Next Stop: Designing Chicago BRT Stations

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Single-stage, international, ideas competition to design iconic, sustainable, and functional designs for Chicago’s BRT.  

Crowd-Sourced Bus Rapid Transit System
Sierralta and Strawn designed and launched the 2013 Burnham Prize Competition and its companion exhibition as Presidents of the Chicago Architectural Club. The competition was the culmination of a nearly two-year effort to deploy Chicago's bus rapid transit system. More than a dozen civic institutions and non-profits worked together to imagine a world-class system that was specifically designed for Chicago. 

Strawn Sierralta worked closely with the Chicago Architecture Center and the BRT Steering Committee to develop a brief that inspired entrants to imagine a system-based solution. 

The team was not looking for the design of a single bus stop that could be replicated over and over, rather we were searching for solutions that would adapt to each context while creating a powerful new identity for the city. 

Teams were asked to submit designs for three different prototype sites, one in downtown Chicago's Loop district, another in Bucktown/Logan Square neighborhood, and one for the Pilsen community.

DESIGNED FOR

“Next Stop: Designing Chicago BRT Stations” was created for the Chicago Architectural Club.

The history of the Chicago Architectural Club runs side-by-side with the development of the Chicago school of architecture. From its founding in 1885 as an architectural sketch club, to today's rich schedule of discussions, competitions and exhibitions, the CAC has consistently championed the work of Chicago architects, as well as fostering ongoing, vigorous debate on fundamental issues of art and practice.

Competition Partners: Chicago Architecture Center, Rockefeller Foundation, The Chicago Community Trust, Chicago Transit Authority, Chicago Department of Transportation, Active Transportation Alliance, Metropolitan Planning Council, Urban Land Institute Chicago, Civic Consulting Alliance, Institute for Transportation & Development Policy, and AIA Chicago.

IMPACT

Events: Public announcement of the competition winners at the Chicago Architecture Center, April 17, 2013.

Mentioned in: ArchDaily, Bustler, Archinect, The Chicagoist, Architect’s Newspaper, Metroplanning.org, and Competitions.org

Exhibited at: Chicago Architecture Center June 6 - 28, 2013 and via a postcard campaign.

INVITED JURY

Monica Chadha, Civic Projects
Gordon Gill, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
Cheri Heramb, AECOM
Gabe Klein, Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT)
Pat Natke, UrbanWorks Architecture
Peter Osler, Illinois Institute of Technology
Carol Ross Barney, Ross Barney Architects
Rebekah Scheinfeld, Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)
Charles Smith, Cannon Design & Chicago Loop Alliance
Stanley Tigerman, Tigerman McCurry Architecture

May 29, 2013

PUBLIC EVENT

Introductions, award presentations, and commentary were led by:
Lynn Osmond, President, CEO, Chicago Architecture Center
Benjamin de la Pena, Associate Director for Urban Development at the Rockefeller Foundation
Gabe Klein, Commissioner, Chicago Department of Transportation
Karla Sierralta & Brian Strawn, Presidents, Chicago Architectural Club
Zurich Esposito, Executive Director, AIA Chicago

FIRST PLACE AWARD
”Form VS Uniform”, by Toronto architects Hesam T. Rostami and Bahareh Atash, was described by the jury as having "a simple elegance, while displaying a subtle adaptability to specific sites, and being fully accessible to all users."

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Postcard campaign communicates all of the award-winning BRT designs.

EXHIBITION

An exhibition of 'NEXT STOP' winners was held in the atrium of Daniel Burnham's historic Santa Fe Building in downtown Chicago.

Strawn Sierralta curated and designed the temporary exhibition, which was displayed alongside the Chicago Architecture Center's famed model of Chicago that spans over 400 blocks of the city. All nine awarded entries were featured.

First Place: 'Form vs. Uniform' by Hesam T. Rostami and Bahareh Atash
Second Place: 'Enthalpy' by Aetheric Studio (Goi Artetxe and Elise Renwick)
Third Place: 'BTA: Bus Transit Authority' by Aneesha Dharwadker and Conor O’Shea
Honorable Mention: 'Torqued Spine' by HDR Engineering, Inc.
Honorable Mention: 'Halo' by RTKL Associates Inc., Willoughby Engineering , Halvorson Partners
Honorable Mention: ' Kinesis' by LC Architects (Ermis Chalvatzis and Natassa Lianou)
Citation: 'BuRT' by Perkins+Will (Branded Environments and Urban Design)
Citation: 'Plu & Play' by Francesc Montosa and Marc Torrellas (with Mark Pique and Meritxell Arderiux)
Citation: 'Hurry Up and Slow Down' by Ann Lui and Craig Reschke