Last night, reps from Northwestern University and architects Perkins+Will co-hosted a community meeting to unveil the updated design for the planned biomedical research center that will replace the old Bertrand Goldberg-designed Prentice Women's Hospital. The plan has been in the works for years now, and if everything moves forward without a hitch, Northwestern hopes to begin construction of the first phase of the enormous project early next year. Northwestern selected P+W last December to lead the design of the new project, however, some residents at last night's meeting weren't very supportive of the most recent design change.
Unlike the usual height battle in other neighborhoods, some residents complained about the shortened height of the new tower, the Chicago Architecture Blog reports. The final design presented lowers the tower by six stories compared to the first design that was unveiled last December. In addition, some residents were concerned about the monolithic glass aesthetic of the center. However, in following the most recent trend in the greater downtown area, the design does appear to incorporate what Trib architecture critic Blair Kamin has dubbed "sliced minimalism".
·Northwestern Gets an Earful About the Latest Design For its Prentice Replacement [Chi Arch Blog]
·Northwestern's Biomedical Research Tower Gets New Look [Curbed Chicago]
·Previous Prentice Women's Hospital coverage [Curbed Chicago]
Loading comments...