s Daley Center, Helmut Jahn’s mid- rise Thompson Center pierced the trends of neighboring International Style and Neoclassical buildings with a revolutionary concept for a civic building, one that represents a promising future of “transparency and accessibility”. Bringing together the various services of government offices in one building, the Thompson Center is also a major transit hub and a place for gathering to enjoy art, shop, and dine. Jahn brings open space indoors with the remarkable glazed 17-story grand atrium. Known as a “people’s center” or a “people’s palace”, the building was a symbol of government accessibility, transparency, and commitment to serving the people. This was a bold departure from how government buildings used to interface with the public.
With modern materials adorning the slight colorful twists of the patriotic red, white and blue, and a building shape referencing the grand domes of the government structures in our state’s capitol, Jahn’s postmodern marvel has been recognized worldwide in both praise and criticism. Often mistaken for a stadium or perhaps a spaceship, since its construction, the James R. Thompson Center has generated contrasting feelings: it has been praised for its progressive architecture, and criticized for being oversized, inefficient, and costly to operate. Deferred maintenance and the lack of long-term reinvestment has taken a toll on the building through worn surfaces and failing systems. Helmut Jahn’s original design specified the use of double pane glazing for the building’s facades, which was later substituted with single pane glazing due to cost considerations. This resulted in overheated offices in the summer and severe condensation/ice buildup in winter. Additional cooling towers were later installed to regulate these drastic conditions, which have proven costly to maintain and operate. It is reported that the building’s energy usage is double that of similar downtown structures.
In 2015 former Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner announced his interest in the sale or demolition of the Thompson Center. Located in Chicago’s Central Business District and having exceptional access to transit, the property is expected to command top dollar if sold to a developer. In 2019, Illinois Democratic Governor Jay Robert Pritzker signed a bill to begin its sale. In May of 2021, just days before Jahn’s passing, Governor Pritzker issued the RFP for the Thompson Center.
“Governor Pritzker has the opportunity, after years of neglect by his predecessors, to lead thru the sale of the Thompson Center by giving it new life. Repurposing the building the right way could go beyond what the building ever was, making it better, more public, and a place where you want to work, stay overnight, live or just visit and feel good. Miracles and dreams can become real.” (Helmut Jahn, 2020)
The Thompson Center has been pivotal to Chicago as a transit hub, a revolutionary civic center that opened itself to the city, and an architectural milestone that symbolized a bold transition and looked toward a new future of architecture. Can our approach to renewal be one that doesn’t result in erasure but that builds upon the foundations of the past?
SCHEDULE
Competition Announcement: May 21
Competition Information: June 7
Jury Announcement: Coming Soon
Questions Period Deadline: June 25
Early Registration Closes: June 25
Regular Registration Closes: July 2
Competition Submission Deadline: July 19 at 5pm CST
Jury Deliberation: Late July
Winners Announced: August
Chicago Architecture Center Exhibition: Early Fall
Informationen
chicagoarchitecturalclub.org/2021-CHICAGO-PRIZE-JAMES-R-THOMPSON-CENTER
