by ArchitectureWeek

From a single family house in Chicago's DePaul neighborhood to a massive train station built within a European airport, a new collection of projects has once again demonstrated that "great architects and great architecture remain an enormous part of Chicago's identity." So said Thomas Kerwin, AIA, then-president of the city's chapter of the American Institute of Architects, when he recently announced the organization's design award recipients.

"Chicago and other cities have experienced a renewed interest in architecture as art," Kerwin noted, "and some would say that architecture is our number one art form." The design excellence awards, announced in October 2005 and now in their 50th year, fell in the categories of "distinguished building," "interior architecture," and "divine detail."

Honorable Architecture

One of the honor awards for distinguished building went to Perspectives Charter School, in Chicago's near South Side, by Perkins+Will. The public middle/high school occupies the pointed end of a triangular site, a shape echoed in the roof over a glazed entry.   >>>

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One of the AIA Chicago honor awards for distinguished building went to Perspectives Charter School, by Perkins+Will. Photo: James Steinkamp, Steinkamp/Ballogg Photography Inc. Two-story multipurpose room in the Perspectives Charter School. Photo: James Steinkamp, Steinkamp/Ballogg Photography Inc.   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.