Modern Wing Chicago Art Institute, Chicago Illinois

I admire Renzo Piano  and I like the way he thinks through a sketch. Just look at the sketch above. There's a "story" there, even if it;s just one piece of sketch. Taht, my friends, is the true art of architecture is here. The uniqueness of an architect's dynamic visual thoughts is shown in this. All the best minds did it before: Palladio, Le Corbusier, Oscar Niemeyer, Jørn Utzon, you name it.
More about Renzo and his Building Workshop here rpbw.r.ui-pro.com/ 

And now, for one of his works that I love so much, continue reading after the break.

Modern Wing Chicago Art Institute, Chicago Illinois: "


Renzo Piano designed the $294 million Modern Wing for the Chicago Art Institute, completed in 2009. It's a subtle and fitting new wing for the 1893 Beaux Arts museum.


The 264,000 ft2 space gives plenty of presentation space for contemporary art. Towering walls of limestone recall Chicago's architectural legacy, the great walls of brick that make up many of its innovative skyscrapers. Vertical repetition of steel with glazing presents modern Chicago's exciting facades, particularly those by Mies van der Rohe.


Inspired by the museum's free-floating spiral staircase, a pedestrian walkway soars over the public green space, traverses classical architecture, and enters the structure. Classical Roman lettering on the museum's title is impressed on free-standing delicate glass. Renzo punctuates the comparison between Modernism and Classical architecture.


(See original Chicago Art Institute photos near bottom of page)










Original Chicago Art Institute:








[images: ejojola, alui0000, Tschäff, rpongsaj, supafly, Ruth and Patrick, ChiBart, ir0cko, David Paul Ohmer,maxintosh, M. Janicki on flickr]