Staying Local: Chicagoan’s New Perspective of the City
Chicago as an Architect
Fionn Hui, raised just miles from Mies Campus, now appreciates the unique Chicago architecture after years of studio courses and study away programs.
Fionn Hui (B.Arch. 4th Year)Chicago is deeply ingrained in the heart of Fionn Hui (B.Arch. 4th Year).
She grew up riding her bike past her home in the Bridgeport neighborhood and around Illinois Tech’s Mies Campus, and she knew that she did not want to leave the city after high school.
When it came to her college selection, the reputation of Illinois Tech’s College of Architecture and its location in the heart of Chicago placed it at the top of Fionn’s list of colleges.
“[I wasn’t sure about Illinois Tech] until I was a part of an afterschool program at the Chicago Architecture Center, and I was able to tour the campus and really get to know about S. R. Crown Hall and the College of Architecture as a whole,” she says.
As she became a student at Illinois Tech, she began to hone her interest in architecture and build new skills. And she began to find a new side of Chicago that is hidden to the casual observer.
“I find myself noticing architectural details within the city that I would have never known about before I started the program. I especially enjoy how the creativity of our studio projects is balanced with real-world situations. It’s satisfying to decipher how our designs can be integrated into reality,” says Fionn.
Fionn has taken full advantage of the opportunities presented to her as an Illinois Tech student. She attended of American Institute of Architecture Students national conference in Washington, D.C., and studied abroad.
“My summer study abroad experience traveling across Northern Europe and learning about its architecture broadened my horizons about the possibilities of architecture. We toured firms and companies that focused on sustainable design, and it was amazing to see the type of work they practiced. After a month and a half of traveling and sketching, I also have the knowledge of many buildings I can reference during my studio projects,” she says.
Sustainable design is core to Fionn’s beliefs of what an architect can, and should, do for their community. “I hope to use my skills to provide better inclusive and sustainable design in the environment. I also hope to invite and welcome voices from marginalized communities into architecture. I want to see architecture as a vehicle that pushes for advocacy through design,” she says.
Fionn wants to explore fields adjacent to architecture, but she appreciates how her professors and the many experts who visited S. R. Crown Hall have provided examples of how there are many paths to being an architect.
“We have held panel events of professionals coming in to talk about their career trajectories, and it’s reassuring to know that not one person has the same method to pursue their interests,” she says.