2011 Tours

Feast Your Eyes On This! [TR2]

Monday, June 13
2 – 4 p.m.
Focus: Restaurants, Latin, Classic, Zen
Tour Locations: Carnivale, Spiaggia, Zed 451
Meeting Location: The Merchandise Mart, South Lobby
Credits: 0.2 CEU  Fee: $40

Join us for as we venture to three of Chicago’s most famous restaurants for an insider’s tour that is sure to inspire the mind and feed the soul. 

Carnivale 

Jerry Kleiner, designer and co-owner

A feast for the senses with over 35,000 square feet of dining space, Carnival’s design is Latin with inspiration drawn from Brazil, El Salvador, Cuba, Columbia, Puerto Rico, Argentina, and Mexico.

Spiaggia

Matt Lorenz, Allied Member, ASID, designer

If there was one term to describe the design of this famous Italian restaurant classic Italian is it.  Spiaggia is separated into two cleverly designed spaces for dining, first you will visit the Tuscan inspired cafe with its rustic earth tones and fabulous street views along the Magnificent Mile and the modern yet completely Italian fine dining restaurant.

Zed 451

Julia Roth, designer collaborated with Chris Smith, architect

Full of nature, wood and white leather, Zed 451 is an American Churrasco style restaurant with very unique design features and a definite edge. Where most restaurants design with one main dining room, Zed 451 breaks up the interior space to give guests options. 

  Register for this program

Good Art is Never Dated [TR3]

Tuesday, June 14
10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Focus: European decorative arts, modern design, technological influence on design
Tour Location: The Art Institute of Chicago
Meeting Location: The Merchandise Mart, South Lobby
Credits: 0.3 CEU  Fee: $55

Join us at the world renowned Art Institute of Chicago for a personal tour of two very contrasting exhibits featuring interior design elements, the European Decorative Arts Collection, and a recent installation, Hyperlinks: Architecture and Design.

You will have free time to tour the museum after the formal tour has completed.

  Register for this program

Don’t Miss This Boat! [TR4]

Tuesday, June 14
10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Focus: Design, Architecture, History
Tour Location: Boat Tour
Meeting Location: The Merchandise Mart, South Lobby
Credits: 0.2 CEU  Fee: $55

It has been said that no other city has influenced and embodied state-of-the-art in high-rise design and modern architecture as prominently as Chicago. Virtually every major interior designer and architect has a signature piece of work here. This is where architecture and design lives, and history is still being etched upon the sky.  This tour is entirely by boat.
Chicago's architectural heritage is considered to be among the finest in the world, and the Chicago River provides the ultimate setting to view these magnificent structures and hear about their interiors.

  Register for this program

Inland Steel Building Tour [TR5]

Monday, June 13
10:30 - 11:15 a.m.
Meetin Location: 30 W. Monroe Street, inside lobby of the Inland Steel Building
Credits: 0.1 CEU   Fee: $5  

Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in 1958, Inland Steel uses cutting edge materials and designs. Explore the exterior and interior of this modern masterpiece and learn why it has attained such fame as a classic example of mid-century modernism.

Presenter: Jason Neises, Vice President of Tour Operations, Chicago Architecture Foundation

  Register for this program

Bungalow Belt Bus Tour [TR6]

Monday, June 13
9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Meeting Location: The Merchandise Mart, South Lobby
Credits: 0.3 CEU   Fee: $40

See Chicago’s famous “bungalow belt” and learn about the evolution of working-class housing, observe forgotten landmarks, see factories that supported the City Beautiful movement, and parks that are the envy of the world.

Presenter: Tom Drebenstedt, CAF Docent, Chicago Architecture Foundation

  Register for this program

Commercial Interiors – Green Building Walking Tour [TR7]

Tuesday, June 14
3 -5 p.m.  
Tour Location: MMC Office at 155 North Wacker Drive
Meeting Location: The Merchandise Mart, South Lobby at 2:30 p.m.
Credits: 2.0 AIA HSW/SD and GBCI CI 3   Fee: $50

After achieving LEED Gold certification in October 2010, Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (MMC) has established the goal of LEED CI certification for all new projects going forward - two of which are planned here in the Chicago area in the coming year.   During this tour and case study, we will look at strategies employed to achieve LEED Gold for Commercial Interiors, the role of green champions in the success of a LEED project and how the initial goal of LEED certification for projects going forward has had operational and project implications for MMC as a whole. Speakers include the MMC LEED project manager, LEED Facilitator from the architect and LEED manager for the construction. We will address strategies employed and lessons learned  during the project and how these lessons have impacted MMC policies and procedures. The session will include a walking tour of the MMC Chicago Office and a formal presentation walking through case study aspects of the LEED CI process.

Presenter: USGBC

  Register for this program

Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House [TR8]

Tuesday, June 14
9:00 a.m. 
Meeting Location: The Merchandise Mart, South Lobby
Credits: Pending  Fee: $80 (includes boxed lunch and transportation via luxury motor coach)

Enjoy a guided tour of Wright's Robie House, a materpiece of the Prairie style, and the surrounding University of Chicago campus. Includes boxed lunch and transportation via luxury motor coach.

  Register for this program

Frank Lloyd Wright's Oak Park [TR9]

Wednesday, June 15
9:00 a.m. 
Meeting Location: The Merchandise Mart, South Lobby
Credits: Pending  Fee: $80 (includes boxed lunch and transportation via luxury motor coach)

Enjoy a guided tour of Wright's home and Studio and the historic district, home to the largest collection of Wright buildings in the world. Includes boxed lunch and transportation via luxury motor coach.

  Register for this program