Chicagoisms

Chicago has long captured global imagination as a place of tall, shining buildings rising from the fog, the playground for many great architects – from Mies van der Rohe to Frank Lloyd Wright – and a surprising epicentre for modern construction and building techniques. Chicagoisms brings together contributions by a diverse pool of curators, artists, architects, historians, critics, and theorists, forming a multifarious portrait of the “Second City”. The essays cover a vast range of topics, from Chicago’s relationship to contemporary global trends to tracking the boom-and-bust cycle of the city’s commitment to architecture. They look back at the Chicago’s architectural history and connect it to the “digital project”. Studied is also the impact of Chicago’s architecture and grid system on immigrants, such as Mies van der Rohe, and how they again influenced the next generation of architects. In addition, historical events that linked the city to the emerging discourse of global modernism and phenomena like the introduction of Chicago’s park designs to Europe are explored. Complementing the essays, the book presents some twenty iconic projects that demonstrate Chicago’s power as an instigator of ideas.