HIGHER EDUCATION

diller scofidio + renfro

David Rubenstein Forum, Chicago

With its 97,000 square feet of spaces for symposia and workshops, this building is a significant addition to the University of Chicago. The forum required a home as thoughtful as its users, which is just what DSR conceived with associate architects Brininstool + Lynch. The LEED Gold–certified structure comprises an eightstory tower atop a two-story base. Connecting the ground-floor lobby with the 600-seat university room above is the “Paperclip,” a massive ribbon of blackened steel that twists through the double-height volume: “We took the functional elements—a reception desk, grand stair, and fireplace—and developed a single sculptural piece,” says DSR associate principal and director of sustainable design Sean Gallagher, who served as project director. The tower is organized as a stack of neighborhoods offering diverse environments, including a tiered boardroom and the formal city view room, which overlooks Lake Michigan. But the best vantage point might be from the Zengarden on the fourth-floor terrace. “It cantilevers 40 feet toward the Midway Plaisance, a mile-long greenway built for the 1893 World’s Fair,” Gallagher notes. “Our desire was to expand its natural environment onto thetower. It defies the logic of a large cantilevered roof and provokes people to question their environment, as well as what might be possible in the future.” —Jesse Dorris

PROJECT TEAM: CHARLES RENFRO; ELIZABETH DILLER; BENJAMIN GILMARTIN; RICARDO SCOFIDIO; SEAN GALLAGHER; GIANNANTONIO BONGIORNO; KEVIN RICE; CHARLES CURRAN; CHARLES BLANCHARD; EDUARDO PONCE; SEONGBEOM MO; JING XU; DINO KIRATZIDIS; EMA HANA KACAR; ALESSANDRO SCOGNAMIGLIO; ANDRÉS MACERA; SHIWOO YU; KIMBALL KAISER.

bestofyear higher education