Out of the Loop: Vernacular Architecture Forum Chicago

Midway Agate, 2015, and the Vernacular Architecture Forum

Virginia B. Price, David Spatz, and D. Bradford Hunt, editors

In June 2015, the Vernacular Architecture Forum met in Chicago and got “Out of the Loop” to explore Chicago’s built environment through the lens of the conference’s theme, Neighborhoods in Transition. Out of the Loop: Vernacular Architecture Forum Chicago was published in conjunction with the forum as a companion piece.

A fascinating exploration of Chicago, this edited collection is an in-depth tour beyond architectural icons and into the city’s contested communities. Here the built environment remains open to new meanings. Neighborhoods hold pieces of civic structure, communal meaning, and cultural definitions. Some vernacular buildings, like the bungalow, are ready-made for occupancy and commonly produced, while still others are professionally designed. Out of the Loop not only addresses authorship but also adaptation of the built environment as generations pass. In these transitions, a city steadily comes into view.

Available from Agate Midway and Amazon

Reviews:

A Daily Dose of Architecture, John Hill, July 1, 2015

New City Design, Ben Schulman, August 17, 2015

Chicago Detours, Amanda Scotese, August 27, 2015

Arijit Sen, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, September 9, 2015

The Architect’s Newspaper, Marko Dumjila, June 24, 2016