Norman Kelley

Subterms

    Latest story

    138 Shares159 Views

    Chicago exhibition by Norman Kelley includes Frank Lloyd Wright building fragments

    by

    Fragments of buildings by American architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Sullivan have been displayed at a new exhibition in Chicago by US design studio Norman Kelley

    A variety of fragments from iconic buildings are on display at the Art Institute of Chicago as part of a permanent exhibition called Architectural Fragments from Chicago.
    Norman Kelley has created an exhibit of architectural fragmentsNorman Kelley mounted multiple pieces of demolished or renovated Chicagoan buildings onto square grey panels measuring eight feet by eight feet (2.4 metres by 2.4 metres) with stainless steel, mirrored trim in the museum’s Henry Crown Gallery.
    The exhibition includes approximately 27 architectural fragments and three lightboxes.
    The exhibit features pieces of notable Chicago buildingsThe pieces displayed are sourced from local, architecturally significant buildings in order to illustrate and preserve Chicago’s built history.

    “Architectural fragments are part of a material history that speaks to past building practices, changing neighbourhoods, and evolving ways of life,” said the studio.
    “Recuperated from demolished or renovated buildings, these pieces of facades or interiors help preserve the memory of architecturally or culturally significant structures long after their physical presence has been erased.”
    Cornices, gates and other architectural stone and ironwork were mounted on grey panelsArchitectural elements such as sections of cornices, wall panels, an elevator grille and a column are displayed.
    The fragments were mounted across the space from a large stained glass window that is a part of the same exhibit.

    Norman Kelley remodels Chicago apartment to showcase chair collection

    Also among the pieces are an ornate circular ventilator grille and entrance door from Frank Lloyd Wright’s four-storey Francis Apartments, built in 1895 and demolished in 1971.
    Both fragments display Wright’s early use of organic forms, informed by his mentor Louis Sullivan.
    The displays include work by Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Sullivan. Top right: Facade Panel from the National Pythian Temple by Walter T. Bailey. Top left: Facade Panel from the Jordan Building by John N Coleman. Bottom right: Floor Tiles from the Mecca Apartment Building by Edbrooke and Burnham. Bottom left: Balcony Railing Section from the Mecca Apartment Building by Edbrooke and BurnhamA cast iron cornice section and spandrel panel from Sullivan’s Gage Building, one of his last to be commissioned in Chicago, are also included. Both feature plant shapes and organic, curving lines.
    Works from other architects include a facade panel from the National Pythian Temple by Walter T Bailey and a colourful section of floor tiles from the Mecca Apartments by Edbrooke and Burnham.
    The fragments were “recuperated” from historical buildings. Top left: Frieze Section from the Rothschild Store by Adler and Sullivan. Top Right: Newel Post from the Morris Selz House by Adler and Sullivan. Bottom left: Spandrel Panel from the Rosenfeld Building by Alder and Sullivan.Lightbox installations include a geometric stained glass window from Frank Lloyd Wright’s Coonley Playhouse and the Tiffany Studios 1917 Hartwell Memorial Window that depicts a sprawling landscape of over 48 panels.
    “While this installation represents many works by Chicago’s celebrated modern architects, other fragments come from buildings by lesser-known designers who were equally important in shaping spaces of activism, community, creativity and labor in our dynamic metropolis,” said the studio.
    The fragments have been catalogued as part of the museum’s permanent collection.
    An iron gate and ventilator grille from Wright’s Francis Apartments were includedNorman Kelley is based in Chicago and New Orleans and was founded by Thomas Kelley and Carrie Norman in 2012.
    Elsewhere in Chicago, the studio recently completed an apartment renovation for a diverse collection of chairs and refreshed the lobby of a postmodern skyscraper.
    The photography is by Nathan Keay.
    Architectural Fragments from Chicago is on show at the Art Institute of Chicago permanently. For more exhibitions, events and talks in architecture and design, visit Dezeen Events Guide.

    Read more: More

    More stories

    • 113 Shares189 Views

      in Rooms

      Norman Kelley remodels Chicago apartment to showcase chair collection

      by

      Design studio Norman Kelley and architect Spencer McNeil have completed Apartment for Chairs, a two-storey unit that features ample space for guests and a diverse collection of chairs.

      Located in a contemporary, high-rise building in Chicago’s Near North neighbourhood, the apartment was designed for a couple.
      Apartment for Chairs is located in a Chicago high-riseOne of the clients is a longtime local resident who collects art and furniture, and the other is a Detroit transplant who prefers cosy environments with organic materials and neutral colours.
      The goal was to create a home that suited both personalities and offered plenty of space for hosting guests and displaying the owners’ extensive chair collection.
      The dwelling was designed to house a diverse collection of chairsSpanning from the early 20th century to the present, the collection includes a Shaker tilter chair and pieces from the Bauhaus and De Stijl movements. Designers include Gerrit Rietveld, Piero Fornasetti, Gio Ponti, Marcel Breuer and Lina Bo Bardi, among others. The exact number of chairs is not being disclosed.

      “It is very much a living collection,” said local studio Norman Kelley, which designed the apartment in collaboration with Chicago architect Spencer McNeil.
      Norman Kelley created the project with Spencer McNeilThe project entailed combining two apartments – one atop the other – to form a spacious, two-storey unit.
      In total, the conjoined apartment encompasses 4,000 square feet (372 square metres).
      The apartment exists on two levelsThe lower level serves as the main apartment, while the bulk of the upper level is meant to act as its own private apartment – similar to an in-law suite, the team said.
      A range of modifications were made throughout the unit, including spatial changes and new finishes.
      Neutral wooden interiors are interrupted by small pops of colourThe most drastic change involved opening up a room on the upper level to form a mezzanine overlooking the lower-level living room. The double-height living room was pre-existing.
      The mezzanine, which holds an office, is connected to the room below by a new spiral staircase.
      A spiral staircase connects the two storeys”Our mandate from the owner was to create an object worthy of inclusion with the collected works of design in the home,” the team said of the staircase.
      Near the stair is a 20-foot-tall (six-metre) display area where books and chairs are on view. The steel display system has pegs, shelves, and backlit niches.
      Eames side chairs feature in the living roomOverall, the unit features a mix of vintage and contemporary decor, along with finishes such as white oak, walnut and limestone. In several areas, concrete structural elements were left exposed.
      The living room is fitted with a sectional by Molteni, Eames side chairs and a vintage Noguchi coffee table. An adjacent reading nook is adorned with chairs by Ponti and the Eameses. Overhead are globe-shaped lights by Jasper Morrison.
      Ample space was created to allow for entertainingJust off the living room, the kitchen and dining area were expanded, which was made possible by the elimination of a powder room.
      Finishes in the kitchen include lacquer cabinets, quartz countertops and a back-painted glass backsplash.
      The kitchen includes walnut stoolsWalnut stools were conceived by Norman Kelley and fabricated locally by Jason Lewis – one of several bespoke pieces.
      In the dining area, the team placed a walnut table by George Nakashima and caned-wood chairs by Emanuele Rambaldi. Above is a lighting fixture by BBPR and manufactured by Arteluce.
      A walnut table also defines the dining roomIn addition to the common areas, the first level has a main suite and two additional bedrooms. The team took an unusual approach by blurring the division between public and private spaces.
      For instance, the main bedroom’s door is a frameless, sliding wall that disappears when opened.

      Norman Kelley preserves “layered history” inside revamped Notre store in Chicago

      “In a home for two adults, we saw no reason for the bedroom to be considered a separate space,” the designers said.
      “There is no threshold between living room and the primary bedroom,” they added. “The whole apartment is a living space.”
      Plugs are built into a white oak bedThe sparsely adorned main bedroom features a white oak platform bed with built-in plugs – another element designed by Norman Kelley. Floor-to-ceiling windows are covered with gauzy curtains.
      The main bathroom has raked limestone walls, a walnut-and-Corian vanity and a Norman Kelley-designed ipe shower bench inspired by George Nelson’s mid-century platform bench.
      The main bathroom has raked limestone wallsUpstairs, the team made limited changes to the layout beyond the mezzanine. The upper level has two bedrooms, a kitchen and a living room.
      “We specified furnishings for the upper unit, but there were no significant architectural changes,” the team said.
      “The majority of the renovation was limited to the lower unit and its connection to the upper unit.”
      Other Chicago projects by Norman Kelley include an Aesop store that features reclaimed bricks arranged in pinwheel patterns and the update of a lobby inside a postmodern tower by John Burgee and Philip Johnson.
      The photography is by Kendall McCaugherty Ristau and Sarah Crowley.

      Read more: More

    • 100 Shares189 Views

      in Rooms

      Norman Kelley refreshes lobby of postmodern Chicago skyscraper

      by

      US architecture studio Norman Kelley used materials such as brass and polished quartz to update the lobby in a 1980s skyscraper designed by John Burgee and Philip Johnson.

      The project – formally called the 190 South LaSalle Street Lobby – is located within a postmodern-style office tower in Chicago’s Central Loop. The 41-storey building was originally designed by American architects John Burgee and Philip Johnson and opened in 1987.
      Norman Kelley updated the lobby with materials including brassThe current owners, Beacon Capital Partners, hired local studio Norman Kelley to update the ground-level lobby, which is open to the public.
      “The overall goal of the project was to provide a safe interior public space that encourages community and contemplation, or a space to linger within,” the studio said.
      Rose-hued marble pilasters were kept intactThe lobby has a number of notable features that were kept intact. These include rose-hued marble pilasters, a black-and-white marble floor, and a 50-foot-tall (15-metre) vaulted ceiling sheathed in gold leaf.

      Norman Kelley added a range of new elements, including electric turnstiles, security desks and a cafe. Brass and polished quartz were used for the desks and cafe.
      A black-and-white marble floor was also preservedThe studio also designed new furnishings for the project, including a curvy sofa and long banquette, both in a vanilla hue.
      The seating was inspired by two sources – Vitra’s office furniture and group seating in the now-shuttered Four Seasons restaurant in New York, designed by Philip Johnson.
      A vanilla-hued banquette was designed by the studioThe seating was paired with round, brass-and-marble tables topped with portable LED Carrie lamps by Norm Architects.
      The north apse, which once held a marble security desk, was redesigned as a semicircular amphitheatre measuring 12 feet high and 27 feet wide (3.7 by 8.2 metres).
      The semi-circular amphitheatre has gold seatingThe tiered seating is made of perforated brass risers and honed, off-white marble with gold veining. Railings are made of brass pipes.
      To animate the space, the architects created an “immersive audio experience” in collaboration with the studio iart and sound scenographer Idee und Klang.
      Brass and polished quartz were used for the desks and cafeThe weather-inspired audio installation was designed to be triggered by 81 light sensors and three motion sensors that are located behind the risers.
      “Once the amphitheatre senses one’s presence, a musical score comprising 15 instruments, four tempos, and seven keys and scales play across eight of the nearest 91 speakers,” the team said.

      Deconstructivism “killed off postmodernism” says Peter Eisenman

      “The brass-and-marble amphitheatre is a responsive instrument that uses real-time data inputs, like weather and time of day, to compose an ever-changing sonic environment.”
      The amphitheatre stands in contrast to the southern apse, where a towering bronze sculpture, called Chicago Fugue by Anthony Caro, was installed in 1987. The abstract sculpture is composed of anomalous shapes and alludes to musical instruments.
      A bronze sculpture by Anthony Caro features in the space”Like an aural diptych, the lobby presents two musical sculptures: one figurative, the other literal, to welcome you back to work,” the team said.
      Norman Kelley was founded in 2012 by Carrie Norman and Thomas Kelley.
      The studio’s other projects include an Aesop store in Chicago’s Bucktown neighbourhood, which features reclaimed bricks arranged in pinwheel patterns, and a flagship store for clothing retailer Notre that is housed in a building dating to 1906.
      The photography is by Kendall McCaugherty Ristau.
      Project credits:
      Architect: Norman KelleyOwner: Beacon Capital PartnersGeneral contractor: Power Construction CompanyMedia architecture: iartSound scenography: Idee und KlangAcoustics: Walters-Storyk Design GroupMEP: Kent Consulting EngineersStructural engineering: Klein & HoffmanAudio visual services: Global Service TechniciansMillwork: HuberExpediter: Burnham NationwideFilm: Spirit of Space

      Read more: More