DuPage Children’s Museum Renovation

We did it, the reviews are in and we received a 5 star rating…There were audible gasps of joy and delight. Everyone came together and with one big push…..we were open! Thank you for the passion, the hard work and the commitment that had us looking so beautiful at 4:00 today. The Mayor was truly moved and just in awe of what were able to do in a few months.
~ Sarah Orleans, President & CEO, DuPage Children’s Museum

Hotel X Design Showcase

Dressing A Showcase in Stone

Materiality plays a big role in the functionality, sustainability, and aesthetic of public and private spaces for home, culture, and play. Designing a Coverings’16 Showcase was an opportunity to play with material goods, disrupt the norm, and highlight stone products to reflect a sense of place and playful spirit in a boutique hotel lobby.

Nurturing Your Child’s Creativity

Creativity is a place you and your child should go.
~ Sharon Exley.

In Nurturing Your Child’s Creativity from PechaKucha Night Chicago Vol. 32, Sharon Exley presents her top ten of how creativity, challenge, adventure and more is nurtured in children, which shows why apples don’t fall far from trees (via her own brave and artful explorer daughter Emma).

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?

Using Technology and BIM to Tell Stories

Long ago, we invested in Vectorworks and in using BIM Software as more than just a design and production tool; clearly we use it to tell compelling stories. Thanks Vectorworks for adding us to your success story series!

Frost Art Museum

The renovated family gallery is “super chill,” designed to be worthy of a child’s curiosity and adult admiration, demonstrating everyone is hard-wired for creativity. The whiteness of the space serves as a blank slate for artistic expression and media exploration, from new-age technologies, including a Smart Table™, projector and iPads, to traditional art-making. It is an environment rich in evocative objects and commissioned art installations that inspire active learning, choices, and social engagement. Both orientation and terminus, the discovery gallery is “the place” that frames museum visits.

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.

Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo

…a project that appeals to adults while delighting children.
~ Neal David, AIA, Vice President, Lincoln Park Zoo.

Tucked right in the Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo is a building containing the canopy climbing adventure. Is it awesome? It’s pretty awesome.
~ Linda Marisicano, Blogger and Parent, Babble Chicago.

Lincoln Park Zoo is also home to the Canopy Climbing Adventure, considered one of Chicago’s best indoor play spaces (and still a secret to many parents).
~ Dave Wischnowsky, Columnist, Webtimes Online.

Pablo’s Magical Theater: Now Showing at Young At Art Museum

Within the Young At Art Museum, the GreenScapes Gallery teaches young artists to be change agents. Artist Pablo Cano serves as the inspiration and catalyst for recycled art making in two related spaces: Pablo’s Magical Marionette Theater and Pablo’s STEAM Recycled Workshop. Within the grotto-like theater, children, students and families watch fascinating detailed films of Pablo’s creative process, his ability to transform found and discarded objects into mesmerizing puppets, and a series of classic tales, showcasing Pablo’s puppets found on display.

AirWorks & WaterWays Science

Exploring Science-Based Play at DuPage Children’s Museum
AirWorks and WaterWays present hands-on ways to discover the power, force, and beauty of wind and water.