Ziyao Li

In the center of Chicago Loop, the James R. Thompson Center, designed by the German-born architect Helmut Jahn more than 35 years ago, is “a distinct odor of controversy”. Under great threat of being demolished due to huge budget hikes and faulty air conditioning, this post-modernism architecture failed Helmut Jahn’s glittering vision of an open and transparent architecture and civic service interaction. A green park inside the building works as a pedestrian belt connecting internal zoning in the James R. Thompson Center to the city center while improving green space inside the center of Downtown Chicago. The whole building is treated as a “ruin” combining the experience of physical artifacts and the virtual experience of the space. The sense of uncertainty creates not only an architecture that triggers people to experience the services the building has to offer, but also an adventure inside the steel forest ready for exploration.