Masters of Tall Buildings and Vertical Urbanism

I was on TV!🎥❄️ Still can’t believe it! I got interviewed on Fox 32 Chicago, NBC5, and CBS News Chicago about an incredible project we worked on this winter—building an Ice Tower! This idea started with Antony Wood, Ph.D., who has been experimenting with ice structures in his backyard for years. This year he decided to take it to the next level by building taller and brought us, Masters of Tall Buildings and Vertical Urbanism students, along for the challenge. Braving Chicago’s freezing temperatures, we used frozen water balloons and other creative techniques to test the limits of extreme design and material experimentation. It was cold, chaotic, and completely out of our comfort zones, but also one of the most exciting hands-on experiences we’ve had. See how it all came together: 📺 Fox 32: https://lnkd.in/dq7tp-Zd 📺 NBC Chicago: https://lnkd.in/deTMX-5R 📺 CBS Chicago: https://lnkd.in/dMAkepjb #IceTower #OnTheNews #TallBuildings #VerticalUrbanism #ExtremeDesign #CTBUH #IIT #Architecture #PushingBoundaries

"May you have warmth in your igloo, oil in your lamp and peace in your heart". With these feelings in heart, a week ago we embarked on a wonderful journey building a "Tower Igloo". Our Professor Antony Wood, Ph.D had his vision and the process very clear developing this beautiful sculpture at the north lawns opposite the historic Crown hall, Illinois Institute of Technology, college of architecture. Our Masters of Tall Buildings and Vertical Urbanism Studio students started the process by inking and filling the balloons with water, letting them freeze in the previous week's arctic storm with freezing temperatures of as low as -4°F. These were used as building blocks to build this tower. The journey from inception to putting the last keystone with help of scaffold has been incredible. I would like to thank Prof. Antony Wood, Ph.D for making us a part of his vision and Fox32 Chicago, CBS News, NBC Chicago and abc news for covering this incredible project!! #mtbvu #ctbuh #icetower #igloo

Building an Ice Tower in -20°C: A Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience! ❄️🏗️ Being part of the Masters of Tall Buildings and Vertical Urbanism has led to incredible and unexpected experiences. With Chicago’s temperatures dropping to -4°F (-20°C) last week, we took advantage of the extreme cold to build something extraordinary—an Ice Tower! Not an igloo, but a 12-foot-tall structure because, of course, we had to go vertical! The process was both fascinating and challenging. This is the coldest I have ever been, but also one of the most exciting snow experiences. Working alongside an amazing team, we spent days in the freezing cold before heading back to the classroom and studio. A huge thank you to Antony Wood, Ph.D for bringing this idea to life and sharing his passion with us. And what made it even more special? We were on TV! 📺 Our Ice Tower was covered by NBC, Fox News, CBS, ABC, and more! These past days have been very busy with interviews, but it has been an unforgettable opportunity to show our work nationally. Grateful to Illinois Institute of Technology for this invaluable experience and to Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) for making it happen. Check out the full story and video covered by Fox News—link below: https://lnkd.in/em8qvRhr #IceTower #VerticalUrbanism #TallBuildings #CTBUH #IIT #Chicago #ExtremeCold #Architecture #Innovation

The Master of Tall Buildings and Vertical Urbanism students, led by Antony Wood, Ph.D, braved freezing temps to construct an ice tower—and now, their work has been featured on Fox 32 Chicago! From frozen water balloons to a full-scale experiment in extreme design, this project showcases the creativity and resilience of our students. Huge thanks to Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) for making it possible! Check out the feature and see this icy structure: https://lnkd.in/gheg8QKu

Okay, so time for the big reveal.... this is what myself and the students from the Masters of Tall Buildings and Vertical Urbanism have been doing for the past week. We have been down and dirty in single digit degree Fahrenheit temperatures (which is minus 15 degrees Centigrade), building an ice tower out of frozen water balloon blocks (with food coloring!), in front of the seminal Crown Hall at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago. This is my fifth such project now, extending back a dozen or so years. But, whereas the past four "igloo-scaled" projects were constructed in the garden with my family, we took it up a significant scale this year. With the help of scaffold on day three (many thanks to Prof. Frank Flury and his students!), we managed to get it up to 12 feet in height and, especially when illuminated at night, I think the effect is quite spectacular (all the more spectacular when you consider that very few of the students had any building experience, prior)! In any event, it's been great fun and, if you're in the Chicago area, you should get down to see it, before it melts - next week! Many thanks to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) for sponsoring the materials and, of course, to the M.TBVU students themselves, for working tirelessly alongside me to build something of note: Aída Alvarado; Akkil Ibrahim Shanavaz; Anastasiya Kovylina; Fatemeh khajeh Dehaghani; Jack Archer; Jayraj Mistry; Jillian Oligschlaeger; Jumana Abu-Elreish; Jyot Mankad; Kamila Igambergenova; Kristin LaSorsa; Mariana Penaloza; and Suriana Rosas-Mozo.

Last semester I had the pleasure of returning as a guest lecturer for the Masters of Tall Buildings and Vertical Urbanism program, jointly led by Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) and Illinois Institute of Technology. This is an incredible program focused on the future of vertical urbanism and resilient, sustainable skyscrapers--and it's the first multidisciplinary degree of its kind. Chicago has long been recognized internationally as an architecture powerhouse, and its climate tech scene is catching up quickly. Thank you Yohan Kim and Antony Wood, Ph.D for deeming me a worthy "wild card" lecturer to talk shop about carbon utilization, biomanufacturing, and the built and grown environment with this keen group. The more advanced and specialized emerging technologies get, the greater the risk of siloing development. Encouraging critical conversations like these across industries and among practitioners is key to derisking technology and designing with systems integration in mind.

Ni Hao!! from Singapore!! It has been a fantastic week in Singapore, which has been a second country/city as a part of field trip to south east asia in Masters of Tall Buildings and Vertical Urbanism program at Illinois Institute of Technology, College of Architecture in collaboration with Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). We started with office visit of WOHA Architects and had a great session with Mun Summ Wong, principal partner at WOHA. He suggested us good buildings to be visited in Singapore, inspired us with his works and his view on sustainability of city and buildings and also gave us a signed copy of his publication. We visited Oasia Hotel, Park Royal Hotel, Pan Pacific Orchard, Sky ville designed by WOHA Architects and Capita Spring, designed by BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group. We ended our day with a rooftop visit of Marina Bay Sands, designed by Safdie Architects. Singapore is an epitome of sustainable architecture and design and we embraced it fully! #mtbvu #ctbuh #singapore #wohaarchitects #bigarchitects #safdiearchitects #sustainablearchitecture

It's a wrap! The last few days in Singapore has made this field trip so memorable and remarkable. We visited the supertree observatory and cloud forest in the "Gardens by the Bay", The Merlion at the Bayfront which totally redefined how gardens can be thought of. Watching the mesmerizing skyline of Singapore from the Marina Bay is a vista in itself. I also joined the CTBUH-Skyline Architects Society group in meeting Claudia Melniciuc, AIA, studio director at RIOS Singapore and had a great walking tour of some of the buildings in Singapore downtown! We visited Pinnacle@duxton, Marina one and asia building and also "The Interlace" by OMA. I would like to thank Prof. Antony Wood, Ph.D, for this opportunity and exposure in the field trip of Masters of Tall Buildings and Vertical Urbanism course of Illinois Institute of Technology, college of Architecture in collaborationwith Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). #mtbvu #ctbuh #Singapore #ctbuhsas #sustainablearchitecture

For the second week of our trip as part of the Masters of Tall Buildings and Vertical Urbanism studio, we were given the opportunity to travel to a tall building city of our choosing. A group of us decided to travel to Singapore, known as the "green city". That is a very fitting name, as everywhere we walked, and every building we saw, had greenery. But, I would also like to highlight a complimentary element to the greenery that I saw throughout the city: the water. Water was a feature in many different ways in Singapore. The famous Jewel, which features the world's tallest indoor waterfall surrounded by forest terraces, was the first site we got to see in Singapore. As the core of shopping mall, the waterfall creates a grand yet serene moment in the middle of a bustling context. At Gardens by the Bay, the Cloud Forest features waterfalls on a lush "mountain" covered in plants from around the world. At certain times of day, a second water feature is created when mist is sprayed onto the plants. This creates its namesake through a feeling of being in the clouds. Reclaimed land has created the Marina Bay, which creates a beautiful waterfront for viewing the iconic Marina Bay Sands and allows for ferry rides along the Singapore river to further see the sites of the city. Also on the waterfront is the Merlion Statue, which is the official mascot of Singapore, and which has water spitting out of its mouth into the bay. I once again would like to thank Antony Wood, Ph.D, Masters of Tall Buildings and Vertical Urbanism, Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), and IIT College of Architecture for this incredible opportunity to experience the cities of Bangkok and Singapore!

Rounding out the second half of our studio trip this semester, we visited Tokyo and Kyoto! After Bangkok’s energy and heat, Japan felt like a shift in pace—still vibrant, but at a markedly slower tempo. Tokyo’s neighborhoods are surprisingly walkable and human-scaled. It’s small streets and quiet alleys disguise the cities status as the largest in the world. Kyoto, on the other hand, felt like stepping back in time. We wandered through bamboo forests, visited several of the historic temples, and visited the Iwatayama Monkey Park. The highlight of the trip was seeing the architecture I studied last semester—like traditional Minkas, shoji screens, and ryokans. A great end to the trip and a great start to this semesters studio! A huge thank you to Antony Wood, Ph.D, Masters of Tall Buildings and Vertical Urbanism, Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), and IIT College of Architecture for organizing and facilitating this trip!