Midcity's Integrated Institute of Culinary Arts (MIICA)

More Info
expand_more

Abstract

How can a single intervention trigger an attractive production neighborhood to facilitate economic growth in a decaying industrial area? Meet Galewood, Chicago. An area in between downtown The Loop and the outskirts of the city. From the earliest days of Chicago in the 1830’s, the area has shown economic growth. Up until mid-twentieth century, when production shifted to Asia and cheaper land was found outside the city with better tax rates and education, leaving Galewood with an urban layout once designed for growth. This master thesis aims at finding the right solution to a series of contemporary urban problems. The result is an elegant chef school, well connected to The Loop as well as other important hubs. The designed building recatalyses the area, bringing back industry in a different scale. And with that, prosperity for the surrounding communities.