On Thursday, the team that put up the George Lucas' art and movie museum unveils the revised renderings that show more green space in the Chicago area. But, there were no comprehensive changes to the undulating and futuristic building, that stirs a passion in a city that guards its Lake Michigan shoreline with "religious-like devotion".
City Council will be presented with the images next week, showing that designers have notably made smaller in size, the lake front building, while preserving a smooth, narrowing, dune-like form topped with an observation deck that have qualities or features of a floating disc - to which critics compared to the shape to Jabba the Hutt.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, along with the defenders of what will be recognized as the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, stated that the design is showing a firm and constant support to Chicago's history of making bold architectural statements, and its dedication in keeping the lakefront open, accessible and green.
Don Bacigalupi, museum President said the site to the south of Soldier Field, is home of the Chicago Bears. "Currently, it's a very great extent of asphalt parking lot that is not welcoming; it's not very green," In addtion, he said "And so replacing that with both a museum that's an amenity, that's an attraction and an educational innovation, in addition to this very new green space park ... that's really our goal."
The 17-acre site of Lucas' art and movie museum will remove the parking lot and add a 4.5 acres of new parkland.
The museum's designers and architects Jeanne Gang and Kate Orff, said that they planned for the space to function as an educational "green infrastructure" at the same time providing an inspiring gateway to the museum rising in the distance.
The design of the museum is at its final peak, although minor adjustments are still considered. Construction is slated to start in March and will last until 2018.
