Chicago's architectural achievements can be found in nearly every corner of the sprawling city, with the noteworthy exception of the lakefront, an area long protected as parkland and mostly free from development. As one of the initial programs of the inaugural Chicago Architectural Biennial, the Lakefront Kiosk Competition asked designers and architects to envision new pop-up public kiosks for the city's beachfront to demonstrate what can be achieved on this 20-mile stretch of public space. Starting this fall, four kiosks will be displayed in one of the city's showpiece public spaces, Millennium Park; the winner of an international competition that drew 421 entries from more than 40 countries (the minimalist Chicago Horizon design by Rhode Island-based team Ultramoderne), as well as three kiosks designed through collaborations between architects and local universities (Paul Andersen and Paul Preissner, Kunlé Adeyemi and Pezo von Ellrichshausen participated). All four will find more appropriate homes on different perches along the lakefront this spring, after the international exhibition of contemporary architecture concludes. Organizers hope that the inaugural class of buildings helps make a case for this competition becoming a Biennial tradition.
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