Chicago In Parts - Part 4 (The Final)

Ferris Bueller House

             Pilsen Neighborhood   |   Wicker Park Neighborhood

While driving through Chicago neighborhoods, I found it odd that there was so much stuff out on the streets. Buckets, chairs, stools, and other household items seemed to be strewn about the sidewalks and streets. Remnants of post-blizzard debris?  Alas, this was no wreckage and instead an understood system of rights and ownership between neighbors. Where those chairs now stand there used to be many feet of snow. As residents shoveled out a niche for their car, they now held the rights to that space. The items scattered along the streets, therefore, were placeholders. I was fascinated and impressed that residents, without direct dialogue, had respected this code of shared public space.

Trains are an integral characteristic of Chicago's urban fabric. As a hub of industry and commerce, the city has long been a major destination for goods en cross-continental route. While most of the industrial rail lines run on the grounds surface, most of the commuter lines run above ground; with the exception of the two lines that run beneath the city. In theory, elevating the rails would allow the space below to remain uninterrupted by the impeding trains. In practice however, what has resulted is a dead zone that follows the entirety of the commuter-rail system. The disproportionate structure looming overhead, paired with the amplified sound of the trains, has generated a public space that is oppressive to its users, and neglected by its neighbors.

                                                                      Mies Van De Rohe   |   Anish Kapoor

I will end my segment on my trip to Chicago with these architecturally iconic structures. As previously discussed, Chicago respects and supports innovative design. This has lead to a flourishing art culture, as well as numerous buildings built by some of the most renowned architects. Mies Van De Rohe has a strong presence in Chicago's built environment. The building above is the School of Architecture at Illinois Institute of Technology. The building's structural simplicity allows for a bold, graphic impression on the setting while also allowing the interior to be expansive and unadulterated with tectonic elements. It should be noted however, that when analyzing non-structural systems within the building, it becomes obvious just how inefficiently the building functions. The exposed I-beams are freezing to the touch, and although there are a line of heat vents pumping along the perimeter of the space, the closer the user is to the window, the more buttons they snap on their jacket. The other photo above is of the iconic "bean" ; a sculpture located within Millennium Park. Its scale is impressive, however its site placement allows it to remain accessible to the multitudes of visitors who flock to it on a sunny day.