The Chicago Architecture Biennial opened its doors to the public in mid-September. The exhibition highlights the importance of historical material within the field of architecture, looking to the past to shed light on the present.

The second Chicago Architecture Biennial calls on architects to ‘Make New History’. This – grammatically speaking – imperative title of the event lacks an exclamation mark, symbolising the peaceful approach of curators Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee. Fully aware of the mark Chicago has left on the history of architecture over the last 200 years, the Los Angeles-based architectural duo carefully selected 140 architectural practices whose designs demonstrate a strong connection to history. Perhaps this extensive list prompted them to adopt a categorical and modest approach to the event, and to favour scholarly exercises over manifestos. The participants are divided into four categories – Image, Material, Building and Urban Histories –, two major themes – Vertical and Horizontal Cities – and three sections organised by sub-curators. The biennial, which once again uses the labyrinthine halls of the Chicago Cultural Centre in the city centre as its exhibition space, has a pleasant scale without tiring the visitor. The participating architectural practices form an international group, but the preference for contemporary European discourse is too striking to be overlooked.