Bathroom vanity with dark ovaloid tile and similar shape mirror

Stairs leading up to first floor with lights at the treads

Nice moments in our Albany Park basement renovation that is wrapping up construction. Photos courtesy our friends/clients!

More info: aggregate-studio.com/albany-park-...

GC: VMR
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#aggregatestudio #residentialdesign #chicagoarchitecture #chicago #architecture

Brutal Boi

It’s #BrutalMonday! Since the Pacers are in the Finals (Boom Baby!), today’s brutal beauty is the Minton Capehart Federal Building in downtown Indy. Evans Woollen went all in on Brutalism in the '60s and '70s and produced some real gems.
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#architecture #aggregatestudio

Pyramid, with waffle slabs

It’s #BrutalMonday (Tuesday edition)! Today, we have a fabulous inverted pyramid with waffle slabs in the MGIC HQ in Milwaukee. It still holds its own across the street from Milwaukee’s grand and historic city hall.
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#architecture #aggregatestudio

Curvy boi building on top of a square podium and blue sky

It’s #BrutalMonday! We’re fans of Bertrand Goldberg here at Aggregate, and St Mary’s Hospital in Milwaukee is a great example of Goldberg’s hospital designs during the time period.
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#architecture #aggregatestudio

Brutal bb

It’s #BrutalMonday! Today’s pick is the New England Aquarium by Cambridge Seven Architects - a great example of the exterior of a building hiding the wonders it contains within. That’s sequencing with concrete.
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#architecture #aggregatestudio

Brutal brick Boi

It’s #BrutalMonday! Since Josh was at one school last week, how about one of his elementary schools this week? Gunner Birkerts’ Lincoln Elementary is an excellent example of breaking down Brutalist forms with brick, wood, and waffle slabs.
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#architecture #aggregatestudio

Brutal beaut

It’s #BrutalMonday! Today’s feature is Haus III of the Berlinwasser HQ, with its fantastic Art Nouveau-inspired Brutal facade. Talk about Hard Water.
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#architecture #aggregatestudio

Ecobrutalism

It’s #BrutalMonday! Today’s feature takes us to Gullesfjord, Norway and weight control station by JVA. Call this one ecobrutalism - Brutalism with Green Roof - and fits right at the edge of a national park.
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#architecture #aggregatestudio

Brutalist AIA Heaquarters building on a rainy day in DC

It’s #BrutalMonday! Today’s feature is AIA National’s headquarters in Washington, DC. Designed by The Architects Collaborative, the building is currently undergoing renovation. While some people in DC may dislike Brutalism, we love it.
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#architecture #aggregatestudio

Josh looking goofy pointing at a photo of himself

Head pieces on exhibit

All 40 plus architects with their head pieces on in photos

Over the weekend, we had the chance to check out Architectural Head Games at the Chicago Architecture Center. Organized by Architecture for Public Benefit, it's a must-see (and not just because we’re in it).
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#architecture #chicago #chiarchitecture #aggregatestudio #architecturalheadgames

Brutal beauty by Harry Weese

It’s #BrutalMonday! Today’s pick is a performer—the Marcus Center for Performing Arts by Harry Weese. It is a contrast to City Hall and others but just as stunning in its own right.
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#architecture #aggregatestudio

4 story rendering with 6 units total

3 story version

2 story version

Flex Flat: No matter the location of a standard-size lot, it is neighborhood-scaled. 4 to 8 units, from studio units to 4-bedroom duplexes, & single stairs create a needed Missing Middle solution. Stay tuned as we release more information soon!
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#aggregatestudio #housing #missingmiddle

Courtyard of two Brutalist buildings with greenery, sculpture, and a person sitting on a bench.

It’s #BrutalMonday! Today’s pick is the aptly named Architects’ Corner in Cambridge, MA. This assemblage of buildings was designed by and held the offices of Josep Lluis Sert and The Architects Collaborative.
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#architecture #aggregatestudio

Panel at the forum featuring one of Aggregate’s clients.

Last week, we had a fantastic time at the Illinois Housing Council’s Affordable Housing Forum. It was great seeing our collaborators and friends and hearing discussions about affordable housing in uncertain times.
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#architecture #chicago #chitecture #chicagoarchitecture #aggregatestudio

Two, three, or four stories and studios to four-bedroom units. That's a Chicago Flex Flat. Looking forward to showing you all more!
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#architecture #chicago #chitecture #chiarchitecture #chicagoarchitecture #aggregatestudio #housing #missingmiddle

Concrete office building in a brise soleil style

It’s #BrutalMonday! Since today is Lundi Gras and tomorrow the Pritzker is announced, today’s pick is K&B Plaza. Right on the parade route in New Orleans, this reinforced concrete office building was one of Gordon Bunshaft’s first brutal beauties.
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#architecture #aggregatestudio

4 sketches of various design options/layouts

New project alert! We’re working with a friend of the firm to create the basement of their dreams - one that meets their family’s needs for play space, home office, and more. We’re looking forward to diving into the design more!
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#architecture #chicago #aggregatestudio #renovation #wip

Reinforced concrete church with concrete frames filled with stained glass next to the original church damaged in WWII

It’s #BrutalMonday! Today’s pick is Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin by Egon Eiermann, a “game of the new around the old” as he described it. Intentionally leaving the damaged existing church in place, the complex shows layers of Germany’s history.
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#architecture #aggregatestudio

Josh in a green sweater talking with a group of clients at last year’s Affordable Housing Forum

We look forward to attending the Illinois Housing Council’s Affordable Housing Forum next week. Dignified housing for all is a mission we share with IHC. For those attending, let’s connect and explore how we can collaborate to build housing for all!
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#architecture #chicago #aggregatestudio #housing

Active pool with concrete steps and waterfall

It’s #BrutalMonday! Today’s pick is a combination of water and concrete in Philip Johnson’s Fort Worth Water Gardens. It’s an oasis in the middle of downtown, but also part of Logan’s Run.
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#architecture #aggregatestudio

Current shot of unfinished basement with framing and mechanical rough in ongoing, with an image of the proposed design below featuring warm colors and wood slats.

Stopped by the Albany Park ADU to check on progress - demolition is done, framing is almost ready, and rough-ins are ongoing. We’re looking forward to seeing this new basement conversion unit completed.

GC: Jackson & Green

#architecture #chicago #chicagoarchitecture #aggregatestudio #adu #housing

Windows and concrete fin and frame at Unite Berlin

It’s #BrutalMonday! Today’s pick is Le Corbusier’s Unite d’Habitation - did you know there are five of them? This particular one is near Olympic Stadium in Berlin, and comes complete with a Modulor Man.
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#architecture #aggregatestudio

Finish sample selections with a medium walnut wood finish, off-white base color with blue and yellow accent paints, and a medium green tile

Now that permit is in hand and construction is underway, we’re having fun picking finishes. With the client’s combination of love for both maximalism and mid-mod, Alexander Girard inspired colors were a perfect starting point for our Albany Park ADU.
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#architecture #chicago #aggregatestudio

CONCRETE BABY

It’s #BrutalMonday! Today’s pick is the interior concrete spectacular that is Wrightwood 659 by Tadao Ando. Does anyone else break the rules and touch the concrete, or is it just us?
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#architecture #aggregatestudio

The trivia team around a round table holding a Spec’d to Impress sign. While all architects, only one person is wearing black.

We had a fantastic time teaming up with Altusworks at Landmarks Illinois Skyline Council Trivia Night last week. Team Spec’d to Impress had a great showing!
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#architecture #chicago #chitecture #chiarchitecture #chicagoarchitecture #aggregatestudio

Diagram showing different configurations of units within a 3 and 4-story missing middle housing type on a typical Chicago lot.

As we work through our late Missing Middle entry, the key is flexibility. At 3-4 stories and between 4-8 units of various sizes, we can help meet Chicago’s housing needs ranging from studios to family-sized units.
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#architecture #chicago #aggregatestudio #housing #missingmiddle

Brutal bridge to health

It’s #BrutalMonday! In the spirit of MLK Day, today’s brutal beauty focuses on design in service of the community. James Stewart Polshek’s Quinco Regional Mental Health Center creates a literal bridge to health over Haw Creek.
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#architecture #aggregatestudio

Big Boi concrete blocks forming a church

It’s #BrutalMonday! Today, it’s Fritz Wotruba’s brutal beauty of a church on the outskirts of Vienna—such a beautiful composition of basic geometries and a must-see. It’s still on Josh’s mind 15 years after seeing it in person.
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#architecture #aggregatestudio

Concrete and brick building with complex geometry surrounded by trees

It’s #BrutalMonday! New year, new Brutalism. Today, we will indulge in field theory at Walter Netsch’s Behavioral Sciences Building at UIC. One of the best ways to know a building is to get lost in it, and field theory certainly helps with that.
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#architecture #aggregatestudio

Project map of Chicago showing the location of Aggregate Studio projects.

We’re going to spend the next few posts looking back at 2024. We started in 2023, but this was our first full year in business. Judging from the project map, it was a busy year, with projects throughout Chicago and the suburbs.
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#architecture #chicago #chicagoarchitecture #aggregatestudio