CONCRETE CULTURE
CHICAGO AND BEYOND
Concrete Culture situates Chicago’s concrete architecture within contemporary international dialogues by illuminating the material’s cultural significance, as well as its chemical, ecological, and tectonic capacities for shaping our urban futures.
Schedule
Day 1 - Friday @CAC
- 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Opening Remarks + Talk by Naho Kubota
- 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM Session 1: What We Have
- 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM Reception
DAY 2 - Saturday @UIC
- 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Session 2: What We Are Doing
- 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM Exhibition openings / UIC Tour
- 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM Session 3: What We Might Do
Sessions
Three sessions are structured around four twenty-minute talks by invited participants, followed by a moderated discussion. Each session includes a commissioned presentation with a focus on the UIC campus/Chicago understood through the lens of the presenter’s expertise. The sessions are:
What We Have
This session examines Chicago’s concrete legacy, exploring iconic buildings, influential figures, and cultural narratives that have defined the city’s built environment.
Alexander Eisenschmidt, moderator.
- Robert Bruegmann, University of Illinois Chicago
- Iker Gil, MAS Studio
- Thomas Leslie, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Amy Slaton, Drexel University
What We Are Doing
Focusing on current practices, this panel highlights contemporary innovations, preservation, ongoing design explorations, and pressing challenges. Speakers will address what’s at stake in using concrete or modifying concrete structures today.
Judith De Jong, moderator
- Julie Larsen, Syracuse University
- Patricia Llosa, Llosa Ortegana Arquitectos
- Martin Corullon, Metro Arquitetos
- Bob Score, Harboe Architects
What is Possible
Panelists in this session will consider the future of concrete in architecture and urbanism through speculative ideas, emerging technologies, and inventive design.
Thomas Leslie, moderator
- Ted C. Fishman
- Benton Johnson, SOM
- Roger Hubeli, APTUM Architecture
- Caitlin Mueller, MIT