The Landmark Gallery in the Chicago Cultural Center suffers from an ambiguous identity as both a gallery and a corridor. It is too wide to be a hallway and too narrow to comfortably view exhibitions. This project for the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial creates an enfilade of small galleries, which are conducive to viewing small or detailed works that might be overwhelmed by the Cultural Center’s main galleries.

The new rooms are defined by four heavy walls that step diagonally. The freestanding walls are made of structural glazed tile—a material commonly used in train stations, public schools, rec centers, and other municipal buildings—in two colors, with the seam between the two set at eye level. The tile and the enfilade layout, which has been a defining form of museums and urban corridors for centuries, underscore the Cultural Center’s unique convergence of fine arts and public works.

Designed with Paul Preissner Architects.
Photos by James Florio.