Building the future: Chicago architects envision what the city will
Giant windmills, floating skyscrapers and an "elevator to space" in Lake Michigan. An automated 64-lane superhighway in the center of Chicago. Navy Pier reinvented as a year-round farmer's market. A system of underground tunnels through which people travel throughout the city and state. A network of water-recycling "eco-boulevards." Houses made of bioengineered trees. u These were among the mind- bending ideas for what Chicago might look like 100 years from now, presented as part of "The City of the Future: A Design and Engineering Challenge," a competition of local architectural teams held last month at the Chicago Architecture Foundation. Sponsored by the History Channel (as an offshoot of "Engineering an Empire," a series that examines architectural and engineering marvels of the ancient world) and other groups, the contest featured eight teams that were given a week to envision and create presentations for the city in the year 2106.
The winning team won $10,000 and the right to compete in a national round next month against the victors in similar competitions in New York and Los Angeles. Starting Tuesday, the winning projects will be previewed on the History Channel's Web site (www.history.com/designchallenge), with visitors to the site invited to vote for their favorites. The team receiving the most votes will win an additional $10,000 and be named the National City of the Future. Guiding the process will be a jury led by architect Daniel Liebeskind, designer of the Ground Zero master plan.
