Project Description
FROM THE ARCHITECTS:
Bungalow Futures responds to a contemporary debate about preservation practices for Chicago’s historic bungalows. The Historic Chicago Bungalow Association’s recent #StopThePop social media campaign aims to curtail “bad” home additions that they argue destroy the historic character of the building type. Their accompanying design manual promotes a static image of bungalow streetscapes by ensuring that new additions to bungalows remain invisible to public view along the street (interior renovations remain acceptable).
However, developers engaged in renovating bungalows by adding “pop tops” rebut that they are simply satisfying the expanded space and lifestyle needs of their clients. Bungalow Futures posits a third way in which the character of the bungalow might be preserved even if the typology evolves and mutates. The series rejects the preservation tactics of the #StopThePop campaign, but is both serious and playful in its commitment to preserve the bungalow’s architectural identity as articulated through its facade, floor plan, and ornamental details. The project proposes “other” possibilities, aesthetics, and cultures for Chicago’s beloved bungalows.
#OnceYouPopYouCantStop