community | marquardt + gridwerk

just off the presses…

By: m+gwa

Feb 08 2013

The President of the Society of British Interior Design, Vanessa Brady, recently contacted Tom to participate in an interview and submit an article to Society Magazine for their Design Education issue. Tom was selected because of his 25 years of experience as a design principal and current position as an adjunct professor at Harrington College of Design.

This article and interview, along with others in the issue, are Vanessa’s first steps, while working with the British government, to overhaul design education in the UK. The idea is that these articles will spark national and international conversations on the state of design education and inform future changes.

This issue of Society and Tom’s article are perfectly timed with Tom’s recent acceptance to join the Harrington College of Design Strategic Planning Committee, where he will help shape curriculum and develop a strategic 5 year plan for the school!

click for the full article

PechaKucha!

By: m+gwa

Nov 26 2012

architecture, communication design, community, editorial, print

Tom will be presenting at PechaKucha Chicago Vol 24 on December 4. For those who’ve never been to a PechaKucha night, various presenters talk about a myriad of things, but all talks have one thing in common: 20 images, 20 seconds each. Tom’s talk will be about the influence of pop culture [movies, music, etc] on design and architecture.

Katelyn Smith from our office designed the Vol 24 poster, a mix of stencil, spray paint and digital manipulation.

Be sure to come out to the show, it promises to be a wonderful night!

Dîner en Blanc Official Chicago Launch

By: m+gwa

Aug 14 2012

community, our work, things and stuff

The most sought after SECRET pop up dinner event is officially launching in Chicago on August 24th, with the help of Gridwerk Architecture’s James Wild and m+’s own Lauren Haras. We know it is a bit confusing with another event called Chicago in White happening close to our date, but rest assured that our event is the official Dîner en Blanc Chicago based on the original Paris event. Please read our Press Release for more information!

Dîner en Blanc and Dîner en Blanc International Inc. has grown to include 24 host cities globally. This year, Chicago is pleased to join these prestigious ranks by officially launching this celebrated event in affiliation with the original Dîner en Blanc International and will run in accordance with the high standards put forth by the Dîner en Blanc International Inc. trademark.

In true Dîner en Blanc style, participants will be asked to bring their own tables, chairs, food and drinks. As an added treat, world-renowned Chef Tony Mantuano of Spiaggia will be creating gourmet picnic baskets that may be purchased in advance for the event. In short, a group of 1,000 attendees will have a memorable evening in the heart of Chicago, relaxing with a glass of wine, friends, dinner, dancing and music!

Thought Leadership Roundtable

By: m+gwa

Apr 16 2012

brand strategy, community, editorial

On March 30th, marquardt+ Studio Pinpoint created, assembled and facilitated the first in a series of Thought Leadership Roundtables, to assist in the development of relevant curriculum for Harrington College of Design.

Our first roundtable focused on the changes occurring in the Retail sector and the impact those changes have on retail store design, designer skill sets, branded environments, college curriculum, graphic design, photography, and brand positioning and development.

m+spp not only created the program but spearheaded gathering retail executives from high profile companies. Tom Marquardt of m+ mediated the discussion and Romana Mirza of Studio Pinpoint facilitated, keeping us on task and subject!

Currently, m+spp is writing a white paper about what we learned during our discussion and the trends in retail.

Retail executives included:

Additional participants included:

We would like to thank Jill Olsen, Central Regional Studio Sales of 3Form for sponsoring this event and providing coffee and lunch.

Milwaukee Avenue Green Development Corridor

By: m+gwa

Mar 08 2012

community, sustainability, things and stuff

James Wild of sister firm Gridwerk Architecture is currently participating on the Milwaukee Avenue Green Development Corridor Committee. The committee is investigating ways to help increase sustainability and reduce water management in Logan Square and along the Milwaukee Corridor through a grant from the State of Illinois.

On March 13, at 7:00pm, the committee is hosting a public workshop at the newly completed Hairpin Lofts (2800 North Milwaukee Avenue) to discuss how the grant program works and how you can take part in making green improvements to your property.

Participants will get free consultations from design professionals on the kinds of projects that make sense for their home or business, including green roofs, rain garden, permeable pavers and more!

For more information please check out the Milwaukee Avenue Green Development Corridor Committee event website!

Hoophouse setup – day one

By: m+gwa

Aug 03 2011

community, our work

This is the first day of the prototype set up of the sustainable hoop house Randi and our team at marquardt+ have designed for OAI, Inc and Windy City Harvest. If used properly, this setup can produce food year-round without power and will be constructed of basic, off the shelf components.

The second phase will follow in the next few weeks, and then we are creating an instruction manual for use by urban agriculture farms and community gardening groups.