The Burnham Plan Centennial - Bold Plans, Big Dreams

About the Centennial

The Burnham Pavilions in Millennium Park

London-based Zaha Hadid and Amsterdam-based Ben van Berkel of UNStudio have designed architectural exhibits in Millennium Park this summer to honor the forward-looking spirit of the Plan of Chicago. Both are intended to echo the audacity of the 1909 Burnham Plan, which proclaimed, "What we as a people decide to do in the public interest we can and surely will bring to pass." They emphasize the importance of boldly imagining a better future for all, as Daniel Burnham and Edward Bennett did in 1909 by making bold plans to showcase cutting-edge architecture to the public. The UNStudio Pavilion opened to the public on June 19, 2009 in conjunction with a Grant Park Music Festival concert. The Zaha Hadid Architects pavilion is open from August 4, 2009. Both pavilions will remain open in Millennium Park through November 1.

The Burnham Pavilion by Zaha Hadid Architects utilizes curvilinear formal geometries created from state-of-the-art fabric technologies; the Burnham Pavilion by UNStudio features a floating roof which offers surprising views of the Chicago skyline.

 

 

The Pavilion by UNStudio is built of steel donated by Chicago-based ArcelorMittal, and will be de-constructed and recycled after its exhibition in Millennium Park is complete. The Pavilion by Zaha Hadid Architects is a tent-like structure, and can be re-installed at another location following the Centennial. It is made of aluminum, mostly donated by Marmon/Keystone Industries, a member of the Marmon Group of Companies, and a tensile fabric cover created by Fabric Images.

Exhibit panels adjacent to the pavilions explain the ideas and motivation behind the Burnham Plan Centennial. A touch screen allows visitors to make choices about our quality of life now and into the future by interacting with the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning's (CMAP) regional GO TO 2040 plan.

To read pavilion articles written by Patrick T. Reardon in The Burnham Blog, click here.

Photos by: Michelle Litvin, Ben Dickman, Liz Birnham, Brian Willette and Eric Y. Exit

Burnham Pavilion Program Partners

 

  • The Burnham Plan Centennial Committee

  • Chicago Metropolis 2020

  • The Art Institute of Chicago

  • City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs

  • Millennium Park, Inc.

  • Alderman Brendan Reilly

 For more information on the Burnham Pavilions, see complete news release [Newsroom]

 

The Burnham Pavilions are open and free to the public in Millennium Park through November 1, 2009. The final on-site Talks With the Team with structural engineer Chris Rockey and project manager Julie Burros takes place October 28.

The Burnham Pavilions

Images of Pavilion by UNStudio

Images of Pavilion by Zaha Hadid

Burnham Pavilion Videos

Burnham Pavilions in Millennium Park

Pavilion Programming


Pavilion by UNStudio


Pavilion by Zaha Hadid Architects

Burnham Pavilion Sponsors

Newsroom

Architectural exhibits in Millennium Park designed by London-based Zaha Hadid and Amsterdam-based Ben van Berkel of UNStudio emphasize the importance of boldly imagining a better future for all. [MORE]

The Burnham Plan Centennial
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