The end of the year is nigh, and the season of awards and lists is at hand. In addition to the AIA Chicago awards to be presented tonight, the Chicago Architecture Foundation this week announced their Patron of the Year Awards.
“Good buildings only happen with good clients,” read a statement presented by Williams + Tsien at the ceremony. Great buildings, however, only happen when clients are “unreasonable” in their commitment to good design, the David & Reva Logan Center for the Arts architects said.
The winning projects included the Logan Center, CTA’s Morgan Station (Ross Barney Architects), Inspiration Kitchens (Wheeler Kearns Architects), and Rush University Medical Center (Perkins + Will). CAF also awarded two honorable mentions: Morris Architect Planners’ Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center, and JGMA’s Instituto del Progreso.
Accepting her award for the West Loop’s new Morgan Station Green/Pink line stop, Carol Ross Barney said she wanted to debunk the axiom “good enough for government.” Transit projects are critical, she said: “This isn’t even a building. It’s the blood and guts of our city.”
