We finished up a challenging but exciting studio project this week with final reviews at the Chicago Architecture Center–many thanks to CAC for hosting. The project has been a visionary adaptive reuse of the Consumers and Century Buildings, at State and Adams Streets in the Loop. As previously noted, these buildings are threatened as the Federal Government seeks to address security issues with the Dirksen Federal Courthouse next door. Landmarking by the City of Chicago has forced the government to solicit proposals for developing the two structures, but their RFP puts onerous restrictions on their use. Our studio sought ways to develop the buildings as residential and hotel structures while addressing issues of sightlines and proximity that, understandably, have the GSA worried.

Student teams from our M.Arch. Program, working with historic preservation students from the School of the Art Institute, tackled this by looking at programming and detail strategies that carved apartments and hotel rooms out of the exiting building fabric while creating new semi-public spaces in the gap between the two buildings, all while focusing views and circulation toward the street and away from the courthouse and its associated exterior driveways, loading, and prisoner handling areas. We worked with Rachel Will and Kim Clawson, of Wiss, Janney, Elstner, Ken DeMuth of Pappageorge Haymes, and Mark Kuberscki of Central Building and Preservation to understand the conservation and restoration issues, but student teams had a long leash in considering how best to transform the two structures. The fact that both are “vernacular” skyscrapers–good examples but not, say, Sullivan masterpieces–allowed some creative extensions and additions that wouldn’t meet Secretary of the Interior standards, but that allowed some visionary thinking and innovative approaches, especially to the central space and the buildings’ rooftops.

Our jury included practitioners, preservationists, and engineers from firms in the city, who lived up to the challenge of critiquing a wide range of approaches. Many thanks to those who took part, and to a particularly energetic, dedicated group of students–hire these folks!