Transparency on State
Client
Columbia College Chicago
Year
2022
Location
Chicago, Illinois
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I have designed this space because, as a women who goes into the loop on a daily basis, I have noticed the lack of femininity in the architecture, the design, and the amenities that the loop provides. Another lack that I noticed, the lack of support for women’s sports in Chicago. The Chicago Sky, Chicago’s 2021 Women’s National Basketball Association Champions, now have a presence on State Street that attracts both locals and tourists.
As you enter the space, one would think this is just a Chicago Sky facility based on the view from State and Adams. However, as you wander in, you are brought into a women’s mentorship area. This space encourages women of all ages to come together. The two spaces, though differ in materiality, communication with one another through the consistent lighting techniques. The bright, airy interior is the perfect home for women in the loop.
The floor plans are designed with two ideas in mind: how do I position the Chicago Sky along State Street to attract tourists? and how can I position the women's mentorship facility behind the Chicago Sky to surprise guests into a opening experience. The whole idea behind TRANSPARENCY is transparency and vulnerability within women's interactions and mentorships. I want the space to consist of mentorships from young to old and old to young. There is no limit to the growth that women will experience at this facility. From each level, lower to mezzanine, the view into the basketball court centers the whole space and gives women a reason to gather together.
Through these sections and axons, one will be able to see the relation of the mezzanine, the ground level and the lower level all together. The communication between all the levels shows a sense of transparency throughout the facility and the separation of the Sky attractions versus the women's mentoring area. From State Street, a view down the the basketball court attracts visitors in to only be surprised by the women's mentorship facility in the back.
