bKL Architecture is an architecture practice in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, United States, founded in 2010 by Thomas Kerwin with the support of James Loewenberg. Practicing primarily in the United States and China, the office has locations in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

Washington DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

, and

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Overview

bKL Architecture has completed numerous projects in Chicago, including the award-winning GEMS Lower School, a 10-story, 83,000-square-foot flagship school. Additionally, the firm has completed the award-winning residential high-rise tower, Coast at Lakeshore East, a 515-unit residential building with retail and amenity space located on

Wacker Drive Wacker Drive is a major multilevel street in Chicago, Illinois, running along the south side of the main branch and the east side of the south branch of the Chicago River in the Loop.Hayner, Don and Tom McNamee, ''Streetwise Chicago'', "Wacke ...

Honors and awards

Engineering News-Record The ''Engineering News-Record'' (widely known as ''ENR'') is an American weekly magazine that provides news, analysis, data and opinion for the construction industry worldwide. It is widely regarded as one of the construction industry's most au ...

Midwest Award of Merit K-12 Education, GEMS World Academy-Chicago Lower School *International Interior Design Association (IIDA) Illinois Chapter RED Award, GEMS World Academy-Chicago Lower School *

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...

(AIA) Chicago Firm of the Year Award 2020

Selected projects

Residential

* Coast at Lakeshore East,

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, completed 2013. **The building is known for its minimal glass exterior facade with continuous balconies along the north and south faces of the building. The exterior glass is composed of clear, translucent and fritted glass panels to establish an elegant facade with views towards downtown Chicago and

Millennium Park Millennium Park is a public park located in the Chicago Loop, Loop Community areas of Chicago, community area of Chicago, operated by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. The park, opened in July 2004, is a prominent civic center near t ...

. *Wolf Point West Chicago,

, completed 2016. **The 510-unit residential building is a high-rise building located on

Wolf Point, Chicago Wolf Point is the location at the confluence of the North, South and Main Branches of the Chicago River in the present day Near North Side, Chicago, Near North Side, Loop, Chicago, Loop, and Near West Side, Chicago, Near West Side Community area ...

and is one of three proposed buildings from

Pelli Clarke Pelli Pelli is the surname of: * Arttu Pelli (born 1996), Finnish ice hockey * César Pelli (1926–2019), Argentine architect * Denis Pelli (born 1954), Professor of Psychology and Neural Science at New York University * Fulvio Pelli Fulvio Pelli ...

's masterplan. The project is a joint venture development from Magellan Development Group and

Hines Interests Limited Partnership Hines Interests Limited Partnership is an American privately held company that invests in and develops real estate. As of 2023, the company has developed, redeveloped or acquired more than 1,600 properties, comprising over 540 million square fe ...

Commercial

*645 West Madison,

, designed 2014. **The 19-story building, proposed on a site west of the

Chicago Loop The Loop is Chicago's central business district and one of the city's 77 municipally recognized Community areas in Chicago, community areas. Located at the center of downtown Chicago on the shores of Lake Michigan, it is the second-largest busi ...

, features precast concrete construction that establishes a rational grid on the building facade.

Cultural/institutional

* GEMS World Academy-Chicago Lower School,

, completed 2014. **The GEMS Lower School, located in

Lakeshore East Lakeshore East is a master-planned mixed use urban development being built by the Magellan Development Group in the Loop community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is located in the northeastern part of the Loop, ...

is a 10-story building with approximately 83,000 square feet of space. The building's vibrant facade features bold splashes of

primary color Primary colors are colorants or colored lights that can be mixed in varying amounts to produce a gamut of colors. This is the essential method used to create the perception of a broad range of colors in, e.g., electronic displays, color prin ...

s and the lively color palette continues on the interior.

References

{{Reflist, colwidth=100em

External links

bKL Architecture websitebKL Architecture Chinese website
Architecture firms based in Chicago