The air traffic control tower is an often-overlooked and underappreciated piece in the larger airport environment. While integral to aviation and airport operations, its primary role is an ancillary one where it functions—at optimal—with degree of separation amid terminal activity and direct traveler experience. Yet, the air traffic control tower is more than an aviation artifact. It stands as a…
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Q & A: On the map
By R. Collins Entrepreneur Kelechi Uchendu’s fashion career began with a dream. Now the founder and owner of Kay Kay’s World LLC, Uchendu manages a blog concerning fashion, beauty, and travel known as Kay Kay’s Way; and a clothing line known as Kay Kay’s Fashion that would eventually lead the brand to being featured in British Vogue and Tatler Magazine,…
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Celebrate the Ride
There is something visceral and interactive between rider and landscape when positioned on a leather-wrapped seat of a well-designed machine, hands tightening across the handlebars. There is a freedom, a connectedness, and a thrill made distinctive to motorcycling; and a Goshen, Indiana-based designer and small-scale manufacturer is seeking to tap into the spirit of the ride with its lightweight, small-displacement…
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Singularly dynamic
By R.J. Weick Van Dam Custom Boats continues to build upon a 40-year-legacy of crafting the finest wooden boats. Vast, powerful, and unpredictable, the Great Lakes are as captivating and dynamic as the watercraft navigating them. While often overlooked by those who have yet to lay eyes on the awe-inspiring expanse and depth of any one of the five freshwater…
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United Polaris
When United Airlines Inc. unveiled its United Polaris lounge at Chicago O’Hare International Airport in December 2016, it set a new precedent and expectation in pre-flight luxury and customer service for its international business class travelers. The lounge, which sets the stage for the on-board cabin experience, is an integral part of the airline’s reinvention of international premium travel and…
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Boutique beacon
By R.J. Weick In 1893, Chicago dazzled the world with its display of architecture, industry, and innovation. It was the year in which the White City received its moniker as neoclassical-inspired buildings were meticulously constructed and designed for the World’s Columbian Exposition—or more fondly known as the Chicago World’s Fair. As a palatial exhibition began to take shape south of…
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Composition artistry
By R.J. Weick “Buick has a sense of well-being,” said Christopher Hilts, design director for Buick Interiors at General Motors. “What really compels me is this composition of artistry. There is sculptural beauty in every aspect of the Buick interiors.” Hilts was named the director of design for Buick Interiors in August 2016 and has assumed the helm of leading…
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Sounds like music
By R.J. Weick In South Detroit, where the notes of musical, architectural, and design history come together, there is a multi-disciplinary interiors studio of passionate artisans and visionaries immersed in the grit and glam that have come to define its globally renowned brand. Forged, honed, and molded for nearly two decades, Regina Andrew Design’s diverse portfolio is a cultivation and…
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Regal renaissance
By R.J. Weick The Hilton Chicago’s storied corridors have echoed with the footsteps of the most influential since the day the luxury hotel first opened its doors in 1927 as the Stevens Hotel. It is a historical and architectural marvel that has preserved its early 20th Century grandeur for more than 90 years. When Hilton Chicago launched an extensive renovation project,…