Chicago Architecture Biennial Video Celebrates Cutting Edge Masterpieces

By Margaret Paulson in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 24, 2015 4:44PM

The inaugural Chicago Architecture Biennial has released its first promotional video ahead of its October opening, and it has some stellar shots of the city.

If this video doesn't get you pumped up for “96 days of innovation in architecture and design!” and “free and open to the public” I don’t know what will. Take a look:

The 3-month-long biennial, running from Oct. 3 to Jan. 3, is a new initiative of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

The inaugural biennial is themed “The State of the Art of Architecture” and pays homage to our city’s past as the home of the Chicago School (Holabird, Burnham and Root, Jenney, Sullivan and Roche, oh my!) and heavyweights Mies van der Rohe and Frank Lloyd Wright.

The Chicago Architecture Biennial is also a celebration of current and future work, inviting “both emerging and established practices from across the world to Chicago to demonstrate how groundbreaking advances in architectural design are tackling the most pressing issues of today,” according to promotional materials.

The biennial will feature full-scale installations, events and exhibitions at a few locations throughout the city, and the winner of the Lakefront Kiosk Competition will be announced. In Spring 2016, four new kiosks will be installed along the lakefront as a finale to the event.

The biennial's International Advisory Committee includes Chicago’s own Jeanne Gang and Stanley Tigerman, as well as other high-profile architects and commissioners including Frank Gehry and Hans Ulrich Obrist. Check out the list of participants from around the world here.

[H/T Curbed Chicago]

Side note for local architecture buffs: October is a great month for architecture in Chicago. The Chicago Architecture Foundation hosts its annual Open House from Oct. 17-18.