Aqua (skyscraper)

Aqua is an 82-story mixed-use residential skyscraper in the Lakeshore East development in downtown Chicago, Illinois.[5] Designed by a team led by Jeanne Gang of Studio Gang Architects, with James Loewenberg of Loewenberg & Associates as the Architect of Record, it includes five levels of parking below ground. The building's eighty-story, 140,000 sq ft (13,000 m2) base is topped by a 82,550 sq ft (7,669 m2) terrace with gardens, gazebos, pools, hot tubs, a walking/running track and a fire pit. Each floor covers approximately 16,000 sq ft (1,500 m2).[6]

This article is about a skyscraper in Chicago. For a skyscraper in Valencia, see Aqua Multiespacio.
Aqua
Location within Chicago metropolitan area
Aqua (skyscraper) (Illinois)
Aqua (skyscraper) (the United States)
General information
StatusComplete
TypeHotel
Residential
Retail
Office
Architectural styleContemporary architecture
LocationChicago, Illinois Google Maps Location
Address225 N. Columbus Drive
Coordinates41°53′11″N 87°37′12″W
Construction started2007
Completed2009
CostUS$300 million
OwnerAqua Realty Holdings LLC
Height261.8 m (859 ft)
Technical details
Floor count82
5 below ground
Floor area1,990,635 sq ft (184,936.0 m2)
Lifts/elevators24
Design and construction
ArchitectDesign: Jeanne Gang of Studio Gang Architects; Architect of Record: James Loewenberg of Loewenberg & Assoc.
DeveloperMagellan Development Group
Structural engineerMagnusson Klemencic Associates
Main contractorJames McHugh Construction Co
Other information
Number of units747: Apartments
334: Hotel
References
[1][2][3][4]

Aqua was awarded the Emporis Skyscraper Award as 2009 skyscraper of the year,[7] and was shortlisted in 2010 for the biennial International Highrise Award.[8] In celebration of the 2018 Illinois Bicentennial, Aqua was selected as one of the Illinois 200 Great Places[9] by the American Institute of Architects Illinois component (AIA Illinois) and was recognized by USA Today Travel magazine as one of AIA Illinois' selections for Illinois 25 Must See Places. It has been compared to 8 Spruce Street in New York City.[10]

When it was completed, the skyscraper was the world's tallest building designed by a woman. It was surpassed in 2020 by the nearby St. Regis, also located in Chicago and designed by Studio Gang Architects.

Architect

Aqua was designed by Studio Gang Architects, led by firm principal and founder, Jeanne Gang, and it was the firm's first skyscraper project.[11] The project was the largest ever awarded to an American firm headed by a woman.[12] Loewenberg & Associates are the architects of record, led by James Loewenberg.[13]

Design

The Aqua Tower is located at 225 North Columbus Drive, and is surrounded by high-rises. To capture views of nearby landmarks for Aqua's residents, Gang stretched its balconies outward by as much as 12 ft (3.7 m).[14] The result is a building composed of irregularly shaped concrete floor slabs which lend the facade an undulating, sculptural quality.[2][15] Gang cites the striated limestone outcroppings that are a common topographic feature of the Great Lakes region as inspiration for these slabs.[16]

The building contains 55,000 sq ft (5,100 m2) of retail and office space, in addition to 215 hotel rooms (floors 1-18), 476 rental residential units (floors 19-52), and 263 condominium units & penthouses (floors 53-81).[16] Aqua is the first downtown building to combine condos, apartments and a hotel. Strategic Hotels & Resorts had agreed to acquire the first 15 floors of hotel space upon completion of the building, but terminated its $84 million contract for the space in August 2008, citing significant changes in the economic environment.[17]

Carlson announced May 12, 2010, that it agreed to spend $125 million to open the first Radisson Blu hotel in the United States (Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel) on 18 vacant floors of the highrise.[18] The 334-room hotel opened on November 1, 2011.[19] The building was designed by the lead architect of Studio Gang Architects, Jeanne Gang.[20]

The name 'Aqua' was assigned to the building by Magellan Development Group LLC. It fits the nautical theme of the other buildings in the Lake Shore East development, and is derived from the wave-like forms of the balconies; the tower's proximity to nearby Lake Michigan also influenced the name.[2] Concrete Superintendent Paul Treacy, was nominated as one of Engineering News-Record's (ENR) top 25 news makers of 2008 for the design and implementation of the exterior formwork to mold the undulating façade of the Aqua.[21]

Sustainability was an important factor in Aqua's design. Gang and her team refined the terrace extensions to maximize solar shading, and other sustainable features include a water-efficient irrigation system and energy-efficient lighting. The green roof on top of the tower base is one of the largest in Chicago. The tower is certified LEED-NC.[22][23]

  • The facade departs dramatically from the surrounding modernist high-rises
  • From the southeast
  • Aqua's southern facade

See also

References
  1. "Aqua". CTBUH Skyscraper Center.
  2. Aqua at Emporis
  3. "Aqua". SkyscraperPage.
  4. Aqua at Structurae
  5. Diesenhouse, Susan (28 February 2007). "Work to begin on Aqua tower". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2014-12-18.
  6. "Aqua Tower Tour". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. 17 December 2008. Retrieved 2014-12-18.
  7. Lutz, BJ (24 September 2010). "Aqua Named 2009 Skyscraper of the Year". NBC Chicago News. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  8. "The Met High-rise apartment building wins International Highrise Award 2010" (PDF) (Press release). German Architecture Museum. 2010-11-14. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-12-19. Retrieved 2014-12-18. Commendation certificates were awarded to the 262-meter high-rise apartment building Aqua Tower (Chicago) by Studio Flores (Chicago)…
  9. Waldinger, Mike (January 30, 2018). "The proud history of architecture in Illinois". Springfield Business Journal. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  10. "25 Must See Buildings in Illinois". USA Today. August 9, 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  11. King, John (10 October 2006). "Visionary architect fuses imagination, common sense". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-08-04.
  12. Becker, Lynn (4 May 2006). "The Third School". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2014-12-18.
  13. Novak, Lawrence (2010). "Case Studies: Concrete Mixed Use Buildings: Aqua Tower, Chicago, Illinois". Portland Cement Association. Archived from the original on February 13, 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  14. "Architecture Jobs Metro News". World Architecture News. 10 February 2008. Retrieved 2014-12-18.
  15. "Studio Gang Architects design Aqua Tower in Chicago". World Architecture News. 5 February 2008. Retrieved 2014-12-18.
  16. Sharoff, Robert (4 June 2006). "How a Park Changed a Chicago Neighborhood". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
  17. "Strategic Hotels & Resorts, Inc. Acquiring 15 floors of the Aqua Building in Chicago for $82.4 million; Space to be Completed as 200 Hotel Rooms and 20,000 square foot Ballroom". Hotel Online (Press release). Strategic Hotels & Resorts, Inc. 28 September 2006. Archived from the original on 8 July 2008. Retrieved 2014-12-18.
  18. "Carlson announces the U.S. debut of Radisson Blu with Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, Chicago on 11.1.11" (Press release). Carlson. 22 September 2011. Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 2014-12-18.
  19. "Al Faisal Holding adds to hotel portfolio". www.artic.com.qa. Retrieved 2017-02-01.
  20. "Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel". www.alfaisalholding.com. Retrieved 2017-02-01.
  21. Van Hampton, Tudor (7 January 2009). "Former Bartender Pours a Cutting-edge, Concrete Cocktail for Hip, New Skyscraper". Engineering News-Record. Retrieved 2014-12-18.
  22. Stephens, Suzanne. "Curves Over Chicago: Aqua, a new 82-story residential tower and hotel near Lake Michigan, adds a new dynamism to the city's skyline". GreenSource Magazine. Archived from the original on 2015-01-24. Retrieved 2014-12-18. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  23. "Aqua Tower". studiogang.com. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
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