bLUMEN

 

bLUMEN (blume : German for ‘flower.’ | lumen : Latin for ‘light.’)

bLUMEN is a site-specific sculptural pavilion combining art, architecture, and technology to create a flourishing plant-growth environment that engages and connects with the Homan Square community. With bLUMEN, we envision how design can transform and activate sites into fertile ground for creativity, innovation, and social interaction.

Modular in form, the temporary pavilion is formed by six 10-foot tall hexagonal steel structures connected to one another, forming an urban canopy. The canopy acts as the physical framework for fifteen interconnected horticulture LED grow lights that help grow a small selection of plants and vegetables. With access to healthy and fresh food being an issue in the Homan Square and North Lawndale communities, bLUMEN focuses on food as a core issue to gather the community and help the effort of other local initiatives working on nutrition and healthy lifestyles.

The asymmetric steel structure organizes and activates the currently underutilized site, creating a new public space for Homan Square residents and visitors. With its glow generated by the grow lights, bLUMEN extends the daily use of the space, allowing for temporary and seasonal interventions to take place day and night. Whether to host established and existing programs or new and spontaneous interventions, we hope bLUMEN becomes a new and exciting gathering place for the Homan Square community and all Chicago residents.

The bLUMEN pavilion was designed and built as part of the bLUMEN summer course taught by Luftwerk and MAS Studio and organized by the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) Department of Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects and the Shapiro Center for Research and Collaboration in August of 2016.

Photography by David Schalliol.
Aerial photography by Tom Harris Photography.

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AWARDS
2018 Pella Crafted Luxury People’s Choice Award, AIA Chicago Small Project Awards

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PRESS
The Architect’s Newspaper, “Students build glowing installation in West Side Chicago park”
Chicago Architect, “bLUMEN: A Collaborative Installation Lights Up Homan Square”

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Type: Installation
Location: Homan Square, Chicago
Design: Luftwerk and MAS Studio with SAIC bLUMEN students: Mauricio Casian, Beril Cuhadaroglu, Carrie Jim, Farnaz Khosh-Sirat, Jessica Moon, Ravina Puri, Andrew Rutherdale, Celine Setiadi, Melis Simsek, and Danrui Xiang.
Structural Engineer: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.
Metal Fabrication: Active Alloys.
Partners: School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), SAIC’s Shapiro Center for Research and Collaboration, Chicago Park District, and the Foundation for Homan Square.
Acknowledgements: Philips Lighting, 24th Ward Alderman Michael Scott Jr., and the Homan Square community.
Year: 2016
Status: Completed

This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.