Horto in Urbs Reverses the City to Greenspace Ratio
Like most other major international metropolises, Chicago has more or less consumed the natural landscape around it. For a city that used to take pride in its "Urbs in Horto" (City in a Garden) motto, this Horto in Urbs project is quite fitting for the contemporary state of the urban environment.
Matt Hutchinson and Brandon Pace of Sanders Pace Architecture developed a pragmatic submission for the McCormick Place Redux Competition, opened by the Chicago Architectural Club. The duo has given the existing public square a complete facelift to provide a plaza with gardens and trees, covered by two additional levels above.
The top tier seems to cantilever over the vast lot, grounded along one edge by a grassy man-made hill. Horto in Urbs may be considered historically backwards, but it does well to bring green space back into the now very dense urban jungle.
Matt Hutchinson and Brandon Pace of Sanders Pace Architecture developed a pragmatic submission for the McCormick Place Redux Competition, opened by the Chicago Architectural Club. The duo has given the existing public square a complete facelift to provide a plaza with gardens and trees, covered by two additional levels above.
The top tier seems to cantilever over the vast lot, grounded along one edge by a grassy man-made hill. Horto in Urbs may be considered historically backwards, but it does well to bring green space back into the now very dense urban jungle.
