Ahead of Biennial, CAF launches
Chi-Design Competion

by MIKE HRYMAK | Jul 22, 2015

Over 100 tall buildings dot the skyline of the Windy City, making it one of the skyscraper capitals of the world. Now the Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) might be looking for a new home within the city to help it tell 'tall' tales. On July 9, the 10,000-member nonprofit launched a new speculative and ideas based competition, requesting proposals for a new Center for Architecture, Design and Education (CADE).

ChiDesign is the contest's name, described on its website as "an open international ideas competition, adjudicated by a distinguished jury of design and education professionals."

NOTE: This window of creative opportunity is only open until Aug. 7, when proposals are due.

The facility proposals must include new headquarters space for CAF, a visitor center and exhibition spaces. They must also include room to house a new headquarters for the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), which is currently located on the campus of the Illinois Institute of Technology.

According to CAF, the aim is to create "a new kind of learning campus that simultaneously serves as a welcoming center for 600,000 annual visitors; provides a learning environment that equips young people to be stewards for the built environment... and is a hub for community engagement."

One factor driving the timing of this contest is the upcoming Chicago Architecture Biennial. A first-of-its-kind for North America, that ambitious, citywide celebration will run from October to January 2016, educating, engaging and evangelizing on this theme: “The State of the Art of Architecture".

The Biennial will "offer an opportunity to take stock of architectural projects and experiments from around the world, establishing a broad foundation for future editions," according to the events page. Later this fall, CAF will host an exhibit during the Biennial showcasing some of the submissions from the ChiDesign Competition.

Registration for ChiDesign is available here. Be sure to beat the August 7th deadline. More information about the competition is available here. To learn more about the Chicago Architecture Biennial, head over to the events website.