Is the lakefront a bore to you in need of renewal? Beirut-based architecture firm Hapsitus has a clever fix in mind: a plantation of revolving wheels riffing off a Chicago claim to fame, the Ferris Wheel. The proposal calls for seven large wheels that have structural similarities but huge variation in design. They'll cluster on and off shore near Navy Pier. Who knows, maybe it'll happen. The architect's statement follows the break:
This project for the City of Chicago consists of seven revolving wheels inspired by the Ferris wheel and proposed for Olive Park and its vicinity. Five of them will be placed above the circular fountains, with the circumference of each wheel mirroring that of its fountain. The locations for the wheels include one wheel placed within Navy Pier's Gateway Park and another one in Lake Michigan. The wheel sizes vary between 20 and 35 meters in diameter. Each wheel has a concrete foundation and consists of a steel structure, basically a vertical steel pole carrying a central hub and a round rim joined by cables.
The wheels each have individual, intricate patterns of figures and shapes that represent the diversity of Chicago and its different geographic zones. The wheels turn through an electromechanical system consisting of a motor within the hub. The movement, lighting and the sound generated by the wheels will create overlapping stories in continuous celebration of Chicago.
·Wheels of Chicago Proposal [ArchDaily]
·Official Site: Hapsitus Architects
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