Big & Green

Last night's party at the Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) - for the Big & Green traveling exhibition currently docked in the Santa Fe Building - was the usual architectural get-together: drinking, schmoozing, and a little bit of actually looking at the exhibits. In the large lobby space (image below) is the majority of the traveling exhibit, but in CAF's smaller storefront space is their local installment, Chicago Green.

Of the two distinct areas, the Chicago portion is much more impressive than the international offering, the former embedding models in a "green" bed - bugs and all - sloped to drain to a bucket (below), while the latter features mainly 2d images suspended between an oversized cardboard frame that's far too bulky and tinker-toy like to help the cause.

If you find yourself in Chicago, the exhibition runs until September 12 and is worth checking out, with the CAF running green tours and programs all summer. If you find yourself elsewhere, check out the online portfolio, featuring 15 local green projects and the Ford Calumet Center entries, also on display.