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March 28, 2006
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Rendering courtesy Studio Gang
Architects |
Model image © David Seide/ Defined Space |
Chicago-based Studio/Gang/Architects
has released its initial designs for Aqua, an 83-story residential
and hotel tower just south of the Chicago River. The building
will be located in the city's new 28-acre Lakeshore East Development,
south of the Chicago River and east of the Loop.
Firm principal Jeanne Gang created rippling edges in the
concrete-framed structure's facade by using a unique floor
plate for each of its concrete slabs. The unit plans are conventional,
comprising twelve variations enclosed by a glass thermal envelope.
But the undulating exterior spaces, which Gang conceived as
terraces rather than individual balconies, give each apartment
and hotel unit its own outdoor space. Gang's team used a large-scale
model in their studio to identify view corridors and help
sculpt the design.
Loewenberg Architects is the architect of record for the
$300 million project. The developers are Magellan Development
Group and Near North Properties.
The 1.9-million square-foot building will be located a few
hundred yards west of Santiago Calatrava's planned Fordham
Tower, which received planning commission approval earlier
this month. It will also contain a hotel, townhouses, a health
club, conference facilities, and retail. Its two-story podium
will be topped with a green roof.
Drawings for Aqua will soon be submitted for building permits,
with completion expected in 2009. It will be Gang's largest
project to date. Her most noted previous projects have been
the Starlight Theatre in Rockford, Illinois, and the Chinese
American Community Center in Chicago.
Edward Keegan
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