Canopy/Architecture + Design, Chicago Architecture Biennial and OPEN Center for the Arts present THE BLOCK HOUSE exhibition at a time when Chicago is facing a housing crisis due to a lack of diversity in affordable housing options, resulting in development that is increasing inequity and segregation across the city. As housing prices rise across neighborhoods in Chicago, more and more people join wait lists for affordable units, many with wait times of up to twenty-five years.

THE BLOCK HOUSE aims to uncover what affordable housing means in Chicago, who it disproportionally affects, why the concentration of poverty amplifies this issue, and how we can respond to the challenge. Through education and empathetic dialogue, we endeavor to share relevant information and build consensus among Chicago residents, key participants in the affordable development process, and officials within government.  Only through common ground and understanding can we begin to re-shape the affordable housing landscape into a more coherent and manageable effort, and shed light on the complexities of this crisis and possible solutions.

Exhibition is on view October 18^th – November 18^th at OPEN Center for the Arts

About Canopy Architecture + Design, LLC
canopy-chicago.com

Canopy is a social-impact architecture and design firm based in Chicago. Founded in 2009 on the principal that good design can be achieved in any context, Canopy’s projects range from housing to environmental and community-driven projects. Their philosophy is encapsulated in their name – Canopy. Similar to the canopy of a tree, comprised of multiple parts that collectively serve as one, Canopy fiercely believes that each individual involved in a project – the owner, end user, architect, contractor, etc. – serves as a pivotal component to the whole. The firm’s footings are found in this collective mentality, one that seeks to blend research with creativity, resources with climate, budget with value, and function with beauty.

About Chicago Architecture Biennial                                
chicagoarchitecturebiennial.org

The Chicago Architecture Biennial is committed to providing a platform to unite the global vanguard of architectural thought and practice with the city of Chicago’s unique legacy of architectural innovation. In addition to its biennial constellation of exhibitions, full-scale installations, programming, and educational initiatives, the organization stewards and promotes an ongoing dialogue on architecture in and around the city. Each edition of the Chicago Architecture Biennial takes as its core a theme that addresses the most compelling issues in contemporary architectural practice. Designed to deepen and expand the conversation on architecture and the built environment with field leaders and everyday citizens, the Chicago Architecture Biennial is a platform created to further our understanding globally and locally of the way we organize society through the exploration of the built environment. The Biennial seeks to envision a future of architecture that is, first and foremost, shared, inclusive, diverse, sustainable, and equitable.

About OPEN Center for the Arts
opencenterforthearts.org

OPEN is an organization that seeks to promote culture by serving as a bridge between artists and the community in the city of Chicago. We achieve this through the organization of cultural events and workshops for children, adolescents and adults. We seek to bring different artistic expressions to the community and in this way contribute to a better social and cultural environment for new generations to come.

Press Contacts:

Nora Catlin – 312.763.8005, ncatlin@canopy-chicago.com

Fernando Aburto – 773.396.7202, fernado.aburto@opencenterforthearts.org