Krueck Sexton Partners

09/06/2024

Join Laura Jimenez, Senior Associate Principal, Krueck Sexton Partners and Regional Hub, Americas Steering Committee, Group Member, Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) Chicago for the 2024 Global Walking Tour on Thursday, September 12th.

The 2024 theme will explore how people live in tall buildings and the kind of amenity that sky-high residential "villages" offers.

Starting at 5:00 pm on the ground floor of 167 N. Green Street, we will move up to their events space for a guided tour by Focus, the developer of the building. The tour will be approximately 90-minutes and will wrap up at Gin Alley, located at 114 N. Green Street.

Register here: https://www.ctbuh.org/events/chicago-12-Sep-2024

09/03/2024

We are proud to announce that three KSP projects have been recognized by the 2024 AIA Illinois Honors Awards. The The American Institute of Architects Illinois Chapter has recognized the projects for their contributions to the architecture profession, and their commitment to design excellence and social justice. These awards celebrate the positive impact on Illinois citizens and their communities.

KSP’s projects span a range of typologies from master planning and behavioral science to urban repositioning across Chicago.

Awarded Projects:

Mahalia Jackson Pop! Court - Capital Award
A community-driven revitalization project led by the Greater Chatham Initiative and supported by local artists, transforming an asphalt lot into a vibrant park that celebrates Chatham's rich cultural heritage.

Roman Family Center for Decision Research - Excellence in Interiors
A dynamic public education and outreach hub transformed a historic Michigan Avenue retail space into an engaging behavioral science lab and interactive exhibit venue.

Chicago Mercantile Exchange Center - Excellence in Interiors
A revitalization project turning a 40-year-old commercial lobby into an urban communal space with a new glass façade and inviting interior, enhancing comfort and community for thousands of daily users.

For more information about the 2024 AIA Illinois Honors Award recipients, please visit: https://www.aiail.org/design-awards

08/29/2024

Tuesday marked the 2-year anniversary of Mahalia Jackson Pop! Court Paint Day! This project, led by the Greater Chatham Initiative with support from local artists, transformed an 8,500-square-foot plaza into a vibrant park celebrating Chatham's rich cultural heritage. Paint Day highlighted the power of design, community service, and social justice—key elements of Mahalia Jackson Pop! Court’s story.

Check out the Paint Day video captured by KSP’s own Xiang Qiang!

Learn more:
https://ks.partners/projects/mahalia-jackson-pop-court/

08/20/2024

A small group from our office toured Fifth City Commons, a new affordable housing development in East Garfield Park on Chicago’s West Side. Led by the owner’s representative, Brian Ellison, Fifth City Commons features 43 apartments built to Passive House standards.

Over four years in the making, this project was part of the C40 Reinventing Cities Competition, which encouraged sustainable, net-zero developments on vacant land globally.

Named through a community-driven process, the development sits at the gateway to Garfield Park’s Fifth City, honoring the legacy of a 1960s community development organization that still resonates today.

Learn more about Fifth City Commons:
https://www.poah.org/property/illinois/fifth-city-commons

Design team:
Owner: Preservation of Affordable Housing
Owners Rep: Brian K. Ellison | BKE Designs
Architect: Nia Architects
Design Architect: Perkins&Will
Structural:
MEP & FP: DBHMS
Civil: TERRA Engineering, Ltd.
Landscape Architecture: Omni Ecosystems
General Contractor: Skender

08/16/2024

We have expanded our website’s news section to feature perspectives from our team. In our inaugural blog post, Partner, Juan Villafañe sheds light on his visit to Le Corbusier’s Casa Curutchet in La Plata near Buenos Aires. Juan's field report brings needed attention to the site context and influence of the architect’s sole work in Latin America.

Le Corbusier's Casa Curutchet: A Field Report from Juan M. Villafañe:
https://ks.partners/news/casa-curutchet-a-field-report-from-juan-villafane/

08/15/2024

Our firm, in partnership with the Greater Chatham Initiative, is proud to announce that Mahalia Jackson Pop! Court has been selected as a finalist for the AIA Chicago Roberta Feldman Architecture for Social Justice Award! We are honored to share the nomination with Could Be Architecture.

All AIA Chicago Architecture Award finalists will receive either an Honor Award or a Citation of Merit, to be conferred at Designight.

08/12/2024

Students in the College of Architecture, IIT Experiment in Architecture program concluded their two-week intensive led by KSP’s Edgar Alvarado, with final reviews by Xiang and Mubasheer. This immersive program, held at the Illinois Institute of Technology Mies Campus, introduces high school students to the architectural profession through hands-on design exercises, seminars, and field trips.

Edgar, an IIT alumnus (B.Arch ’17), who began teaching nine years ago, has been instrumental in guiding students and demonstrating diverse career paths in architecture.

Krueck Sexton Partners is dedicated to supporting students' growth and aspirations through internships and mentorship opportunities. As part of this commitment, we offer the KSP Scholarship at IIT to help nurture the next generation of architects.

08/01/2024

Twenty years later, Crown Fountain still captivates visitors with its innovative design and interactive elements. Today, we are reaching into the archives to share the production of the custom glass blocks - a whopping 10 pounds each.

We led a large team of engineers and consultants to address the complex technical challenges posed by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa’s artistic vision for Crown Fountain. This public sculpture and urban square celebrate the elemental qualities of water, light, and place. The engineering required a seamless blend of technology and design for structural stability and the invisible integration of its components.

KSP's coordination of LED technology, glass, and water resulted in an architecturally impressive and engaging structure, with towers supported by internal stainless-steel frames. Stay tuned as we celebrate this special anniversary with posts highlighting key moments from the past two decades.

Learn more about Crown Fountain:
https://lnkd.in/g8fRU-ba

Team Members
Stantec - Mechanical Engineer
Crystal Fountains - Water Engineering Technology
Schuler Shook - Lighting
School of the Art Institute of Chicago - Image Content Production
W.E. O'Neil Construction - General Contractor
Barco - LED Display
Circle Redmont - Glass Block Assembler
, Glass Block Fabricator
, Structural Engineer
- Screen Technology

07/29/2024

This month marks the 20th anniversary of the iconic interactive public space Crown Fountain, a highlight of Chicago’s Millennium Park. Realized through a collaboration of Spanish visual artist and Krueck Sexton Partners, Crown Fountain is celebrated for its ability to create a dynamic, accessible, and free, interactive public space that has become a cherished part of Chicago’s cultural landscape.

Completed in 2004, the project features two 50-foot glass block towers displaying the faces of Chicago residents on LED screens, integrated with cascading water that periodically sprouts from the portraits.

In the latest Chicago Sun-Times article, residents reflect on their portraits taken for Crown Fountain in “The faces in the fountain: Millennium Park's Crown Fountain still watching over Chicago after 20 years”: https://lnkd.in/eW2vtPTn

As Blair Kamin put it, “It’s [Crown Fountain] the difference between architecture as an object and architecture as an event.”

07/26/2024

A small group in our office recently had the opportunity to tour the Stanley Center for Peace and Security in Muscatine, Iowa.

Our tour was led by Dane Lovell, the Facilities Maintenance Superintendent and organized by Jonathan Lawrence of Environmental Consulting & Technology, Inc., the civil / water resources engineering and landscape architecture.

The Stanley Center, designed by Neumann Monson Architects, and a Living Building Challenge-project, has been transformed from a former library into a vibrant light-filled office building. The space features a 2,469 sq ft courtyard and garden, 332 roof solar panels, and a rainwater harvesting system.

Thank you to Gabe Wilcox and Patty Lloyd, former Co-Leaders of the Illinois Living Future Regional Member Community for organizing the tour.

Citation:
Healing Ground, Living Values Stanley Center for Peace and Security | Justin R. Wolf

07/25/2024

Last week, students from the Experiment in Architecture program at the College of Architecture, IIT toured our studio. The program, led by KSP’s Edgar Alvarado, is an intensive two-week course designed to introduce high school students to the architectural profession.

Through collaborative exercises, seminars, and field trips, students learn design-oriented thinking and visual representation, culminating in a final project. They engage with practitioners and faculty, participate in design charrettes using hand drafting and modeling software, and present their work in formal reviews and a capstone exposition at Crown Hall.

As an Illinois Institute of Technology graduate, this year marks Edgar’s ninth year teaching the program. Edgar has mentored and educated students, helping them explore diverse career paths in architecture.

07/24/2024

We are showcasing a special video to highlight the work of KSP and Schuler Shook. Lead Architect, Mark P. Sexton of KSP (Architecture) and Lead Lighting Designer, Jim Baney of Schuler Shook (Lighting Design) sat down and discussed on the iconic Crown Fountain in Millennium Park, as it celebrates its 20th anniversary.

A little known detail of Crown Fountain, is that KSP was tasked to resolve a series of complex technical challenges to fulfill the Crown family’s desire to offer a gift to the city of Chicago and bring designer and sculptor Jaume Plensa’s concept for a 21st-century fountain to life. Two towering glass monoliths, each five stories high, integrated with LED displays and cascading water create an interactive experience for millions. Well into its second decade, Crown Fountain is one of Chicago’s most beloved landmarks.

Team Members:
Jaume Plensa
Krueck Sexton Partners
Electronic Theatre Controls
Crystal Fountains
Barbizon Lighting Company





Video courtesy of Schuler Shook
Photos courtesy of Steve Hall, Craig Dugan
Monograph: Jaume Plensa: The Crown Fountain by Jaume Plensa, Carsten Ahrens, and Keith Patrick