Major projects at Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture:
Dancing Dragons
A twin tower scheme of 450 m and 330 m tall towers that proposes a new paradigm for super tall residential typologies. The performative design creates opportunities for views, daylighting, natural ventilation and other experiences. Seoul, Korea
La Perouse Development
Mixed-use 54,500 square-meter multifunctional complex with double-wall skin includes residential, administrative offices, sports complex, two restaurants, maintenance services and underground parking for 300 vehicles. Sakhalin Island, Russia
Wuhan Tower
Interior design for 141 story, 600-meter tall mixed-use tower features 58 office floors, 33 residential floors and 23 hotel floors and includes club levels and various observation levels, lobbies, and mechanical floors. Sustainable features include wind and PV panels and improve efficiency with low carbon solutions like trigeneration and smart power distribution management. Wuhan, China
Kingdom Tower
The next tallest building in the world, this tower will feature a luxury hotel, office space, serviced apartments, luxury condominiums and the world’s highest observatory.
Incheon Airport
This design is based around a central spine which follows the main axis of the site. The plan resolves opposite forces working together: airside with landside, passenger with aircraft, in a sustainable city airport, introducing the balance between nature and technology. Incheon, Korea
Hilal Tower
138 m mixed-use tower includes four levels below grade for retail, parking and support areas. The tower features residential, office and retail at ground and higher levels. Sustainable elements include district cooling, solar hot water, energy-efficient lighting and equipment, a greywater system and highly efficient HVAC and MEP Systems. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Ahlamana
Mixed-use 74.5 m and 105 m residential and office towers consisting of 5,612 sm of area. The program includes four to five below-grade levels for partial storage, parking and support areas. Sustainable elements include district cooling, solar hot water, energy-efficient lighting and equipment, a greywater system and highly efficient HVAC and MEP Systems. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Private Chicago Residence
Renovation and addition of single family home, based on the reversal of natural light relationships between the interior and exterior spaces. Material section based on life cycle assessments which yield more durable and VOC free materials for the life of the project. Chicago, Illinois
Federation of Korean Industries
Interiors; 50 story, 240 meter tower in downtown Seoul will provide the headquarters for the Federation of Korean Industries. The Class A office building also includes dining facilities, theater and conference center and rooftop garden. Seoul, Korea
Beijing Franshion Development
Master planning, architectural and interior design of mixed-use development in Beijing’s Central Business District featuring residential, retail, educational and recreational facilities. Beijing, China
Masdar Hq Development
Interiors; Positive Energy building (generating more energy than it consumes) in zero carbon, zero waste city outside of Abu Dhabi. Project includes office and residential space, retail, transit circulation and incorporates landscaped green space. Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Verde Residences
49-story, 1.35 million sf luxury residential tower, including duplex townhouses, 4 stories of office space and retail along a harbor promenade. Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Verde Offices
32-story, 820,000 sf office tower featuring including verdant sky gardens a
At Marvin Herman and Associates:
Loyola University Chicago
Multi-million dollar renovation of the Madonna Della Strada Chapel interior. Inclusive of entirely new finishes, lighting, audio/visuals and mechanicals, custom designed art work and furnishings.
President’s Office for Loyola University Chicago, Lewis Towers
Complete renovation of two floors of office space including meeting room spaces, private and open offices. This project involved complete fit out but selection of all furnishings for all offices, meeting rooms and open office planning as well as coordination of all data, audio visual and lighting. This project also involved the full historic renovation and furnishings for a large scale ballroom inclusive of coordination of all data, audio visual and lighting. Chicago, Illinois
Jmb Realty/Gem Investments
High end renovations to executive office suites, conference rooms, reception lobby. The spaces involved many custom millwork and furniture pieces. Lighting and custom art pieces were created for the space. Project also included planning and selection of all custom and open office furniture systems. Chicago, Illinois
Capital First Realty
High end renovations to executive office suites, conference rooms, and reception lobby. This was a new complete fit out in an existing high rise and included custom furniture and decoration. Project also included planning and selection of all custom and open office furniture systems. Chicago, Illinois
Unext
An internet start-up company mid-size office. This project involved custom furniture selection and development with a large office furniture system manufacturer. All of the office systems, open office and enclosed offices were customized featuring a great deal of flexibility as requested by the client. The overall environment was to be open and adaptive to a constantly expanding and evolving company. Deerfield, Illinois
Trabert and Hoeffer Jewelers
A new stand alone Jewelry store in a high end shopping street in Chicago. The project involved the architecture on a new building and included the interior design which, per the client’s request, was designed in an art deco style based on a sole photograph of their first store. The finishes and lighting systems were very high end. Chicago, Illinois
Private Residence
As featured in Architectural Digest, this large-scale highrise apartment was a total custom fit-out. Selection of all finishes, detailing, MEP and Lighting to create a truly custom environment for this Chicago businessman. Due to the size of the apartment, complicated commercial lighting systems, audio visual controls, security systems were designed to a state of the art level. High end and exotic finishes added to the complexity of the project making this in the end a truly unique environment for our client. Chicago, Illinois
Private Residence
New construction of a 30,000 square-foot residence on the Pacific Ocean. Inclusive of all Architecture and Interior Design. House was designed to hold a major art collection as well as being open up to the tropical surroundings. Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Urban Realty Properties
Conducted space planning and interiors for high end condominium projects in Chicago and Los Angeles. Involved in all aspects of unit planning, finish selections and detailing for multi million dollar condominiums.
Teng
Conducted space planning and interiors for high end condominium projects in Chicago. Involved in all aspects of unit planning, finish selections and detailing for multi-million dollar condominiums.
Fifield Properties
Conducted space planning and interiors for high end condominium projects in Los Angeles. Involved in all aspects of unit planning, finish selections and detailing for multi-million-dollar condominiums.
Marc Cerone on…
…design
I think all architecture is really for the senses. Interior architecture and design, in particular has a tactile as well as a visual impression on people. One of the wonderful things about interiors is that people are directly affected when they experience the design. You move around in it, you feel it through touch, sound and smell, the colors soothe you or excite you—it's experiential, and it produces feelings. That's why it's very important that care, experiment, research and thought go into every interior space. As exciting and inspiring as the exteriors are, so too should be the interiors.
…where he finds inspiration
When I lived in France, I used to walk on the passages of Paris—side streets that are off the beaten path, full of sights and sounds and smells that you wouldn't get on the main thoroughfares. Cafes, vendor stalls with lots of different wares being peddled, lots of great shopping. It's a whole different world, so different from what exists on the outside. An interior can be looked at that way—a journey, a pathway, and it can be as rich as any exterior space.
…his favorite "moment" in architecture
I love a sense of arrival, the feeling you get when you walk in and it's a surprise, an "a-ha!" moment. There's this sudden realization that you're somewhere else. I think about the island of Santorini, where you go to a Greek church and it's just this whitewashed building, and then you go inside into this opulent, gold, saturated, dark, intensely decorated space. To me, that's exciting. That's a great moment in architecture, and it's what I want to do: to give people this sense of "wow."
…his favorite city architecturally
Paris. Besides the experience of the architecture, it's also just the easygoing way of life there. It's like they wear their lifestyle on their sleeve. The café culture wasn't set up just because it's a great way to serve and eat food; it's a way of life and a part of their culture. It's been established for people to enjoy life, taking it easy, stopping and having a coffee, and sort of just be. Buenos Aires is like that, too—it's ingrained in their architecture and their urban planning.
…his favorite thing about a collaborative design process
It gives you the ability to look at a solution from many angles. A collaborative process invites different people to comment and discuss and engage and investigate, looking at things from a research angle or a technical angle or a pure design angle. When that comes together, it's about what sticks, what grows and develops, a piece of any opinion or thought can rub off on the final design. It's also true that a great solution doesn't always have to be perfect. Sometimes the best solution is the odd solution, or the solution that is a product of so many people's influences. The alternative would be that you're only getting to look at things one way, from one person's point of view.
…what he'd be if he weren't an architect
I'd be a deli owner. I like food. I like to eat. I think bringing people around a table, especially their own tables, is extremely important to our culture. To break bread and share a meal with friends and family is the way I grew up, which I hope for everyone. There's a magical something about food that warms the heart and brings people together.
…what he does when he's not designing
Cycling and exploring our city. Spending time with my friends and family.