My Integrated Design Studio this semester was a collaboration with Related Midwest that looked at the evolving plans for The 78, a 62-acre brownfield site that is just a half-mile south of the Loop along the Chicago River. Ann Thompson, Executive Vice President of Architecture and Design at Related Midwest, put together a proposed site and program and then hosted the studio for an introduction to their process at the start of the semester. Student teams thus had a real-world problem to solve and the fine-grain program information that gave them a high bar to reach in terms of efficiency–but also design quality.

Related’s brief to them was to design a 450-unit residential tower that was amenity-rich in terms of tenant and pedestrian experience. The site, at the corner of Clark and 15th Streets, isn’t much to look at now, but when we started the project,t it promised to become one of the most active intersections in the South Loop. A University-led research initiative, the Discovery Partners Institute, had announced plans for its research center, designed by OMA, for a block of the 78 development just southwest of our site, and last summer, the Chicago White Sox stated their interest in building a new stadium just northwest of our site. So, the issue is, how do you design for tech workers and 40,000 baseball fans? To add pressure to the project, there are plans for a new CTA Red Line stop right at Clark and 15th–so our site will likely become a heavily trafficked, vital circulation node in the neighborhood. Adding to the difficulty, a relocated pair of suburban rail lines will separate our site from the development along the river.

Design teams tackled the big program and the complex site with innovative ideas. Some began with the intersection itself, shaping their ground-level plans to house open plazas that could serve as ‘lobbies’ for the ballpark. Others addressed the problem of crossing the rail lines with ramping podiums that would add semi-public spaces for vendors or gameday retail.

The towers took various forms, shaped by view corridors, daylighting strategies, and the desire to put an identifiable mark on the skyline that would be the 78’s signature. Midterm reviews and desk crits looked at structural schemes and facade palettes that called back to Chicago traditions like trussed tubes and terra cotta cladding, but all deployed in ways that would make sense for a 21st-century tower. We’re lucky at UIUC to have access to great engineering and construction expertise; students learn to take advantage of this early in their design process with clear results.

Ann and her team included a basketball court in their tenant amenities list, which became a signature in several projects–an opportunity to show off some structure, but also to think about how this very Chicago element could relate to the city. Grabbing a rebound 300′ in the air? Serious Air Jordan material.

We celebrated the end of the semester with a presentation to Related and other members of the profession and the public at the Chicago Architecture Center last week. It was a great chance for teams to get feedback and show off their work. CAC leadership and staff have been great about letting us bring the work done in Urbana-Champaign up to Chicago, and it’s always a good experience for students to present in esteemed surroundings. Thanks to everyone who made this happen and to a stellar bunch of designers who eagerly dove into a genuinely challenging project.