Ebb and flow: Chicago Riverwalk to transform the city's urban experience
Chicago’s river runs through the city’s very heart, right next to its famous Loop business and commercial core. Connecting it with surrounding suburbs, this important feature has been playing an important role in the city’s development for decades. Yet up until today large chunks of it remained disused. Now, a significant part of this once-industrial space has been transformed into a welcoming 1.5 mile long promenade, named the Chicago Riverwalk.
Ross Barney Architects collaborated with landscape architecture firm Sasaki to reclaim this valuable piece of urban land for the public and redefine it into a ‘dynamic space, lined with public amenities, restaurants, cultural activities and access to natural habitats for city residents and visitors alike.’ The project’s aim was to ‘return the river to Chicago and return Chicagoans to the river’, says lead architect Carol Ross Barney.
The recently launched project has already proven very popular, offering several leisure and hospitality activities that will transform Chicago’s urban experience
Recently launched to the public, this represents the final phase in an important city project, which has been ongoing since 2009, when its first stage was completed. Further works were finished by 2015, bringing developments up to this final phase that includes six brand new riverside areas that are especially designed to enhance the way Chicagoans interact with the riverbanks.
There’s a plaza, where visitors can simply relax and sunbathe; a series of piers that highlight the river’s ecology; and the Broadwalk’s sloping bridge and floating gardens – all conceived to bring tourists and locals close to the water in a meaningful way. Several activities are offered across the stretch of the project, ready to provide an eager crowd with a range of leisure and hospitality options, no doubt set to transform Chicago’s urban experience.
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Ross Barney Architects website and the Sasaki Associates website
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Fuseproject has given form to Kind Humanoid, an AI-driven bipedal robot that wants to help
Human assistance robot Kind Humanoid steps out for the first time, shaped by Yves Béhar and Fuseproject and powered by AI, with a friendly face and mechanised limbs that can perform a variety of physical tasks
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
‘Fashion or art? It doesn’t have to be one or the other’: 16Arlington’s Marco Capaldo on turning curator for new London show
A deeply felt musing on the idea of memory, 16Arlington creative director Marco Capaldo unites with Almine Rech for an exhibition at Frieze No.9 Cork Street which features artists from Andy Warhol and John Giorno to rising stars Rhea Dillon, George Rouy and Jesse Pollock
By Mary Cleary Published
-
Take a deep dive into Norway's art scene with the Lofoten International Art Festival
Kite tails, lingonberries and woven islands: the Lofoten International Art Festival unveils its 18th edition
By Louise Long Published
-
Paul Rudolph at The Met: ‘from Christmas lights to megastructures’
‘Materialized Space: The Architecture of Paul Rudolph’ opens at the Met in New York, exploring the modernist master's work through a feast of an exhibition
By Stephanie Murg Published
-
Jewel Box is a Californian project of small scale and big impact
Jewel Box by Red Dot Studio is the reimagining of a Californian 20th-century gem through a creative addition
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Germane Barnes exhibition explores notions of classical architecture and identity
Germane Barnes exhibition 'Columnar Disorder' opens at the Art Institute of Chicago
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Omaha’s Joslyn Art Museum's newest addition effortlessly complements the institution’s existing complex
The third addition to Joslyn Art Museum is designed by Snøhetta, which opted for voluminous common spaces and illuminating atriums
By Anthony Paletta Published
-
Morning Dove in Twentynine Palms combines earth construction and otherworldly desert views
Morning Dove by Homestead Modern in Twentynine Palms offers a striking landscape and rammed-earth construction for idyllic desert escapes
By Carole Dixon Published
-
Larry Booth's 'House of Light' showcases an impeccable slice of postmodernist heritage
A 1980s Larry Booth-designed Chicago townhouse on a narrow plot is a striking example of his author's work, set alongside the city’s postmodernist archive
By Edwin Heathcote Published
-
In a hidden Beverly Hills garden courtyard, fashion, art and architecture meet
Johnston Marklee transforms a Beverly Hills storefront into a shared space for the Michael Werner art gallery and fashion institution Mameg, connected through a leafy courtyard
By Carole Dixon Published
-
Transamerica Pyramid: a San Francisco icon, remastered
The Transamerica Pyramid, a landmark in the San Francisco cityscape, has been redesigned to 21st-century standards by Foster + Partners
By Ellie Stathaki Published