"We thought that making the steps … into a social space where people could congregate and hang out would serve this function and at the same time they could connect the theater to the street life for people-watching. "They really wanted to encourage discussion about the plays, before and after the shows," Gang said in an email Friday. "We were interested in blurring the line between gathering informally and the library," said Kevin Havens, Wight & Co.'s design director.Ĭhicago architect Jeanne Gang has used bleacher seating to enliven buildings like the year-old Writers Theatre, where the stairs help furnish a striking wood-framed atrium. A ring of small meeting rooms separates the bustling area from the core of the school's library. The design features an intimately scaled, oval-shaped set of bleacher stairs that connect the school's ground-floor cafeteria with an informal study zone where students are allowed to eat and whispering isn't necessary. Gathering Stair, New Trier High School, Winnetka campus, Wight & Co., ChicagoĪ sprawling high school that used to lack a social hub, New Trier now has one, courtesy of its just-dedicated addition. We were setting out to make a community," said Brad Zizmor, a founding principal at A + I. Like their counterparts at Northwestern, the stairs form an indoor town square, but this one regularly features TV shows that are projected onto an adjoining wall. This year's opening of the Marshall's Landing restaurant, just off the stairs on the Mart's second floor, only increased their drawing power. The Mart's owners, the Vornado Realty Trust, inserted the stairs to improve the flow of traffic between floors and bring more activity to the building's western half.Ĭlad in travertine marble that matches the lobby's stonework, with an underside of perforated bronze that evokes the Mart's beautifully crafted art deco ornament, the stairs have been a hit with the building's workforce since they were completed last year. Apple later confirmed it, but it said that it was only trying to provide the best possible experience to its customers, not because Apple wanted to force iPhone upgrades.Īpple eventually apologized and offered to remedy the situation by offering iPhone battery replacements for only $29, from the previous rate of $79.Īccording to Kamin, because of the difference in transparency between its buildings and its decisions, Apple "looks deceptive and its buildings should be regarded as a sham.Once the world's largest building, the Merchandise Mart now has a heart too - a fancy set of bleacher stairs that connect its splendid, street-level lobby to its heavily trafficked second floor and the building's CTA elevated station. Earlier this month, Redditors discovered that Apple throttled older iPhones to make their batteries last longer. Kamin referred to the recent controversy surrounding Apple as an example. Kamin wrote that the bigger issue is the difference between Apple's ultratransparent aesthetic and its nontransparent actions. The Bigger Problem For AppleĬhicago Tribune's Blair Kamin, meanwhile, pointed out that the icicles forming on the Apple Store's roof is not Apple's worst problem. People might not want to hang around in the spaces much during the height of the cold winter, but it is not normal to see such big spaces roped off. However, the major problem here, as noted by Spudart's Matt Maldre, is the irony that Apple wants the Apple Store to be a community area, but those areas have now been closed because of the design flaw of the roof. The new Apple Store in Chicago is certainly not the only structure in the city with winter problems. The Apple Store's ultra-thin roof was not fitted with any gutters to catch water, so melting snow is now forming icicles and sliding off to possibly fall on pedestrians below.Ĭaution signs for people to watch out for falling snow and ice have now been put up around the Apple Store, with certain areas roped off to keep people safe. London-based architects Foster + Partners may have forgotten to consider the snow and ice that envelops Chicago during winter.
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