Join us Monday, October 20th, for our Fall Lecture Series in the Plym Auditorium at 5:30 PM
We welcome James Binning, who is a founding member of the design-led interdisciplinary practice Assemble and has a teaching position as a postgraduate studio leader at the CASS School of Architecture and Design since 2015. Within Assemble he has worked on a range of projects, from the design and fabrication of furniture and installation projects, to the orchestration of large-scale collective build projects, and the design of public spaces in the UK and abroad.
Assemble is a multi-disciplinary collective working across architecture, design and art. Founded in 2010 to undertake a single self-built project, Assemble has since delivered a diverse and award-winning body of work, whilst retaining a democratic and co-operative working method that enables built, social and research-based work at a variety of scales, both making things and making things happen.
Reception at 5:00PM. Lecture begins at 5:30PM Temple Hoyne Buell Hall Atrium and Plym Auditorium
Join us Monday, October 20th, for our Fall Lecture Series in the Plym Auditorium at 5:30 PM
We welcome James Binning, who is a founding member of the design-led interdisciplinary practice Assemble and has a teaching position as a postgraduate studio leader at the CASS School of Architecture and Design since 2015. Within Assemble he has worked on a range of projects, from the design and fabrication of furniture and installation projects, to the orchestration of large-scale collective build projects, and the design of public spaces in the UK and abroad.
Assemble is a multi-disciplinary collective working across architecture, design and art. Founded in 2010 to undertake a single self-built project, Assemble has since delivered a diverse and award-winning body of work, whilst retaining a democratic and co-operative working method that enables built, social and research-based work at a variety of scales, both making things and making things happen.
Reception at 5:00PM. Lecture begins at 5:30PM Temple Hoyne Buell Hall Atrium and Plym Auditorium
Abstract It would be nice to make architecture like trees, in the broadest sense. So the trees are the architecture, and the forest is the city. So, let’s not forget to see the forest for the city. Just as the saying goes “You can’t see the forest for the trees”.
Bio Javier Corvalán Espínola, born in Asunción, Paraguay, received his architectural degree from the Catholic University of Asunción and completed his postgraduate studies at the Sapienza University of Rome. He is Professor at the Facultad de Arquitectura, Diseño y Arte at the National University of Asunción, and Professor at the Facultad de Ciencias y Tecnologías at the Catholic University of Asunción. He also teaches at several universities in Latin America and holds a Visiting Professor title at the Istituto di Urbanistica e Architettura di Venezia (IUAV).
He gives conferences at universities around the world. His projects and works have been published in specialized architectural books, journals and magazines. He has won several public, national, and international competitions, and many of his designs have been built. In 2006, he received the Official Cross, awarded by Juan Carlos I, King of Spain, for his design and work at the Centro Cultural de España Juan de Salazar. In 2018, he received the Medaglia d’Argento del Pontificato for the design and construction of one of the chapels representing the Vatican at the Venice Architecture Biennale in Italy. In 2020, he received his PhD in Architecture, City, and Design from the Istituto di Urbanistica e Architettura di Venezia (IUAV).
Abstract It would be nice to make architecture like trees, in the broadest sense. So the trees are the architecture, and the forest is the city. So, let’s not forget to see the forest for the city. Just as the saying goes “You can’t see the forest for the trees”.
Bio Javier Corvalán Espínola, born in Asunción, Paraguay, received his architectural degree from the Catholic University of Asunción and completed his postgraduate studies at the Sapienza University of Rome. He is Professor at the Facultad de Arquitectura, Diseño y Arte at the National University of Asunción, and Professor at the Facultad de Ciencias y Tecnologías at the Catholic University of Asunción. He also teaches at several universities in Latin America and holds a Visiting Professor title at the Istituto di Urbanistica e Architettura di Venezia (IUAV).
He gives conferences at universities around the world. His projects and works have been published in specialized architectural books, journals and magazines. He has won several public, national, and international competitions, and many of his designs have been built. In 2006, he received the Official Cross, awarded by Juan Carlos I, King of Spain, for his design and work at the Centro Cultural de España Juan de Salazar. In 2018, he received the Medaglia d’Argento del Pontificato for the design and construction of one of the chapels representing the Vatican at the Venice Architecture Biennale in Italy. In 2020, he received his PhD in Architecture, City, and Design from the Istituto di Urbanistica e Architettura di Venezia (IUAV).
The Illinois School of Architecture presents BEYOND CLOSURE, an exhibition that examines the lasting architectural and cultural reverberations of the 2013 closure of nearly 50 public schools in Chicago. Through oral histories, design research, and documentation of site activations, the exhibition investigates how school buildings and their grounds have functioned as vital civic spaces—and what is at stake when they disappear.
At the center of the exhibition is the work of Borderless Studio, a Chicago- and San Antonio-based architecture and urban design practice. Their initiative, Creative Grounds, reimagines former school sites as community assets, exploring how art, design, and architecture can open more inclusive pathways for their reuse. During the run of the exhibition, the floor in Temple Hoyne Buell Hall’s atrium is transformed into a map of Chicago that locates the sites of closed schools, creating an inhabitable platform to explore the opportunities for future reuse.
The exhibition also features Asif Wilson, Assistant Professor of Curriculum & Instruction in the College of Education. His project, Closing Schools is a Hate Crime, gathers testimonies that lay bare the profound harm caused by the closure, consolidation, and privatization of CPS schools—particularly in Chicago’s most disinvested and disenfranchised neighborhoods. “Off the Hook” is a reenacted teacher’s desk, inviting exhibit-goers to dial-in and listen to oral histories from educators and activists.
Join us on Friday, September 19 at 1:00pm for a screening of Beyond Closure, a new documentary film by On The Reel Film and Borderless, followed by a discussion and workshop with creator and executive producer Paola Aguirre Serrano, who is also founding partner and urban designer at Borderless Studio.
Exhibit Location : Temple Buell Hall Atrium Exhibit Dates: September 15–October 5, 2025
The Illinois School of Architecture presents BEYOND CLOSURE, an exhibition that examines the lasting architectural and cultural reverberations of the 2013 closure of nearly 50 public schools in Chicago. Through oral histories, design research, and documentation of site activations, the exhibition investigates how school buildings and their grounds have functioned as vital civic spaces—and what is at stake when they disappear.
At the center of the exhibition is the work of Borderless Studio, a Chicago- and San Antonio-based architecture and urban design practice. Their initiative, Creative Grounds, reimagines former school sites as community assets, exploring how art, design, and architecture can open more inclusive pathways for their reuse. During the run of the exhibition, the floor in Temple Hoyne Buell Hall’s atrium is transformed into a map of Chicago that locates the sites of closed schools, creating an inhabitable platform to explore the opportunities for future reuse.
The exhibition also features Asif Wilson, Assistant Professor of Curriculum & Instruction in the College of Education. His project, Closing Schools is a Hate Crime, gathers testimonies that lay bare the profound harm caused by the closure, consolidation, and privatization of CPS schools—particularly in Chicago’s most disinvested and disenfranchised neighborhoods. “Off the Hook” is a reenacted teacher’s desk, inviting exhibit-goers to dial-in and listen to oral histories from educators and activists.
Join us on Friday, September 19 at 1:00pm for a screening of Beyond Closure, a new documentary film by On The Reel Film and Borderless, followed by a discussion and workshop with creator and executive producer Paola Aguirre Serrano, who is also founding partner and urban designer at Borderless Studio.
Exhibit Location : Temple Buell Hall Atrium Exhibit Dates: September 15–October 5, 2025...
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archatillinoisMay 7
Annual Architecture Awards 2025
Join us for a memorable evening celebrating the remarkable achievements of our students at the Illinois School of Architecture.
A3 Logo Design 2025 - Riley Vernon
Closed Event Doors open at 5:00 PM Location: I Hotel & Conference Center, 1900 South First Street
Congratulations to Omar Abunnaja (M.Arch ‘25) and Jasbir Bhamra (M.Arch ‘25) from Prof. Paul Armstrong’s Studio
The RIV is a mixed-use high-rise located in the Chicago Loop, fronting the iconic Riverwalk. Integrating a retail and commercial podium, a luxury hotel, high end condominiums, and housing units, the project creates a vibrant urban hub. Drawing inspiration from the geometry and vitality of the Chicago River and Riverwalk, The RIV serves as a natural extension of its surroundings. Its chamfered lines are inspired by the abstract patterns of the river and the bridges, echoing their dynamic forms. A spacious public atrium at the base seamlessly connects to the Riverwalk, fostering pedestrian flow and lively activity. The tower’s bold chamfered design enhances both its aesthetics and functionality, while a curved observatory at the top offers panoramic views of the river and skyline. Surrounding stepped landscape elements tie the design to its urban context, creating an accessible and cohesive environment. The RIV redefines its site as a harmonious convergence of river, city, and sky.
Congratulations to Omar Abunnaja (M.Arch ‘25) and Jasbir Bhamra (M.Arch ‘25) from Prof. Paul Armstrong’s Studio
The RIV is a mixed-use high-rise located in the Chicago Loop, fronting the iconic Riverwalk. Integrating a retail and commercial podium, a luxury hotel, high end condominiums, and housing units, the project creates a vibrant urban hub. Drawing inspiration from the geometry and vitality of the Chicago River and Riverwalk, The RIV serves as a natural extension of its surroundings. Its chamfered lines are inspired by the abstract patterns of the river and the bridges, echoing their dynamic forms. A spacious public atrium at the base seamlessly connects to the Riverwalk, fostering pedestrian flow and lively activity. The tower’s bold chamfered design enhances both its aesthetics and functionality, while a curved observatory at the top offers panoramic views of the river and skyline. Surrounding stepped landscape elements tie the design to its urban context, creating an accessible and cohesive environment. The RIV redefines its site as a harmonious convergence of river, city, and sky.
Five Program Areas shape our curriculum, giving students the opportunity to think about architecture and design at different scales and through different media.
We have exchange programs with Munich and Switzerland.
Discover Architecture
Discover Architecture is a summer program on the University of Illinois campus. It is open to high school and pre-college students. The program is organized around the design studio and provides a studio-focused, design-intensive workshop over the course of a week.
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