Category: Architecture, design
Get your exposed brick fix at Columbia Gardens in Rogers Park
Plenty of condos and lofts have exposed brick walls here or there, but at Firebird Development Corp's Columbia Gardens in Rogers Park, the exposed b [...]
Infill: Alhambra's schlocky exterior hides surprisingly well crafted interior
Viewers of architecture critic Phil Berger's earlier pieces on YoChicago might be surprised to hear his qualified praise for Alhambra Palace, the ne [...]
Emerald's lobby features aquatic decor
The lobby of Emerald looks like a pretty groovy place to hang out, especially if you're a pond sprite. We dig the rippling, watery surface of the re [...]
Infill with Phil Berger: Most West Loop condo mid-rises fail at street level
Join architecture critic Phil Berger for a look at streetscapes and building profiles in the West Loop. Mid-rises condo buildings dominate, since th [...]
Printers Corner blends materials in nod to South Loop neighbors
Now that Printers Corner is nearing completion, it's becoming easier to see how the design by FitzGerald Associates Architects relates to the surrou [...]
Construction update: 30 W Erie nearing completion
Now that 30 W Erie is nearly finished, what's Yo'all's take on the execution of Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture's design? Last time we put it to a [...]
Infill with Phil Berger: Mod condos looks promising in West Loop
Our new video series with architecture critic Phil Berger got off to a feisty start. There he was, minding his own business on Fulton, when the deve [...]
In-Spired: how twisting exterior affects windows, floors, etc. in Chicago Spire
Check out our brief tour of a model that was created to give a sense of what a 90th-floor unit at the planned Chicago Spire will look like. Marketin [...]
Comment of the day: At least Fulton Market buildings have some character
"Curious…Is Phil Berger a licensed architect?
Or a licensed developer?
I highly doubt Blair Kamin would concur with Mr. Berger on this one. Saying th [...]
Infill with Phil Berger: Live-work spaces on Fulton Market a missed opportunity
Architecture critic Phil Berger likes the concept behind the live-work spaces on the 1000 block of Fulton Market and he's willing to give the develo [...]
In-Spired: Condo tower's creative shape leads to some unusual floor plans
Sorry if we seem a little Spire-happy lately, but it's not every day that the tallest exclusively residential building in the world is planned for C [...]
Infill, Block X in the West Loop
Block X, built by The Thrush Companies and designed by Pappageorge - Haymes, was the first significant residential new construction in the West Loop [...]
In-Spired: will condos priced up to $40M sell in Chicago?
A crew of reporters quizzes Dominic Grace, head of Savills Residential Development, about pricing for The Chicago Spire. Grace is handling internati [...]
Chicago lofts: Is loft condo design stylish or 'super crappy' in recent developments?
Not to beat a dead loft, but Paulj's comment on an earlier loft post got us thinking about the state of Chicago loft design:
The structure and the [...]
We like to watch: 5 models open at 1720 S Michigan Ave, in South Loop
The CMK Companies recently unveiled five model units at its 1720 S Michigan Ave tower, a 33-story structure that maximizes downtown views by minimi [...]
Introducing Infill, with Phil Berger
Infill is a new video feature for YoChicago, a peripatetic ramble around Chicago with an architecture critic in tow.
Phil Berger has written often, o [...]
Outdoors in Uptown: now that's a courtyard
Was a time, not so long ago, that some people considered being out of doors in Uptown a risky proposition. A new emphasis on outdoor space at condo [...]
Separated at birth: 3-of-a-kind condos in Lake View, Ravenswood
No, we didn't accidentally post the same photo twice. If you look closely, you can see that these are different buildings - but you do have to loo [...]
Calatrava shows off early Chicago Spire sketches, talks turkey on design
In this video, Architect Santiago Calatrava shows off some of the color sketches that led him to the Chicago Spire design. While he talks about the [...]
Will down market affect Chicago's sea change in residential high-rise design?
In 2003, architecture critic and local blogger Lynn Becker wrote a cover story in the Chicago Reader calling on developers to “stop the blandness.”
[...]