Located twenty miles outside of Chicago, the 650-square-foot store is wedged within an existing 1,000-square-foot commercial interior. The rectangular store is inspired by the demountable house designed and fabricated by Jean Prouvé in the 1940s. In addition to its reconfigurable module—approximately 78 in x 78 in—and reclaimed wood cladding, the store utilizes a 6 in x 6 in x 3 in glass block as an infill wall material to create a false sense of depth between shelving surfaces and demising walls. First seen at Chicago’s 1893 Columbian Exposition, the use of glass block further connects the store to a legacy of Midwest innovation and material ingenuity.
Client
Buck Mason
Location
405 Oakbrook Center, Oakbrook, Illinois, USA
Years
2023-2024
Area
650 ft² / 60 m²
Project Team
Thomas Kelley, Spencer McNeil, Evan Ortiz
Consultant Team
Structure: Goodfriend Magruder; MEP: Calor
Construction Team
Ostrander
Photography
Reid Rolls