There is Room

“There is Room” is a lecture presented by Lap Chi Kwong and Alison Von Glinow, co-founders of Chicago-based architecture practice Kwong Von Glinow. The lecture will showcase Kwong Von Glinow’s ongoing and completed housing and institutional projects.

The phrase “There is Room” implies a few interpretations. It sounds optimistic, ambiguous, and that perhaps something is not completely finished. The word room can also speak to various scales - the city, the building, and a room itself. We see that “there is room” to build - physically, “there is room” to work with existing building types, and “there is room” for design appetite. “There is Room” is our optimistic attitude toward design.

The city has room for design innovation.

The building has room to reevaluate how to accommodate contemporary lifestyles and values.

The room has the possibility to enhance everyday life.

Kwong Von Glinow is an architecture studio based in Chicago founded by Lap Chi Kwong and Alison Von Glinow. The firm draws on familiar architectural elements to create designs that are innovative yet accessible, blending forward-thinking concepts with familiar and identifiable forms. Their optimistic and exploratory approach focuses on designing inventive living spaces, cultural venues, urban public areas, and contemporary workplaces. Since its founding in 2017, the studio has delivered a wide range of projects, including single-family homes, multi-family residences, cultural and public spaces, exhibitions, and designed objects.

Notable current projects include the renovation and expansion of a 18,000-square-foot Howard Van Doren Shaw home in Highland Park, IL, updated for art collectors; a rooftop gallery addition to a historic Chicago greystone; a three-flat with a commercial storefront in Chicago; a 10-car garage for a countryside estate; and, a masterplan for multi-family and senior housing for the Chinese American Service League in Bridgeport, Chicago. Recently completed works include Ardmore House, the Swiss Consulate Chicago, School of the Art Institute of Chicago Flaxman Library renovation, and Rice University Architecture school’s renovation of Anderson Hall.

Lap Chi Kwong holds a Master of Architecture from Harvard Graduate School of Design and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington. Before founding the firm, he worked with Pritzker Prize-winning studios such as Herzog & de Meuron and Amateur Architecture Studio, contributing to projects like the M+ Museum in Hong Kong, the Vancouver Art Gallery, and the Kramlich Residence & Gallery in California. Originally from Hong Kong, Lap Chi later moved to Seattle for his undergraduate studies.

Alison Von Glinow also earned a Master of Architecture from Harvard Graduate School of Design, with a bachelor’s degree from Barnard College. She gained experience at globally recognized firms, including Herzog & de Meuron in Basel, Switzerland; SOM in Chicago and New York; Toshiko Mori Architect in New York; and Svendborg Architects in Copenhagen, Denmark. Alison is a licensed architect in Illinois.

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