Architects In Schools Program has been honored with AIA Illinois’ President’s Award for 2024! STL has proudly been part of the AIAS program for the past five years. Most recently, we had the pleasure of hosting students from Chavez Elementary, where we gave them a behind-the-scenes look at the STL design process that brought their neighborhood school, Back of the Yards High School, to life. It was heartwarming to hear students share personal stories about how their family and friends have enjoyed this project.

The STL team braved a little rain to connect with industry members at this year’s HACIA Golf Outing in Orland Park, Illinois.

STLarchitects participated in the public unveiling and community announcement of the new Cragin Park Fieldhouse. With construction beginning immediately, our team eagerly awaits seeing the positive impact on the community once the new fieldhouse is completed.

STLarchitects recently hosted high school and college students interested in a future in the field of architecture for a one week shadowing internship.  The team took field trips to several notable STL projects around Chicago.

The Jinju Museum competition was recently featured in the 341st edition of Archiworld’s monthly publication featuring Architectural, Interior, Environment & Landscape, and Domestic Construction projects.

The New National Museum in Jinju has been nominated for an Architizer A+ Award in the category of Unbuilt Cultural projects.

Public voting is open through May 10, 2024!

Architizer A+ Awards Voting

With PMA’s Andy Roscoe and Jeff Zogby at their 2024 annual March Madness Bash

The Winter 2024 Quarter recently wrapped for the Architecture in Engineering course that Jose and Luis teach at Northwestern University with partners from Krueck & Sexton and Booth Hansen.

We’re looking forward to construction beginning soon on the new fieldhouse at Cragin Park.

STLarchitects recently traveled to Jinju, South Korea to meet with local representatives as the development of the new museum design continues.

The 2024 Hispanic American Construction Industry Association Awards Banquet was a wonderful evening celebrating successes in the Chicago community.

Wishing everyone a great 2024 from our team at STLarchitects!

Construction of the new parking garage at O’Hare Terminial 5 is well underway.  Partnered with SCB, STLarchitects contributed an extensive wayfinding and signage package as well as vertical egress design to the overall project.

Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season from our team at STLarchitects!  Here’s to exciting new things in 2024!

STL embraces design and friendly competition at every level.  An internal competition for a new bike rack and storage unit system in our patio at 808 N Dearborn was met with enthusiastic fervor by several members of the studio.

The adaptive reuse of the former Shriner temple, renovating the building that was once home to the Shriner’s Circus, then later a Bloomingdale’s furniture store, is now operating as a temporary casino.

The Chicago Landmark property remains a vibrant part of the River North community.

STL’s Madrid office is officially open! We hosted an open house for friends, family, and former team members to celebrate the efforts over the past few months.

STL Architects has been awarded the 1st prize in the International Design Competition for the new National Museum in Jinju, South Korea. STL Architects has partnered with Korean firm BAUM as local architects. The proposal invites visitors to reconsider their relationship to nature, the city, and to each other.

Luis Collado, from STLarchitects, took part in a recent community meeting where the plans for the temporary Bally’s Casino at the Medinah Temple in downtown Chicago were unveiled.

STLarchitects is honored to be the recipient of the 2023 Architizer A+ Award for Unbuilt Institutions for our vision for a new literature museum near Seoul, South Korea.

Bally’s Corporation has teamed up with STLarchitects to renovate the vacant Medinah Temple in Chicago’s River North neighborhood for use as a temporary casino. The extensive renovations will focus on the three-story interior – overhauling the 2003 Bloomingdale’s retail interiors while preserving and celebrating all exterior and interior historical landmark protected elements.

STLarchitects was recently featured with Williams Park in the “Architectural Guide to Chicago: A Critic’s Guide to 100 Post-Modern Buildings in Chicago from 1978 to 2025” by Vladimir Belogovsky.  The new publication details projects who have made significant contributions to Chicago’s architectural landscape in the last 50 years.

Climate change threatens the habitability of our planet with extreme weather, rising sea levels, and disruptions to agriculture. STLarchitects’ R&D Studio recently explored an internalized, colony design comprised of program pods and an inflatable growing dome, offering a low-cost, autonomous solution to establish sustainable habitats in diverse landscapes despite these challenges.

STLarchitects is honored to be the recipient of the 2022 Architizer A+ Awards for both Unbuilt Institutions and Renderings categories for our vision for the new library in Gwangju, South Korea.

STLarchitects recently began programming and conceptual studies for a new fieldhouse in Cragin Park. The new fieldhouse will replace an existing, outdated facility with a new two-story multipurpose space, restrooms, and pantry.

The new Pre-K Annex and Renovation of the existing facility at Beard Elementary in the Big Oaks neighborhood of Chicago is complete!  We cannot wait to see the students and faculty enjoy the updated campus this fall.

Jose and Luis of STLarchitects, along with teaching partners from Booth Hansen, recently returned from their extensive yearly trip to Madrid with their architecture class from Northwestern University.

In urban contexts, there’s a rising trend in education towards co-locating multiple institutions within a shared facility, fostering collaboration and maximizing resources. STLarchitects recently conducted an independent internal study, exploring this trend to maximize usage of underutilized structures, revealing solutions for educational institutions seeking collaborative opportunities.

Jose Luis de la Fuente, from STLarchitects, breaking bread and sharing ideas with celebrity chef, Jose Andres.

Although the building has been actively used since the beginning of the school year, the final touches of the construction in the new Beard Elementary School addition are almost finished. We couldn’t be happier with the outcome and look forward to its total completion by spring 2022.

STLarchitects recently undertook some interior renovation explorations for the local branch of the Instituto Cervantes in the River North neighborhood in Chicago.

After nearly two years, we managed to celebrate the season altogether with our team these last holidays.

We wish everyone a Happy New Year and a safe 2022!!

Jose Luis recently gave a lecture about STLarchitects’ body of work at the University of Málaga.

STLarchitects unveils their entry for the new National Museum of Korean Literature in South Korea. The proposal provides an activity filter that would mediate between the city and natural environment. Structured, cartesian city streets give way to meandering nature paths ascending into the mountain, the buzz of city traffic will yield to reinvigorating sounds of the natural world.

The innovative brick facade design for the Taft Freshman Academy in the Read Dunning neighborhood of Chicago has been awarded the prestigious 2020 Best in Architecture National Brick Award, “Best in Class” K-12 School Category by the Brick Industry Association.

STLarchitects unveils the 4th place prize entry for the new international city of Songdo Public Library, a competition of over 240 international entries. STL’s proposal featured a single-story library, accommodating universal access to multiple programs. The rooftop, programmed as a public park, provides outdoor space that stitches together the disparate urban fabric of Songdo.

Williams Park Fieldhouse is the recipient of a 2021 Driehaus Foundation Award for Architectural Excellence in Community Design.  Created in conjunction with the Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards, the award promotes development that strengthens the city’s unmatched architectural heritage – particularly in neighborhoods confronting economic and social challenges.

STLarchitects unveils the final competition entry for the Korean Museum of Urbanism and Architecture to be located in the city of Sejong, South Korea. The two phase competition was attended in its first phase by over 300 entries from around the world. STLarchitects entry was selected as one of five finalists for the second phase ultimately obtaining second place overall.

Williams Park Field House has been nominated for “Building of the Year” on American Architects. Please support this fantastic addition to the Bronzeville neighborhood and help it get recognized by voting at:
www.american-architects.com/en/building-of-the-year

We are very sad to share that a member of the STL family passed away this week. Richard Caplan was an Associate Principal at STL, our colleague, and our friend. He was an uniquely qualified architect combining a love for industrial design with a passion for architecture.  We will always remember his gentle presence and, of course, his quirky humor.  May you Rest in Peace, Richard.

Libraries are buildings that help create and preserve culture by fostering the creativity and imagination inherent in the human condition. The new Gwangju Library is conceived as an efficient device for learning and a temple in which to celebrate and elevate culture, intellect and the free exchange of ideas.

Wishing everyone a great summer! Our team has been taking advantage of the warm temperatures to get outdoors and enjoy the Chicago weather.

STLarchitects continues to expand its international portfolio by revealing its mixed high-rise proposal for the international insurance center for the HUAFA City Department in Zhuhai, China. The design of the tower’s massing reflects the separate components of residential, office, and commercial programs.

3462 N. Lincoln Ave. is now open! The residential building is set to contribute to the neighborhood’s ongoing and future development.

STLarchitects participated for a school competition in Zhuhai City, China designing a project where the highlight of its experience is connecting kids and teachers with the exterior environment.

Jose Luis de la Fuente, from STLarchitects, presenting with Thom Maine and the Morphosis team, our entry for the new Center for the Arts competition at UIC.

Morphosis and STLarchitects unveiled the project for the new UIC Center for the Arts competition. The public that attended the event were able to enjoy an afternoon of architectural discussion as the three competitors introduced their projects.

Studio ORD, a Joint Venture of STLarchitects, Studio Gang, Solomon Cordwell Buenz, Corgan, and Milhouse Engineering, is pleased to announce the new design for O’Hare Global Terminal and Global Concourse.  Studio ORD’s design celebrates Chicago’s history as a city shaped by lines of movement and extends that legacy for the 21st century.

The Lycée Français de Chicago has been awarded the 2018 AIA Distinguished Building Award!

STLarchitects placed 5th Prize in the Biomedical Science Building Competition organized by the Carlos III University and the Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos of Madrid (COAM). The proposal was selected among 132 participants.

An onsite meeting in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago unveiled the vision of the new fieldhouse to the local community.  Renderings of the new facility showed the exciting new potential for Williams Park.

Luis and Jose have joined with partners at Krueck & Sexton and Booth Hansen to serve as faculty members at Northwestern University, teaching a series of studios for a Architectural Engineering and Design (AED) Minor.

STL placed as a Finalist in the CADE Competition organized by the Chicago Architectural Foundation. The Center for Architecture, Design and Education (CADE) will be a new learning campus that simultaneously serves as a welcome center and hub for community engagement, while providing a learning environment that equips students to be future stewards for the built environment.

The recently completed Lycée Français de Chicago has received LEED Certification. Congratulations to the Lycee and an expression of gratitude to Bulley and Andrews and Project Management Advisors (PMA) as well as to the group of professionals who contributed and made this certification possible.

STL Architects has been selected as a finalist to design the new National World War One Memorial in Washington D.C.  The U.S. World War One Centennial Commission has shortlisted 5 teams from over 350 international entries to enter into a Stage II Design Phase. The Commission opened an international design competition in May, 2015.

The Back of the Yards School was awarded the 2014 Best Project of the Year Award by the Construction Industry Service Corporation.  “The Back of the Yards Campus is a first-of-its-kind collaboration built on a 10-acre campus.  The three-story, steel frame and masonry building was designed to achieve a Silver rating under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Schools Rating System.” – CISCO Press Release