Showing posts with label Millennium Park. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Millennium Park. Show all posts
Friday, November 16, 2012
The Lurie Garden of Chicago’s Millennium Park
Brief History of Millennium Park:
You might never guess that Millennium Park, recipient of
the 2009 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban
Excellence, was once an industrial wasteland transformed into a
world-class public park. In fact, from the 1850s until 1997, the land that is
now occupied by Millennium Park was controlled by the Illinois CentralRailroad. Visionary Chicago leader Daniel
Burnham considered the railroad’s control of this area, covered with
unsightly railroad tracks and parking lots, to be so untouchable that it
remained blight on Chicago’s lakefront throughout the 20th century.
What is now Millennium Park was first conceived in late 1997 with Mayor Richard M. Daley’s vision of turning the area into a new public space for residents of Chicago. Over time, with the commitment of the private sector and the involvement of world-renowned architect Frank Gehry, the project evolved into an ambitious undertaking featuring a collection of world-renowned artists, architects, planners, landscape architects and designers. Today, the 24.5-acre Millennium Park represents an unprecedented public-private partnership, and has become a thoroughly modern achievement for Chicago in the tradition of its original founders.
The Lurie Garden:
What is now Millennium Park was first conceived in late 1997 with Mayor Richard M. Daley’s vision of turning the area into a new public space for residents of Chicago. Over time, with the commitment of the private sector and the involvement of world-renowned architect Frank Gehry, the project evolved into an ambitious undertaking featuring a collection of world-renowned artists, architects, planners, landscape architects and designers. Today, the 24.5-acre Millennium Park represents an unprecedented public-private partnership, and has become a thoroughly modern achievement for Chicago in the tradition of its original founders.
The Lurie Garden:
Designed
by Gustafson Guthrie Nichols Ltd., Piet Oudolf and Robert Israel, this 5 acre
garden pays homage to the City's motto, "Urbs in Horto" (City in a
Garden), which refers to Chicago's transformation from its flat and marshy
origins to a bold and powerful city. Highlights of The Lurie Garden include the
dramatically lit, 15-foot-high "shoulder" hedge. This physical
representation of Sandburg's famous description of the "City of Big
Shoulders" encloses the garden on two sides and protects the delicate
perennial garden from the throngs of concert-goers to and from the bandshell.
This structure exemplifies the unusual strength and structure of this Chicago
garden, where plants rise taller than people.
Garden Components:
The
Extrusion Plaza- The Extrusion Plaza is an
extension of the existing north-south circulation spine through Millennium
Park. It links Monroe Street and the southwest Exelon Pavilion with The Lurie
Garden and continues north toward the Pritzker Pavilion and the rest of Millennium
Park.
The
Shoulder Hedge- A giant, muscular hedge
encloses the interior Garden from the north and west. From the Art Institute,
the "big shoulders" of the Shoulder Hedge appear to support the
gleaming "headdress" of the Pritzker Pavilion to the north. The Hedge
is a living wall that protects the delicate perennials within the Garden from
heavy pedestrian traffic moving throughout Millennium Park.
West
Hedge- The
West Hedge is a topiary feature that playfully tells the classical Greek story
of a nymph who escaped from Apollo by becoming a Laurel tree. In contrast to
the historical references within the Garden, this story explores the futuristic
theme of the Garden that is expressed in the Light Plate - Chicago's powerful
control of the natural landscape for urban growth, industry, and agriculture.
Dark Plate-
Strong,
nostalgic, mysterious and cool, the Dark Plate expresses the early landscape
history of the site and the city. The site was once a wild shoreline and river
delta. The challenging character and lush feeling of this historic condition is
in dramatic contrast to the current elevation and form of Millennium Park.
Light
Plate- The
Light Plate renders the future in an exhilarating landscape. The Light Plate is
bold, warm, dry and bright. Unlike the volume of the Dark Plate, in which a
person feels enveloped, the Light Plate is a contoured, controlled plane
experienced by walking on its surface.
Seam-
The Seam is
the special corridor or "break" between the two Plates. It is not a
thoroughfare, but rather a place to casually stroll.
Boardwalk
and Water Features- The Boardwalk floats over
stepped pools, leaving a 5' wide exposed surface of water along the Dark
Plate's vertical stone face (the Seam Wall). The Boardwalk is built of sturdy
Ipe wood and is designed as a strolling path as well as a place to gather.
Lighting-
At night,
The Lurie Garden transforms into a subtly glowing "container" of
light. The Shoulder Hedge acts as the solid container to this soft and magical
night scene. This focuses anticipation and attention on those special openings
and pathways that break the form of the Hedge and allow the inviting, interior
light to be seen.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Coming to Chicago - The Bloomingdale Trail
Cities around the world are making decisions on what to do with aging infrastructure from the Industrial Era. That's a question that New York had to answer regarding it's old High Line elevated rail line. The result was the first elevated park of its kind. The High Line has been the pioneer for similar projects around the world, like Scotland's Leith Walk Regeneration and Chicago's own Bloomingdale Trail.
Chicago has been call one of the greenest cities in the United States and residents have been able to enjoy it's numerous green landscapes, such as Millennium Park. The Bloomingdale Trail is an ambitious undertaking to continue this tradition with a very different kind of park. New York's High Line is regarded primarily as a high-end tourist destination while the Bloomingdale Trail is intended to be a normal part of resident's daily lives.
Communities and groups from throughout the city have been involved in the planning, partially adding to the cost and length of the project. Some of the groups are Logan Square Neighborhood Association, Friends of the Bloomingdale, the Chicago Park District, the Trust for Public Land, the Chicago Department of Transportation and the City of Chicago Department of Housing and Economic Development. Community resident's also have had voice in development at local public meetings. They've expressed concerns about the amount of traffic on the trail and public safety. The trail is being designed to have more lighting and a much higher traffic capacity than similar locations in other metropolitan areas. Organizers of the project believe that is essential for community members to feel invested in the park for it to be a long-term success.
It is estimated that the entire project will cost $91 million. So far, $46 million has been raised, of which $36 comes from the federal money and the US Department of Transportation, $2 million from the Chicago Parks Department and $7 million from private funders, with more of the latter to come.
When the Bloomingdale Trail is completed, it will add acres of new park space to Chicago and connect adjoining neighborhoods. The park will be a source of pride for the hundred of people and organizations involved in its creation, as well as the city itself. The Bloomingdale Trail is expected to soft launch in 2014.
Chicago has been call one of the greenest cities in the United States and residents have been able to enjoy it's numerous green landscapes, such as Millennium Park. The Bloomingdale Trail is an ambitious undertaking to continue this tradition with a very different kind of park. New York's High Line is regarded primarily as a high-end tourist destination while the Bloomingdale Trail is intended to be a normal part of resident's daily lives.Communities and groups from throughout the city have been involved in the planning, partially adding to the cost and length of the project. Some of the groups are Logan Square Neighborhood Association, Friends of the Bloomingdale, the Chicago Park District, the Trust for Public Land, the Chicago Department of Transportation and the City of Chicago Department of Housing and Economic Development. Community resident's also have had voice in development at local public meetings. They've expressed concerns about the amount of traffic on the trail and public safety. The trail is being designed to have more lighting and a much higher traffic capacity than similar locations in other metropolitan areas. Organizers of the project believe that is essential for community members to feel invested in the park for it to be a long-term success.
It is estimated that the entire project will cost $91 million. So far, $46 million has been raised, of which $36 comes from the federal money and the US Department of Transportation, $2 million from the Chicago Parks Department and $7 million from private funders, with more of the latter to come.
When the Bloomingdale Trail is completed, it will add acres of new park space to Chicago and connect adjoining neighborhoods. The park will be a source of pride for the hundred of people and organizations involved in its creation, as well as the city itself. The Bloomingdale Trail is expected to soft launch in 2014.
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