Instagram story viewer> @tomleestudio> Tagged

Tom Lee

@tomleestudio

1.1K

followers

2849

following

Architecture and interiors studio based in Chicago

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Thank you to @mascontext for inviting us to participate in Common Chicago, a part of the sixth edition of the @chicagoarchitecturebiennial. We are honored to be a part of an exhibition that features so many friends and Chicago practices we admire.

Team: Tom Lee, Connor Kramer, Kamil Krol/Highrise Workshop

…
Rearscape: The Chicago Rear Setback Reconsidered

In Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 film Rear Window, perceived narratives unfold within a collective courtyard that
acts as a fragmented social stage—lives observed but not interconnected. Drawing from this cinematic framing, our project interrogates the Chicago rear setback as a spatial and social construct, redefining it as an intentional collective space.

Chicago’s rear yards, established by zoning ordinance and building code, are among the city’s most
equitable spatial typologies. Regardless of neighborhood or income level, every block shares a version of this hidden landscape—less polished than the street-facing facades but as authentic as they are ordinary. While the front projects a desired image and shields private life from public view, the rear reveals genuine everyday life within a resultant shared space. These typically modest, vernacular spaces are inherently communal, intimate, and unpretentious, yet are too often regarded as utilitarian afterthoughts.

Our exploration begins with the ubiquitous rear porch, long treated as mere circulation rather than a stage
for shared life. Subtly reimagined, the porch becomes a spatial threshold—drawing neighbors into layered
vertical connections and narratives through framed views and moderated privacy. This reframing, in turn,
provokes a reconsideration of the garage, the quiet ground-plane organizer of alleys and backyards across the city. Envisioned as an infrastructural anchor, the garage could host gathering spaces, gardens, pools, playgrounds, or even small theaters—communal amenities shared among next-door neighbors.

112

4

Excited to announce our new office space and venture into the culinary arts! We will continue to provide architectural services but from the alley side. Ask about our daily food and architectural specials. Come visit and tell your friends!

#carryout #tomlee #gotcha

98

13