Charles Pigott’s Post

Dreaming Architecture: From Chicago to The World Is the American dream any different to the British dream or the German? I had a dream in Chicago in 1988; on my arrival, before starting as an architectural intern at Skidmore Owings & Merrill at 33 W Monroe. It was about looking for the building of Helmut Jahn; the Postmodernist Thompson Center. It was not to be found; but another building did appear that seemed to honour water. It was black ,lit with sunlight and showed dark greys in the shadow and greens from the reflection of the water. It was not until much later in my career/education that I stumbled on a similar construction, in a lecture at the Architectural Association. Peter Cook and Christine Hawley were presenting their Osaka Folly, built in 1990 in Japan. Of course I did go to the Thompson Center, where they issued my Social Security Card. I was taken that the vast space that escaped the laws of fire protection, due to it being a governmental building. It too had taken the lives of 5 construction workers. A cable lowering a bucket carrying six construction workers at the building site broke, hurling five of them 80 feet to their deaths and seriously injuring the sixth. I had a dream that I could understand architecture and become an architect. #ArchitectureDreams #AmericanDream #BritishDream #GermanDream #ChicagoArchitecture #SkidmoreOwingsMerrill #HelmutJahn #ThompsonCenter #PeterCook #ChristineHawley #OsakaFolly #ArchitecturalJourney #DreamsAndBuildings #ArchitecturalInternship #PostmodernArchitecture #BuildingDreams #ArchitectLife #ArchitecturalInspiration #UrbanDesign #ArchitectureLovers #ArchitecturalHistory #ConstructionStories #ArchitecturalPassion #DreamToArchitect #CityScapes

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