IIT Architecture Chicago

Five outstanding architecture firms have been named finalists for the 2025 Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize (MCHAP), a prestigious biennial award established by the College of Architecture at Illinois Institute of Technology in 2013. Announced by MCHAP Director Dirk Denison and Jury Chair Maurice Cox at Mexico City’s Anahuacalli Museum, this year’s finalists represent the most impactful architecture and landscape projects across the Americas. The winning project—revealed at a symposium and gala at S. R. Crown Hall on May 5—will receive the MCHAP Award, the MCHAP Chair in the College of Architecture, and $50,000 to support research and publication. Learn more about the finalists and their projects: https://lnkd.in/gxcTxshr

How can architects breathe new life into the heart of Chicago? Cheok Chun Chong (M.ARCH. ’24) tackled that question and earned top honors at the 2024 Chicago Award in Architecture Student Awards! His winning project, The Space(s) In Between, transforms a forgotten alley between two vacant historic buildings on State Street into a vibrant, multi-functional event space that reimagines how architecture can revive a community. Inspired by the Chicago Theater’s dynamic energy, Chong’s design features a “stairatorium,” exhibition spaces, and an oculus room—all connected by stunning glass facades. His vision? To turn this underutilized space into a cultural and educational hub, bringing art and connection to the Loop. Let us know—what’s one space in your city you’d like to see transformed? https://lnkd.in/gtB4BYCx

Exciting news from Illinois Institute of Technology's College of Architecture: Our new website is live! Discover how we’re shaping the future of architecture through innovative programs, groundbreaking projects, and inspiring student and faculty work. Explore the redesign and see what sets us apart: arch.iit.edu

Illinois Institute of Technology's College of Architecture is raising the bar for housing design education! Our second-year studio, “Repetition and Difference: Collective Living, Biophilia, and Mass Timber on the Campus of IIT in Chicago,” has earned the 2024 Housing Design Education Award from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture. Led by Assistant Professor Ryan Roark and Associate Teaching Professor Michael Glynn, this innovative studio challenges second-year students to design dorms for Mies Campus with sustainability in mind—leveraging mass timber, biophilic materials, and creative solutions to address real-world housing challenges. “This award is telling every architecture school in the country that you can engage second-year undergraduates with a rigorously designed program to learn about housing, and they can be successful,” Glynn says. Congratulations to our incredible faculty and students for making Illinois Tech a leader in architectural education! https://lnkd.in/g7zgS-2M

Illinois Tech College of Architecture Professor Ron Henderson has been nominated as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University College of Architecture in Beijing. This prestigious appointment builds on nearly two decades of collaboration with Tsinghua, home to China’s oldest School of Architecture, and highlights Henderson's trailblazing contributions to international architectural education. Henderson, who joined Illinois Tech in 2015, was a founding faculty member of Tsinghua’s Department of Landscape Architecture and has continuously fostered innovation and exchange in architecture and urban design. Through this dual role, Henderson will continue teaching at Illinois Tech while advancing research, recruitment, and collaboration in China https://lnkd.in/gQa2HR-8

On or near Illinois Tech’s campus once stood landmarks that shaped Chicago’s African American history: the first Black female suffrage club, an arcade housing one of the first Black-owned banks, and vibrant jazz and blues clubs that gave rise to The Stroll. Yet, traces of these sites are scarce, if they exist at all. This spring, Illinois Tech’s College of Architecture will once again offer a powerful course on commemorating these lost histories. Students will uncover and memorialize the campus's cultural and historical treasures—including the Alpha Suffrage Club, founded by Ida B. Wells—and explore how architecture can honor stories often overlooked. As Ron Henderson, co-designer of the course, explains: “The ways we give voice to ancestors—human and non-human—start with acknowledging their existence and finding material expressions of them in our current society.” How would you design a space to tell the story of a historic community? Share your thoughts in the comments. https://lnkd.in/gCRnVPa2

Season’s Greetings from the College of Architecture! May your holidays be as inspired and timeless as great design. Here’s to shaping a bold and creative new year ahead!

Three exceptional student and faculty-led projects from our Master of Landscape Architecture + Urbanism program have been recognized at the 2024 Illinois American Society of Landscape Architects (ILASLA) Celebration Awards. These projects highlight the power of landscape architecture to transform environments and impact communities. Honor Award for Research: "The Driverless City Project: The Socio-Environmental Implications to Urban Waters" This groundbreaking research, which earned $1.6M in funding, investigates how autonomous vehicles will impact water quality and urban infrastructure. Merit Award: "Hosting Life: Botanical Parasite" A dynamic collaboration with Paris-based ChartierDalix, this project reimagines Chicago’s urban landscape with green spaces, gardens, and sustainable solutions. Merit for Design Award: "Living Creek/Arroyo Vivo: Confluences" A cross-border collaboration that aims to reinvigorate the Arroyo Seco creek in Monterrey, Mexico, blending design and environmental restoration. Congrats to all the talented students and faculty for their hard work and visionary projects! https://lnkd.in/gVCCe4be

Congratulations to Ivan Gonzalez-Vazquez and Alisha Gonzalez, recipients of the 2024 AIA Chicago Foundation Diversity Scholarship! Ivan, a first-year master’s student from Nevada, and Alisha, a fourth-year undergraduate student, each received a $10,000 scholarship. This scholarship supports diverse, talented young professionals in Chicago and recognizes the value of unique voices in the profession. Each awardee will also be paired with a mentor from the AIA Chicago membership to receive ongoing guidance throughout their educational journey. Join us in celebrating their achievements and the bright future ahead! https://lnkd.in/gwCdiF5a

This Thanksgiving, we're grateful for the creative minds and inspiring designs that make the Illinois Tech College of Architecture a hub of innovation. Thank you to our students, faculty, alumni, and community for building a brighter future—one blueprint at a time. Wishing you a holiday filled with warmth, joy, and gratitude.