On Friday, May 5th, SOM hosted a reception in its Chicago office for students from the College of Architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) to exhibit their final undergraduate projects. The projects were the capstone of a year-long studio led by an interdisciplinary team from SOM that included: Urban Designers Robert Bracken and Alejandra Royo; Senior Technical Designer Jorge Rovira; Senior Designers Seanna Walsh and Justin Petersen; and Architectural Designer David Mulder.
Themed “Superpopulated,” the IIT studio allowed students to explore challenges in urban density and growth. Students were tasked with designing mixed-use projects that envisioned growth in Chicago neighborhoods currently facing population decline. Prior to the May reception, additional members of the SOM Chicago team, including Design Partner Brian Lee, Design Director Eric Keune, and Associate Director Mark Nagis, had participated as jury members in year-end studio critiques at IIT.