Architecture Is Fun Is Firm of the Year!
Honored for their commitment to FUN and collaboration in the “deeply humanistic and courageous” projects the studio designs, Architecture Is Fun has been named the AIA Chicago Firm of the Year. Established in 1991, the award recognizes outstanding achievements in the body of work, consistent excellence, and ongoing contributions of the firm to the advancement of the architectural profession.
What Keeps a Great Music Venue Great?
Rock ‘n’ roll addicts, we’ve spent many formative and memorable evenings, ear plugs in place, at renown rock venues. The best venues seem to have as Gibson Guitars so eloquently wrote: “…a raggedly dilapidated quality that feels part and parcel of rock music itself.”
So when renovating a venue as we’re doing right now, how do we retain its inherent authenticity, vibe, and heritage?
Playing with Laminate Design
Wilsonart X Me
Hot off the press! Sharon Exley’s touting one of Architecture Is Fun’s favorite products, Wilsonart custom laminates, in full page ads found in Contract Magazine, Design: Retail, Metropolis Magazine and Hospitality Design magazine!
Color Is Heroic
Regardless of typology, size or scale, choosing to use color as an influence in architecture and design makes its own bold statement.
It is brave to design with color. ~ Sharon Exley
CODAworx Names Bonner Heritage Farm as Placemaker
CODAworx features the Bonner Heritage Farm at Lake County Forest Preserves in the latest Flipboard issue of CODAmagazine alongside the amazing Storefront for Art and Architecture Situation Room.
God Is In The Details: Lego™ as Theology
Winters in Chicago are long. Housebound over bleak weekends and chilly evenings, we began to entertain ourselves with creative projects. Our favorite activity has been assembling the Lego Architecture kits, historic sites and contemporary masterpieces, which we’d collected as each limited edition set had been released. Our penchant for play and a belief that busy hands are happy hands led us to construct replicas by Frank Lloyd Wright, Sir Charles Barry, James Hoban, SOM, Mies van der Rohe and others—and we were warmed by the delight we found in building together.
Playmakers
The summer issue Modern Luxury Interiors Chicago (page 168) perches Sharon and Peter atop the Carson Pirie Scott Building, 12 floors above State Street. Editor Diana Tychsen Bitting nailed our story, photographer Katrina Wittkamp captured the moment and some delicious Louis Sullivan ornament and our city served as our backdrop. Cool!
What’s Cooking? Building Community Through Commercial Kitchens
What’s Cooking?
#Cooking #ChefsKitchens #MicroEnterprise #communitykitchen @GEMonogram @GE_Appliances #SacredSpaces
We just returned from four days of camaraderie and cooking at the GE Monogram Experience Center (MEC) in Louisville, Kentucky. It was a trip filled full of appliance reviews and hands on testing, understanding and ending with new friends – fellow architects, kitchen designers, interior designers, and dealers, too. Sure, we’ve been treated to the “experience” so we can all learn more about their high-end of appliances, but seeing manufacturing being brought back home was truly inspiring; Made in America does have meaning. One could hardly imagine so many hands fitting together your new refrigerator as it comes to life on the factory floor.
Read More About Us
We are news worthy!
Check out current articles about us, our work, and its impact upon the communities we collaborate with. We are truly delighted to be in the press, but what really moves us is how our work affects those who move through, play in, learn within, and socially engage within our architectural projects.
Peruse more by clicking on the publication titles.
Enjoy!
Peter Exley FAIA on Signs
Ravi Bachwal interviewed Peter Exley, FAIA today at the Architecture Is Fun studio – chatting about signs, architecture, the city and what children should draw.
Let’s Be Friends