New Waves Hit Chicago’s Lakefront

Aqua Tower under construction in downtown Chicago

Chicago boasts many great high-rises. In Trump Tower, it is seeing another well regarded tall concrete building take shape, but there has been relatively little activity otherwise. Aqua injects excitement into the mix, partly because it’s tall, but largely because it’s got an unusual exterior that is attractive and functional.

Aqua is a hotel, apartment, and condominium tower located in the 200 block of North Columbus Drive. Like its neighbors and many other Chicago high-rises, Aqua’s structural footprint is rectangular. Seen from a distance, the building will appear similar to them. But as one gets closer to it, the irregular, curving balconies that protrude from its faces impart a dynamic form. The fluid façade is made possible by concrete’s moldability.

The balcony shapes are different at every floor level.

Great design is often great because of its simplicity. Exposing structural concrete is a good step toward simplicity; making concrete the focus and using it as a design element can elevate the design to greatness. Not all the concrete at Aqua is hidden behind a glass curtain wall; some of it spills out to the balcony edges.

Outlines of every floor plan are different. Tribune Critic Kamin says they form giant vertical stacks, recalling geologic formations in nature. These are the balconies, and they are made by loading the specifications for the curving edges into a surveying tripod with a built-in computer. Steel formwork is bent to form the contour. The floors are placed by pumping concrete to each level, and the cantilevered balconies are monolithic with the floor slabs. The balconies extend out as much as 3.7 meters (12 feet) from the glass curtain wall. As a result of the irregular width of the protruding portions, some of the balcony space will be usable and some of it will not.

The project is in more than one respect about stretching the material (concrete) to its limits. Early this year, more than 85 cubic meters (3,000 cubic feet) of concrete were poured monolithically in approximately 8 hours for the mat slab foundation. Columns vary in compressive strength, starting at 83 MPa (12,000 psi) at the lower levels and decreasing to 41 MPa (6,000 psi) at the top. Balconies at all floor levels are all made with 35 MPa (5,000 psi) air-entrained concrete.

Project Architect Mauricio Sanchez of Studio/Gang/Architects notes that their use of concrete does not end at the tower. The grand public outdoor stairs that connect the upper street level with Lake Shore East Park are of sealed exposed concrete with a corrugated texture achieved by using plastic liners. Recently, they are experimenting with polished concrete for some of the podium areas. Polishing or texturizing concrete are simple treatments for creating attractive, durable, low maintenance, and cost effective finishes.

Though in late March 2008 Aqua had reached just 24 of its ultimate 82 stories, it has already been favorably compared to Bertrand Goldberg’s famed Marina City just a short distance away along the Chicago River. Those twin towers, built over 40 years earlier, have regular, repeating curved balconies and Aqua is seen by some as a “hipper version.”

Aqua Tower and one of its more traditional neighbors; a short distance away down the Chicago River, another project with curved concrete balconies, Marina City, nicknamed the “corncob towers.”

About the Architect

In a profession dominated by men in their 60’s, architect Jeanne Gang is unusual for two reasons: she is a woman, and she’s just 44 years old. The head of her own 32-person firm, Studio/Gang/Architects, she’s already become a major player in Chicago’s design community. One of her trademarks is to play creatively with materials, and Aqua Tower is a great example of that.

Case Studies:

Cultural Buildings
Educational Institutions
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Healthcare
Hospitality
ICF Buildings
Luxury Residential
Mixed Use
Office Buildings
Religious Structures
Tilt-Up Buildings

Owner/Developer: Magellan Development Company Architect of Record: Loewenberg and Associates Design Architect: Studio Gang Architects Structural Engineer: Magnusson Klemencic and Associates General Contractor: James McHugh Construction Co.

 
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