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Jackie Koo Adds Ballsy Cantilever to Boystown’s Out Hotel
"Architect Jackie Koo of Koo & Associates has reacted decisively to NIMBY quarrels with her design for a 10-story "Out Hotel" (at one point 12 stories) on the 3300 Block of North Halsted. The queer-friendlyboutique hotel project, led by Ian Reisner of Parkview...
Koo and Associates Ltd. Designing Chicago’s First Gay Boutique Hotel
"The Out Chicago, the city's first gay boutique hotel. Parkview Developers has proposed a 100-room property in the Boystown neighborhood that calls for a fully enclosed glass courtyard for events, restaurant, retail space, and gym and spa facilities." Credit: Contract...
Koo & Associates Outs the Out Hotel at Halsted & Roscoe
"The 'gay boutique' Out Hotel, already established in NYC, will resolve itself as a ten-story glass building bordering the Sidetrack club. The development cleaves closely to the NYC design, with an enclosed atrium, full spa and gym, rooftop bar, and restaurant and...
The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Award for Architectural Excellence in Community Design, Second Place
"Koo’s infill buildings reflect the classic features of the surrounding neighborhood, while structures adjacent to the proposed new Mt. Sinai Ambulatory Care Center by Pappageorge Haymes reflect the more modern style of the planned medical center expansions. The Park...
99% Invisible, Episode 58
"But even if you know nothing about the history, everyone in the area knows this hotel. Because it’s purple. Really, really purple. Gwen Macsai grew up nearby and she always thought it was really, really ugly. Lots of people did. To be fair, lots of people...
KOO to the Rescue
"Though preliminary, Koo’s plans show a softer side of the storied hotel. The hotel structure will remain, she said, although it is a question of degree. One route would be strict historic preservation, while another might be to remove and repurpose some of the purple...
Jackie Koo’s Favorite Things
"With the zig-zaggety lightning streak she carved into the 27-story glass facade of the Wit hotel, architect Jackie Koo, of Koo and Associates, injected high voltage energy onto State Street. Not bad for a Plato-loving former philosophy student who changed her path....
Mayor Daley’s Chicago Legacy
"After 21 years as mayor, Richard M. Daley has left an indelible mark on Chicago’s built environment. The Architect’s Newspaper asked 11 Chicago architects to reflect on Daley’s impact on the city’s architecture, planning, and landscape, and to ponder the challenges...
i4design: “The Suite 16” (part 2)
" “I left undergraduate school with a philosophy degree. I got a great education that prepared me for nothing specific. But my career as an architect is ultimately a rejection of that,” admits Koo, who clearly has as much pragmatism as talent." Credit: Chicago Art...
The Wit
"Breaking the mass of the slender building gives it a smaller scale on the streetscape—in contrast to its generally larger neighbors. The chartreuse glass of the lightning bolt bends to fill the canopy protecting the entrance—and casts its wickedly hip color onto...
Explore the Loop
"Challenging the notion that a hotel should act as a respite from the urban environment, Koo chose instead to embrace the bustling theater district and “L” train activity around it with vast expanses of glass." Credit: WTTW July 1, 2009
A Flash of Wit
"The Fairfield project’s developer, Scott Greenberg of ECD Company based in Lincolnshire, Illinois, found Koo had “an exceptional grasp of aesthetics, but also of the technical aspects of what goes into a building.” So when Greenberg conceived the Wit in 2006, he...
Lightning Sharp
"“What I learned in school is that you do the research, you understand the rules, then you go with your gut,” she says, hoping that The Wit’s design will soon be known for the latter." Credit: Chicago Magazine Jay Pridmore June 10, 2009
A Bolt of Urban Energy for State Street
"Views such as this sum up the best of the Wit: The city gives something to the building, and the building gives something to the city. While Chicago has more architecturally distinguished new hotels, such as French architect Jean-Paul Viguier's gracefully dramatic...
312.235.0920
55 W. Wacker Dr.
Suite 600C
Chicago, IL 60601
312.235.0920
office@kooarchitecture.com
55 W. Wacker Dr.
Suite 600C
Chicago, IL 60601