thompson center
chicago
2021
chicago prize finalist
In “There’s Something for Everyone,” our entry to a design competition for the adaptive reuse of the James R. Thompson Center by Helmut Jahn, the building’s atrium is packed with programs that serve the broad cultural and entertainment interests of Chicago’s residents.
Performance spaces, galleries, cinemas, and recreational uses live cheek-by-jowl, loosely packed, retaining their autonomy but with common purpose. The Thompson Center is consecrated with a second life as a relevant civic monument, as these new programs allow people from all walks of life to feel they belong, advancing the inclusivity, multiplicity and messiness of a democratic, equity-driven society to which we aspire.