Alison Von Glinow recently moved back to Lake Forest and started Kwong Von Glinow Design Office with her husband. The firm was recently awarded the 2016 Chicago Prize by the Chicago Architectural Club.
Q. You grew up in Lake Forest?
A. I went to Forest Bluff School, Deer Path (Middle School) and Lake Forest Academy.
Q. When did you return to Lake Forest?
A. December 2016.
Q. What had you been doing professionally before returning?
A. We had worked for a combined seven years in Switzerland.
Q. Why did you decide to return to Lake Forest?
A. We were excited to bring back the architecture we were studying and learning in New York and Switzerland and Japan. We thought Lake Forest would be a welcome place to receive some new architecture.
Q. Do you think Lake Forest will be receptive to new architecture?
A. When Frank Lloyd Wright homes were built (in the North Shore) they were quite radical. There’s a beautiful mix between all these different architectural periods that can happen.
Q. Your firm recently won an award from the Chicago Architectural Club. What was the challenge posed?
A. It was focusing on Lake Shore Drive and how some new piece of architecture can bring a connection between the lake and city.
Q. You and your husband designed viewing towers on the median of Lake Shore Drive. How did you come up with that idea?
A. We were trying to figure out the missed opportunity of Lake Shore Drive. The difficult part was how to make this work realistically. Cars are moving really fast on either side.
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