Along the Midway Plaisance, at the corner of 60th and Ingleside, the new nexus of the University of Chicago's school of performing and visual arts is taking shape. The Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts is comprised of a long broad building and a tall lean one. According to the arts department website, "Technically sophisticated studios, media labs and performance spaces that take advantage of natural light will meet the exacting demands of today's modes of artistic expression and the technical complexities of tomorrow's emerging forms." Of aesthetic interest, the glass sawtooth roof of the low-lying building cuts northerly exposures for an even and steady light, and is reminiscent of many modern airport terminals.
Puncturing the repetition, architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien's 11-story minimalist tower reaches skyward for what must be the best views outside of Rockefeller Chapel. The architects seem to have opted for irregularity in the extreme, as there are few windows to the west, and many to the north and east. The tower will house classrooms, small performance spaces, and a ground floor café at the point of connection between the two buildings. The whole design incorporates a healthy amount of green space, where one might easily imagine artsy improvisations playing out. Scheduled opening: March of 2012.
· Official website: Logan Center for the Arts [U of C]
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