Kwong Von Glinow

1/10

Give me a minute, please! offers a place of respite and relaxation along the Chicago Riverwalk.

2/10

Project

Give me a minute, please!

What

Summer Pavilion

Where

Chicago Riverwalk, Room 6

Size

1,800 square feet

Awards

Selected as the inaugural pavilion for Designing a Better Chicago

Client

The MART, in collaboration with the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), and the Design Museum of Chicago

Status

Construction Documents + Permitting, to be built June 2021

Team

Kwong Von Glinow: Lap Chi Kwong, Alison Von Glinow, Shichen Eric Li, Adam Botao Sun, Tammy Phan, Ziqi Wang, Pimpakarn Rattanathumawat, Tanil Raif, Junfu Cui; UB Studio; Goodfriend Magruder Structures

Press

Designing a Better Chicago, “Riverwalk Design Installation,” more...

The theme Designing a Better Chicago acknowledges that our city is constantly evolving: it is never static and it never stops imagining a better version of itself. Likewise, its people are ever on the move. Our approach for this project began by understanding the relevance of this prompt and how Designing a Better Chicago can affect the public who experience the city.

"Room 6" is an amazing site in the center of Chicago, surrounded by magnificent architecture along the lively and dynamic Riverfront. While numbered as the final room along the southern edge of the Chicago Riverwalk Masterplan, the site actually holds its heritage as the central hub of Chicago’s maritime industry, originally planned to be formalized by 3 bridges to shape its centrality as a confluence. The question we asked ourselves when given this site was: what more can we give to this site as architects? We propose a design that offers time and space, titled “Give me a minute, please!”

One minute can seem very short, but at the same time one minute can seem very long. A minute is relative. “Give me a minute, please!” can be interpreted in many different ways. This phrase often translates as a way to ask someone to wait. It almost always means a short amount of time and not literally a minute. For our society which demands spontaneity, on-the-go, everything-all-at-once, one minute is often broken up and doled out to various and competing focuses. What if the city can offer that minute back to the public to enjoy? The best designed public spaces never dictate or manipulate the visitor to use a space in a certain way. They allow visitors to explore and discover with time. Give me a minute, please! offers a space for contemplation: a respite - even if knowingly momentary - where visitors will pause, delight, and enjoy their surroundings.

Robert Burnier’s largest structure of his 2018 series “Black Tiberinus” anchors itself to the Riverwalk foundation piles. At 19’x19’x31’, the sturdily held nylon mesh and rope artwork gracefully play out soft movements of color and shadow within the structural framework. We approached this structure as a “found object” on the site, with the ambition to extend the use of the existing artwork.

3/10

Searching for a design that could reuse the artwork’s structure to create a new type of space along the Riverwalk, the pyramid offered material and structural efficiency as well as an iconic form with a generous roof.

4/10

We approached the existing largest structure at the site of artist Robert Burnier’s 2018 series Black Tiberinus as a found object, with the ambition to extend the use of the existing artwork.

5/10

The pyramidal form gives even greater height to the structure that was already visible from Upper Wacker Drive. The structure’s presence encourages curiosity.

6/10

The eight surrounding spatial artifacts lend unique atmospheres underneath the monolithic structure - allowing for individuals to find a momentary space all their own.

7/10

The height of the pyramid's canopy emphasizes a horizontal view of the surrounding riverscape - encouraging reflection and pause to take in curated views of the river.

8/10

From a distance, the pyramid expresses its singularity. However, upon visitors approach, the objects within begin to provide an intimate and human scale.

9/10

Each of the spaces within the 9-square grid holds a unique atmosphere where visitors can pause to relax and find their own space to take a minute.

10/10

Relative to the city, the large pyramidal form commands its presence by distinguishing itself from its context. Acting like a big umbrella, the pyramid houses various objects underneath its cover.