McCormick Tribune Campus Center
Designed by Rem Koolhaas and OMA, this bold campus building is wrapped in a corrugated steel tube that encases an elevated rail line running directly through the structure, making it one of the more visually striking pieces of contemporary architecture in Chicago. The exterior's industrial textures, exposed materials, and dynamic geometry reward wide to mid-range focal lengths, while a 24-35mm lens works well for capturing the full tube form against the flat campus surroundings. Shoot from across the open plaza to get the building in full context, or move in close to isolate the corrugated cladding and structural details. Overcast days are ideal here because flat light eliminates harsh shadows and lets the tonal range of the steel surfaces come through cleanly. The campus is generally accessible during daytime hours, and the surrounding Mies van der Rohe buildings add strong compositional contrast between modernist minimalism and postmodern boldness. (Chicago, Illinois, United States)
