• Featured,  Print Edition,  Relish

    The Aquifer

    To the Scots, whisky, “uisge beatha” or “usquebaugh,” means “water of life.” Derived from Scottish Gaelic, the word—and spirit—has since traveled the world, taking on new flavor profiles, processes, names, and styles, pairing heritage, history, and cultures. In the United States, where whiskey has become the distinctly American product known as Bourbon and thrives as a tradition of sour-mash, whiskey…

  • Creative Endeavors,  Featured

    Chicago Sukkah Design Festival returns for third annual exhibition

    The 2024 Chicago Sukkah Design Festival—this year’s AIA Chicago Honor Award recipient of the Robert Feldman Architecture for Social Justice Award—returns this Sunday, Oct. 6 to the James Stone Freedom Square in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood. For 20 days, the third annual festival will activate the public plaza with custom-built sukkahs, designed by five teams who reimagined the outdoor pavilion…

  • Creative Endeavors,  Featured,  Print Edition

    The Parlour

    In Glen Ellyn, Illinois, located just off of Main Street along Pennsylvania Ave., The Parlour at Park & Oak invites patrons, travelers, and clients alike to step into its storied cocktail lounge and linger a while. Dedicated to the art and place of conversation, The Parlour—much like its namesake derived from the French word parler, meaning “to speak”—is a space…

  • Creative Endeavors,  Featured,  Print Edition

    Rebecca Barry, AIA, NCARB

    Director of Architecture Ghafari Associates | Dearborn, Michigan   To Rebecca Barry, AIA, NCARB, Director of Architecture at Ghafari Associates headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, every built space has a story behind it. It is a story that can speak to the people, the culture, and the context around it, the mission and programmatic goals of an organization, and a celebration…

  • Featured,  Form,  Print Edition

    Optima Verdana

    In 2023, Optima, Inc., a family-owned, vertically integrated and design-driven real estate development firm based in Glencoe, Illinois and Scottsdale, Arizona, realized a multi-family, 100-unit apartment building in downtown Wilmette, Illinois, delivering rental residences and an amenity-rich development to the North Shore market. For the privately-held firm, the residential and commercial project is more than its visual composition of glass…

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    Mike Shively, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP

    Founding Partner, Architect En Masse | Chicago, Illinois   To Mike Shively, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, whose mission in life is to make life better through architecture, design is a personal exploration. But it is less about putting his own stamp or personal architectural mark on the work he co-creates with his studio team and clients, and more about the…

  • Featured

    Todd Palmer, AIA, NCARB

    Senior Architect, Commercial Studio Leader AMDG Architects | Grand Rapids, Michigan   Todd Palmer, AIA, NCARB, Senior Architect and Commercial Studio Leader at AMDG Architects of Grand Rapids, Michigan, finds delight in working with clients in the earliest design phases and in the ability to carry their vision through completion. It is in the continuity of the process, the relationships…

  • Creative Endeavors,  Featured,  Print Edition

    Richly textured

    When Mary Tolan, founder and managing partner of Chicago Pacific Founders of Chicago, Illinois, looked to expand the firm’s existing square footage at their headquarters along Michigan Avenue, the investment leader tapped the creative expertise of long-time design partner Yvette Cusack of BJC Designs LLC to bring the dynamic, full floor workplace to life. Located at 980 North Michigan Avenue,…

  • Creative Endeavors,  Featured,  Print Edition

    Zachary Verhulst, AIA, NCARB, NOMA

    Founder, CEO Pure Architects | Grand Rapids and Detroit, Michigan   When Zachary Verhulst, AIA, NCARB, NOMA, founded Pure Architects in 2020, it was with a powerful purpose to create spaces and places that uplift communities, positively impact the environment, and inspire people through inclusive and healthy design. To Verhulst, architecture is a vehicle and a platform in which to…