New Chicago Skyscraper : Architecture Information

AQUA TOWER Address: Chicago USA Architect: Studio Gang Architects Completion: Summer 2009 images : David Seide Project Description: In an increasingly dense city like Chicago, views from a new tower must be negotiated between existing buildings. Aqua tower considers criteria such as views, solar shading and function to derive a vertical system of contours that gives the structure its sculptural form. Its vertical topography is defined by its outdoor terraces that gradually change in plan over the length of the tower. picture : David Seide / SGA These terraces offer a strong connection to the outdoors and allow inhabitants to occupy the building façade and city simultaneously. The result is a highly sculptural building when viewed obliquely that transforms into a slender rectangle from further away. Its powerful form suggests the limestone outcroppings and geologic forces that shaped the great lakes region. pictures : SGA Aqua Tower Chicago images / text from Studio Gang Architects 080808