The Spine

Teammates: Jil Arets & Molly Gildar

Site:

The Spine is located on Northerly Island adjacent to Adler Planetarium, as an addition to the museum campus. The area is highly visited by families and tourists of Chicago looking to experience the museums and the beautiful city views. The site is located at the division of formal and informal land due to its gateway to the nature reserve of Northerly Island Park. Connection to the city and connection to nature were emphasized through both the landscape and building design, which began by returning the vehicular boulevard to a pedestrian zone and better connecting the lake trail to the rest of the site via an amphitheater.

Concept:

The Spine focuses on taking visitors on a journey connecting you to nature, sound, education and entertainment through a central circulation spine. The key principle of “journey” stems from the entrance into the site and extending it through our building. Another key aspect is the connection of the building to nature. This connection was created by a large pedestrian passageway that guides you under the spine and to Northerly Island. The landscape strategy was to keep a formal approach on the North side of the spine and a more informal and natural approach on the South side. Light plays a key role throughout the spine, enhancing views of the city, the lake, and the rest of Northerly Island.

Building Design:

The 1,050 feet linear spine is sheltered by channel glass and translucent windows which guide visitors from the buildings’ West entrance to the cantilever overlooking Lake Michigan to the East. The programmed buildings plug into the central spine through a reveal space which house service elements such as ticket booths, bathrooms, and circulation cores. The four main programmed buildings start with a 600-seat performance hall, following a school of music featuring a central courtyard, next, a large museum lobby with a cafe and gift shop, and finally, a 40,000 square foot museum space housing three exhibits on the Southeast end of The Spine.