optima Archives - Page 17 of 26

Frederick Law Olmsted and American Landscape

Posted on March 31, 2021May 6, 2024 by Nancy

Even if you haven’t heard the name of Frederick Law Olmsted before, there’s no doubt you’ve come across his work. If you’ve ever visited Central Park or read about Chicago’s World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, you’ve seen Olmsted’s fingerprints across urban design. Olmsted was an American landscape architect, journalist, social critic, and public administrator. Widely considered to be the father of American landscape architecture, Frederick Law Olmsted’s life and work were vastly impactful to cities across the world.

From a young age, Olmsted was immersed in greenery. He was born in Hartford, Connecticut in1822, and his father had his own interests in nature, people, and places. Olmsted lived on a farm for years before deciding on a career in journalism, which took him over to England. There, his visits to public gardens sparked inspiration that would form his later works. His profession in journalism would take a sudden turn in the 1850s, with the help of his mentor, Andrew Jackson Downing.

Downing was a landscape architect himself, and was one of the first to propose developing New York’s Central Park. He introduced Olmsted to English-born architect Calvert Vaux and their plans for the vast green space. Tragically Downing passed away, and Olmsted was left to fill his shoes in presenting their design. Prior to this, Olmsted had never created or executed a landscape design, but his theories and political contacts were invaluable. With the Central Park project won, Olmsted’s name began to explode across the industry.

Early designs for Central Park. Image courtesy of the National Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site

Over the years, Olmsted worked on the designs for Prospect Park in New York City, Walnut Hill Park in New Britain, Connecticut, Cadwalader Park in Trenton, New Jersey and more. His reach extended into larger urban planning initiatives, such as the country’s first coordinated system of public parks and parkways in Buffalo, New York and the country’s oldest state park, the Niagara Reservation in Niagara Falls, New York. Olmsted also had a large impact on the city of Chicago; his design for Jackson Park, Washington Park and the Midway Plaisance are still in existence today.

Frederick Law Olmsted’s legacy on American landscape and urban design is a lasting one, and his work a medium of art all its own. As his fellow Chicago planner colleague and friend, Daniel Burnham, once said, “an artist, he paints with lakes and wooded slopes; with lawns and banks and forest covered hills; with mountain sides and ocean views.”

The Subsects of Modernist Architecture Part II

Posted on March 17, 2021May 5, 2024 by Nancy

A few weeks ago on our blog, we began exploring the subsects of Modernist architecture and covered the Bauhaus, De Stijl and Constructivism movements. Modernism took the world by storm at the time of its invention — reimagining everything from painting to furniture to the built environment. Over time, that impact has continued to evolve and morph into many different directions. Here’s just a few of those iterations:

Expressionism

Expressionism is the fourth subsect of Modernism to emerge in the discipline’s early years. This architectural style existed simultaneously with the Bauhaus style, but stood in stark contrast to its counterpart. While Bauhaus architecture emphasized clean, linear design, Expressionism was an outburst of artistic emotion, encouraging fragmentation and distortion to express extreme feelings. These feelings were borne from the political turmoil at the time, when the German Revolution of 1919 led many to a utopian outlook and a romantic socialist agenda.

Functionalism

As the name suggests, functionalism emphasizes one of the core traits of modernism: “form follows function.” The style, which emerged in Europe in the 1930s, touted that the design of a building should reflect its function and purpose. In the wake of World War I, this philosophy played its part in the larger desire to create a new and better world for people. This socialist and humanist philosophy was evident in many of the designs from this subsect of Modernism.

Minimalism

Minimalism is another subsect of Modernist architecture that emerged mid-century. Inspired by its predecessors, the De Stijl and Bauhaus movements, Minimalism is perhaps one of the most recognizable Modernist styles. Distinguished by its straight-forward design, stripped of ornamentation and decoration, Minimalism drove design back to its bare essentials. The movement was inspired by the hustle and bustle of urban life as well as influenced by Japanese architecture. Figures such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe popularized the design; it continued to evolve throughout the decades and can be seen in contemporary Modernist architecture today.

Stay tuned for more features on the many subsects of Modernist architecture.

Women in Architecture: Norma Merrick Sklarek

Posted on March 11, 2021May 6, 2024 by Nancy

From well-known figures like Charlotte Perriand to lesser-known names like Eileen Gray, countless women have left their mark on the history of architecture. As part of our Women in Architecture series, today we’re taking a look at another pioneering figure: Norma Merrick Sklarek, a woman who paved the way for generations of African American woman architects to follow.

Norma Merrick Sklarek

Norma Merrick Sklarek was born on April 15, 1926, in Harlem, New York. Her parents were both immigrants from Trinidad; her father was a doctor and her mother was a seamstress. Sklarek grew up going to predominantly white schools, where she excelled in math, science and fine arts, encouraged by her father. In fact, he was the one who initially suggested she pursue a career in architecture.

Sklarek pursued education at Barnard College for a prerequisite year before enrolling at the School of Architecture at Columbia University. Her experience was challenging, but nevertheless she persisted and went on to graduate in 1950 as one of two women and the only African American in her class.

Pacific Design Center, Los Angeles. Credit: Kent Kanouse, Flickr Creative Commons CC BY-NC 2.0 Deed

Career and Work

After graduation, Sklarek faced both gender and racial discrimination in her job hunt and was rejected by nineteen firms. She told a newspaper in 2004, “They weren’t hiring women or African Americans, and I didn’t know which it was [working against me].” She took on a civil service job as a draftsperson for the city of NY, but refused to settle. While working for the city, she took the architectural licensing examination in 1954 and became the first licensed African American woman architect in the state of New York. (Later, this accomplishment would earn her the nickname “the Rose Parks of Architecture.)

As a single mother, Sklarek’s own mom watched her kids while she worked at a variety of architectural firms. The first cordoned her to menial tasks, such as designing bathrooms, while the second gave her more responsibility. At her third firm job, Sklarek noticed her supervisor was particularly scrutinous of her. She carpooled with a white male colleague who was consistently late to work; her boss critiqued Sklarek’s own punctuality but never made mention of the man’s. In response, Sklarek bought her own car.

In 1959, she became the first African American woman member of the American Institute of Architects and in 1960, the first Black woman licensed as an architect in California. Sklarek rose in rank at her third architectural firm job, overseeing other staff and production processes. Like many women in the field, she remained cordoned to project manager positions, rather than becoming a project architect, despite her aptitude and keen sensibilities.

She worked on prestigious projects such as the California Mart, Fox Plaza, Pacific Design Center, San Bernardino City Hall, and the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. She also continued to accumulate accolades throughout her career, including becoming the first African American woman elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects in 1980. Five years later in 1985, Sklarek co-founded Siegel Sklarek Diamond, the largest woman-owned architectural field in the country and became the first African American woman to co-own an architectural practice. Throughout her lifetime, she served on numerous boards, became an esteemed educator and prioritized mentoring other aspiring architects. She was proud to be a role model for others, acting as a figure that she herself had not had access to on her own journey.

Norma Merrick Sklarek was a pioneer of her own time, and remains today a figure of inspiration for anyone who faces discrimination and prejudice in their field. She proved that you are not what others believe you to be, and fought for others to be able to step into their full potential and leave their own marks on the architectural world.

The Subsects of Modernist Architecture, Part I

Posted on March 3, 2021May 5, 2024 by Nancy

As a pioneering approach to architecture, the Modernist discipline took the creative world by storm. It’s only natural that the discipline has since evolved and morphed to mean many different things to many different people around the world, from Japanese Modernists to the Bauhaus School in Germany and beyond. In celebration of this, we’re taking a closer look at just a few of the many nuanced subsects of Modernist architecture.

Bauhaus

The Bauhaus Modernist architectural style emerged from the Bauhaus School, founded by Walter Gropius, in Germany over a century ago. The school operated from 1919-1933. Gropius formed the Bauhaus in response to the rise of industrialism, emphasizing the importance of craftsmanship and human-centric design. The school united fine arts and craftsmanship to create one strong point of view, a style marked by its eschewment of the ornamental in favor of a sharp focus on geometric and abstract form, function and aesthetic. The simple schema of Bauhaus architecture was intended to be easily mass produced — and indeed, the style was packaged and spread globally, inspiring Modernist architecture as we know it today.

De Stijl

Emerging at the same time period as the Bauhuas, De Stijl (Dutch for “The Style) originated in the Netherlands in 1917 and is said to have peaked between its inception and 1933. The style emerged post World War I as a utopian means of social and spiritual redemption that took advantage of art and its transformative impact. De Stijl applied to both painting and architecture, proposing ultimate simplicity and abstraction through the use of stark and straight horizontal and vertical lines and rectangular forms. Though considered more prominent in architecture than painting, the movement is considered to be led by Piet Mondrian. Pioneers in the movement considered it the perfect fusion of form and function, yielding what they considered the ultimate style.

Constructivism

While the Bauhaus style and De Stijl were emerging in Eastern Europe, Constructivism entered the scene in the Soviet Union in the 1920s. Constructivism was in part inspired by the Bauhaus, as well as by Russian Futurism. The style is characterized by its blend of modern technology and engineering methods, and marked deeply by the socio-political ethos of Communism. Constructivism combined existing Modernist principles like minimal and geometric design with a more experimental lens. This sense of experimental play, combined with its Futurism influences, resulted in intriguing and abstract structures. Though the style fell out of favor only a decade later, its influence can be seen in later movements such as Brutalism — but more on that later.

Stay tuned for more features on the numerous subsects of Modernist architecture.

Auguste Rodin and the Beginnings of Modern Sculpture

Posted on February 24, 2021April 26, 2024 by Nancy

Our appreciation for Modernism extends past architecture into all mediums of creative thought, including our love for sculpture (and our own sculpture at Optima). Sculpture has long been an artistic expression across decades and culture, but the beginnings of Modern sculpture sparked with renowned visionary, Auguste Rodin.

Setting the Stage

By the 20th century, sculpture practices in Europe largely revolved around Neoclassical and Romantic ideals. Contour and clarity defined figures, and artists were inspired by the art and culture of classical Greek antiquity. Often sculptors even portrayed their subjects in Roman costume instead of contemporary clothing. But the world of sculpture would see dramatic change at the 1900 Paris Exposition, when Auguste Rodin would use the world’s fair to unveil a new way of thinking when it came to sculpted form.

Auguste Rodin

Rodin came from a working-class family in Paris and throughout his turbulent youth, taught himself to draw and paint. Eventually, he learned the trade of ornamental design and sculpture, but by the 1890s, had grown exhausted of the style. Rodin was a naturalist, more concerned with character and emotion than he was with tradition, idealism or decorative beauty. His work emphasized detailed, textured surfaces and the juxtaposition of light and shadow, a style that was met with criticism initially. At the Paris Exposition, Rodin showcased a series of pieces that would turn an entire industry upside down at the turn of the century.

Modern Sculpture

Modernist styles that followed Rodin’s debut included Art Nouveau, Cubism, De Stijl, Dadaism, Surrealism, Futurism, among many others. It seemed that once the creative floodgates were open, artists ran with the possibilities of bending form past the boundaries of traditional realism. Especially since the 1950s, Modernist trends in sculpture have become increasingly more flexible to include new materials, abstractions and approaches. And we’re thankful they’ve made such progress; it’s allowed our own expressions of form to flourish over the years, and contribute beautiful, unique sculpted pieces to our Optima communities.

Modernism and Japanese Architecture

Posted on February 19, 2021April 26, 2024 by Nancy

In the same way our own practices at Optima are rooted in and inspired by Modernist design, so too is the work of other architects and designers across the decades, and across the world. One of the joys of our industry is seeing how design translates through the lenses of other cultures and countries, and Modernism and Japanese Architecture have a truly fascinating connection.

The History

The Modernist movement began in the early 20th century, pioneered by architects such as Walter Gropius, Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier. Le Corbusier, who traveled extensively during his lifetime, drew inspiration from traditional Japanese homes, sukiya-zukuri. Influenced by teahouses, sukiya-zukuri typically includes modest spaces designed with natural materials such as wooden columns and earthen-plaster. Pillars support the structure of the home, which allows for sliding screen walls to filter natural light into the rooms and blurs the barrier between outdoors and in. Le Corbusier used similar designs across his work, creating a connection between Japanese and Modernist architecture that only continued to grow.

Example of sukiya-zukiri interior architectural style. Credit: Yuko M on Flickr Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Deed

In the 1930s, Japanese architects such as Junzo Sakakura and Kunio Maekawa collaborated with Le Corbusier, further fusing the two styles. Sakakura eventually rose to the chief of staff of Le Corbusier’s atelier in Paris, working on projects such as the 1932 Swiss Pavilion, which included sliding windows and open space for nature to flow in and out. The progress made from these collaborations impacted both Modernism and Japanese architecture — then and now.

Influences Today

Japanese influences are apparent across many executions of Modernist design. Intentional materials (whether they consist of wood, stone or metal), open floor plans and clean, minimalist spaces are present in both practices. Green space or gardens is also a huge similarity; and one we incorporate across all of our Optima projects. Through noticing and appreciating where these styles originate, we gain a greater knowledge and understanding of the world of architecture, and architecture throughout the world.

Sculpture Spotlight: Curves and Voids

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Nancy

As devout fans of Modernism, at Optima we love to experiment with form and function. That’s how Optima Co-Founder David Hovey Sr. got into sculpture. Combining his love of art with his interest in materials, David Hovey Sr. began manipulating steel to create striking sculptural pieces that play complement to Optima’s architectural spaces. Today, we’re examining one of his sculptures: Curves and Voids.

Curves and Voids at DCHGlobal Whale Bay House in New Zealand.

Like all original Optima sculptures, Curves and Voids can be found across our properties in various colors and sizes, as evidenced above. But what never changes is the form of the piece: Curves and Voids plays with the expression of steel and explores ideas of its potential. This play is demonstrated in grand, sweeping curves that make up the various sculptural components. Meanwhile, voids are laser cut within the sculpture’s steel planes. These holes provide gaps and textures to contrast and juxtapose the sculpture’s curves.

The sweeping curves of Curves and Voids play perfect complement to the stark Modernist lines in our communities. At Optima Sonoran Village’s sculpture walk, Curves and Voids stands boldly expressed in natural Cor-Ten steel. The steel’s raw coloration was chosen so as not to compete with the vibrant colors in the building’s facade and landscaping. Meanwhile, at Optima DCHGlobal’s Whale Bay House in New Zealand, Curves and Voids is supersized in the courtyard, becoming a show stopping statement piece for contemplation.

Whether we’re experimenting with form, function, size or color — at Optima we love to playfully implement sculpture as yet another component of thoughtful design.

The Benefits of Retail Space in Mixed-Use Buildings

Posted on February 3, 2021 by Nancy

Our latest development to break ground, Optima Lakeview, is a mixed-use building that’s bringing in-demand and exciting retail space to the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago. Combining residential and retail into one building (earning the name “mixed-use”) is a time-old way to reap benefits for both residents and businesses alike. So what exactly are those benefits?

Understanding Mixed-Use Buildings

For starters, let’s define what a mixed-use building is. A mixed-use building (MXD) is a building with three or more significantly-sized, revenue-producing businesses, whether those businesses are offices, retail stores, restaurants or other hospitality locales. The purpose of MXDs is to maximize the efficiency and value of a limited space, especially in urban areas, where space is in high demand.

In addition to the underway Optima Lakeview, many other Optima projects are also mixed-use buildings. Optima Signature, our luxury condo community in Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood, features retail tenants such as Bedazzled Nail Salon, GoodVets Veterinarian Office, Egg Harbor Cafe, Guidepost Montessori School, Runaway Fitness and an interior connection to the Whole Foods nextdoor.

Retail-space-filled plaza at Optima Signature — Retail-filled plaza at Optima Signature

Benefits of Retail Space

Introducing mixed-use buildings into a neighborhood means retail space is closer than ever to residential. For residents, this translates into a more pedestrian-friendly experience: their needs are accessible and within walking distance. For the environment, increased walkability also means less pollution from transportation. And for business-owners, their storefronts gain increased exposure as people stroll by, leading to increased sales and success. Overall, mixed-use buildings lead to a stronger sense of community and better quality of life for both residents and businesses.

At Optima, we make the most of our retail space by thoughtfully hand-selecting each business. Retail space in our residential buildings is yet another amenity that serves to enhance the lives not just of our own residents, but of the surrounding community, too.

The History of Transit-Oriented Developments

Posted on January 27, 2021 by Nancy

Our latest underway project, Optima Lakeview, is a transit-oriented development in the vibrant Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago. Unless you’re familiar with the world of urban planning, the term transit-oriented development may be unfamiliar to you. When it comes to city design, transit-oriented development is a type of urban development that maximizes the amount of residential, business and leisure space within walking distance of public transport, including buses, trains or subways. Today, we’re taking a closer look at the history of transit-oriented developments within the United States, and how they’ve impacted cities across the country.

A Brief History

Although the concept of transit-oriented development (or TOD) wasn’t officially named until the 1990s, the pieces existed long before. After WWII, the mass production of automobiles allowed more people to move to the suburbs, and also created highly congested cities and roads. City planners and officials called for mass-transit use in urban areas, and federal funding was allocated to cities in need of new systems. New hubs of public transit were followed by housing and businesses, which helped create concentrated communities that benefited from the walkability. As urban planning grew and expanded as a practice, the term transit-oriented development was coined, and many cities and industry professionals have since spent time, resources and research to pinpoint how TODs lead to vibrant communities.

The Impact of Transit-Oriented Developments

As an initial response to the increase in vehicles going in and out of cities, TODs have successfully reduced congestion in cities, and reaped the environmental benefits. With more commuters and residents taking trains, TODs create a sustainable alternative to getting around. Less cars create a walkable, pedestrian-friendly environment, creating options for healthier lifestyles. And with more foot traffic, local businesses have a greater chance of thriving.

Residential buildings play a huge part in creating transit-oriented communities. As a transit-oriented development, Optima Lakeview combines residential, commercial retail and leisure space, all within walking distance of an abundance of public transportation options. We’re thrilled to be part of the Lakeview community and to create a place where our residents can live, work and play.

Chicago Skyscraper History: Home Insurance Building

Posted on January 20, 2021 by Nancy

Chicago boasts many historical architectural feats — it was the host of the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893 and the playground of greats including Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Sullivan. But did you know Chicago was also home to the world’s first ever skyscraper? Today we’re taking a look at the historic Home Insurance Building and how it came to be.

How the World’s First Skyscraper Came to Be

The Great Fire ravaged Chicago in 1871. But it was a devastation that gave way to the opportunity to rebuild anew. As the city looked to rebuild, architects pondered what the next generation of urban structures looked like. With commerce and industry downtown exploding exponentially, these structures had to accommodate more residential space and more office space — leading to verticality as a solution. And with the Great Fire as their lesson, architects also knew these structures had to be much more durable than those that had been so easily destroyed.

Luckily, two pivotal inventions from the mid-19th century made the introduction of soaring steel-framed buildings possible. The first was the safety elevator pioneered by Elisha Otis in 1854, which allowed for the safe transport of elevator passengers. While the top floor of buildings had once been inaccessible and undesirable, the elevator changed that forever. Meanwhile, the Bessemer Converter of 1856 allowed for widespread, large-scale commercial production of steel.

The culmination of these factors led to the world’s first skyscraper in 1885: the Home Insurance Building, a ten-story, steel-frame fireproof building in downtown Chicago.

Home Insurance Building, 1885, Published by Sprang Printing, Boston.

A Closer Look at the Home Insurance Building

The Home Insurance Building, designed by William Le Baron Jenney, was located at the corner of Adam and LaSalle Street. It earned the title of the world’s first skyscraper thanks to the combination of its height and its revolutionary steel frame. The frame was composed of wrought and cast iron alongside Bessemer rolled steel beams, leading the building to weigh in at a third of the mass of traditional masonry buildings of the time.

While two additional stories were added to the Home Insurance Building in 1890, it was eventually demolished in 1931 to make way for the Field Building, now known as the LaSalle Bank Building. Despite the building being gone today, it has forever left its mark on Chicago’s skyscraper history.

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