This quote, by seminal 20th Century Finnish architect, Eliel Saarinen, still holds true at the beginning of this century. And as we put this summer issue together, the quote reminded me of the designers and architects we are featuring in this issue. Whether subconsciously or by intent, they are deeply imbedded in this historical philosophy, as the projects we are bringing to you will prove as you turn the pages of this edition.

Our departments in this issue are a juxtaposition of both the local and international design worlds.

In our "Art Attack" department we sit down with Krueck & Sexton to discuss their new design for the Spertus Institute, then jot across the globe to Milan, where our new correspondent, David Sokol, visits the annual Salone Internazionale Del Mobile furniture fair and introduces us to some of the fresh and surprising ideas put forth by the young designers at the show. Our "What's Next Right Now" column then takes us to the Museum of Science and Industry's newest major exhibition, a bona fide, life-sized sustainable home right on their grounds, designed by the Michelle Kaufmann, a California architect who specializes in modular green homes. The house will be open to the public until January 4, 2009, and I strongly encourage everyone to visit it personally. Many of the designers whose furnishings were used to outfit this home for the future are locals and were relatively unknown until now; this project provides all of us with a great chance to discover some of the most talented and creative artisans we have living and working in this area.

In our features this issue, we balance the old and new as we get an inside look at the adaptive reuse of an iconic Chicago landmark building and a new home that will undoubtedly have architectural 'staying power'. In our "On The Rise" feature, we'll look at Tom Kehoe's unit in the Palmolive Building, which was originally designed by Holabird & Root as its namesake's corporate headquarters, then converted and modernized (in 2005) into contemporary homes by another noted Chicago firm, Booth Hansen Associates. Though a designer in his own right, Tom called in Kathy Taslitz, who has graced our pages in the past, to help him come up with what is undeniably the ultimate bachelor's pad for the go-to-guy in event production and design. He explains why in our story. In our "At Home" feature we get a chance to look at the residence of Avi Lothan, a principal at DeStefano and Partners. He designed it to suit the needs of his young family, and fulfill his aesthetic vision, and it has already proven to be a visionary design that has garnered accolades, including an AIA Design Award last year. For those of you who were not able to attend our 2nd Annual Sweet Sixteen party, you'll get a chance to see what designer Hughes N'Cho-Allepot did with the old nightclub Le Passage, originally created by Billy Dec in the 1990s, and later purchased by Three-headed Productions. Hughes was able to take this space and give it a fresh look for a new Century that honors and fulfills both of its purposes-namely to function as a glamorous club and intimate eatery. Finally, designing a space that blends substance and style for one of the oldest, largest and most adventurous advertising agencies in the world is certainly not an easy task, yet VOA Associates took on just such a project for Leo Burnett when they were asked to update its headquarters here in Chicago. VOA principal Nick Luzietti pulled off a space that fosters creativity while making sure to remember the agency's rich past and prestigious reputation.

And so we salute all of the designers and architects who are a part of our summer issue. We are deeply grateful to them for allowing us to bring the visions they have realized for their clients to a larger context... namely the world of our readers.i4