New O'Hare Airport Proposals by Top Firms, Gio Ponti Show Extended, and More News This Week

Between collection launches, architecture announcements, museum openings, and more, it’s hard to keep on top of all the news in the design world. Enter the Weekly Roundup, AD PRO’s regular callout of developing, overheard, and confirmed news this week that’s worth noting. Consider it our way of keeping you even more in the know.

Architects Have Submitted Plans for Chicago’s O’Hare Airport Redesign Unveiled

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s competition for who will design the Chicago O’Hare Airport expansion is drawing some of architecture’s biggest heavyweights. The highly anticipated competition for the bid includes such names as Santiago Calatrava, Norman Foster, and Jeanne Gang.

Foster + Partners, working with local firms Epstein and JGMA, have created a series of cresting arches that let in natural light and create a theater-like atmosphere for travelers.

Calatrava’s proposal, dubbed “City in a Garden,” creates an indoor/outdoor aesthetic with expansive gardens leading to a shell-like glass facade featuring an interior filled with greenery. “Our team believes a beautiful new terminal complex must reflect its citizens and their values, and our sustainable, open garden design evokes a truly magnificent structure that will welcome travelers from all around the world,” says Santiago Calatrava, principal architect of Santiago Calatrava LLC.

With all of the architecture teams’ plans, key components for airport design are being brought in, and many of the teams are collaborating with specialists and local firms. The bids have been whittled down to just five teams from the original 12, with the project slated at $8.5 billion.

“Tutto Ponti” Exhibition Extended at Musée des Arts Décoratifs

For fans of Gio Ponti’s work spanning art, architecture, furniture design, and more, there’s still time to see this incredible collection in Paris. The MAD has decided to extend the exhibition in response to popular demand. Molteni&C, the sponsors, who lent a large number of the items on display, agreed to continue the exhibition and extend the loan. The company is known for repurposing Gio Ponti’s designs to recreate the tables, chairs, and other furniture pieces he’s most noted for, adhering strictly to his original designs through the Gio Ponti Archives.

Zillow’s Latest Report Shows New Construction Homes Are Getting Cheaper

A new report from real estate listings site Zillow shows that new construction homes are getting cheaper. According to the study, 25.1% of new construction homes in the fourth quarter of 2018 saw a price cut, compared to the first quarter of 2018, when 19.2% of homes saw a price cut. The biggest price reductions were in San Francisco and Los Angeles, though all of the country's major markets saw an increase in such price cuts over the course of last year. For potential buyers, this means that buying a new construction home could become that much more affordable; they can also put the saved money elsewhere or potentially save by not having to renovate certain areas.

Noë & Associates Launches Content and Film Division

With an acclaimed background in the creative and branding spaces around luxury, culture, and real estate, Noë & Associates is launching a new film and content division with noted director Marcus Werner Hed at the helm.
“We observed a growing interest and need among clients for high-quality film development as a natural extension of their brand story and experience," says founder and creative director Mark Noë. "Having worked with Marcus over the years and as an admirer of his work, it felt like a natural progression to have Marcus helm our own content and film division." The company’s portfolio includes projects for the likes of Tadao Ando, Robert A.M. Stern, and Renzo Piano.

Shoppe Objet Returns to New York

After a successful debut show in Hell's Kitchen and a pop-up holiday market in Brooklyn last year, Shoppe Object is returning to the city in two locations from February 2 through 4, 2019. The show, created by the founders of Aesthetic Movement and the apparel trade show Capsule, made waves as a "new type of trade fair," boasting more than 200 independent brands and makers. This year's iteration will comprise the South Shoppe (located at Hudson Mercantile at 500 West 36th Street) and North Shoppe at Metropolitan West (located at 639 West 46th Street).

L.A.’s Museum of Contemporary Art at Pacific Design Center Plans Closure

For over 20 years the Pacific Design Center has been hosting exhibitions of design and architecture for the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. According to a statement from the museum and design center, the gallery will shut down after the exhibition One Day at a Time: Kahlil Joseph’s Fly Paper ends on February 24. “We are proud of MOCA’s record of achievement at the PDC,” said Maria Seferian, chair of the museum’s Board of Trustees. “We are grateful for our partnership with the PDC and Charles Cohen and now look forward to consolidating and growing our exhibition activities, including presentations on architecture and design, at MOCA’s two Downtown Los Angeles locations.”

MUJI Announces New Location at Hudson Yards

Japanese lifestyle brand MUJI, known for contemporary, minimalist design, will open its largest U.S. retail store in New York’s Hudson Yards. The store, spanning 9,230 square feet, will offer home, beauty, fashion, and travel products on the second floor of The Shops & Restaurants at Hudson Yards, dubbed “The Floor of Discovery.”
“As MUJI builds relationships with consumers across the U.S., we are thrilled to have the opportunity to continue to open retail locations where Americans browse, shop, and experience new goods," noted MUJI North America president Toru Akita in an announcement. "It is exciting to be a part of the new Hudson Yards development—especially on The Floor of Discovery—which is sure to become a new, central shopping and cultural destination for New York locals and visitors alike." The location is slated to open March 15.

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