Goettsch Partners (GP) recently completed 320 South Canal, billed as “Chicago’s healthiest office tower,” according to the architecture firm. Located across the street from Chicago Union Station and close to major expressways, the 51-story tower totals 1,740,000 sf. It includes a conference center, fitness center, restaurant, to-go market, branch bank, and a cocktail lounge in an adjacent structure, as well as parking for 324 cars/electric vehicles and 114 bicycles.
The 2.2-acre site also features The Green at 320, one of the largest privately owned public parks in Chicago.
The project was developed by Riverside Investment & Development with Convexity Properties and built by Clark Construction. The same team also delivered the city’s Bank of America Tower in 2020 and 150 North Riverside office building in 2017. All three 50-story towers are certified or pre-certified LEED Gold, WELL Platinum, and WiredScore Platinum. Together, they total nearly five million sf.
Design strategies at 320 South Canal emphasized improving occupant wellbeing. The tower incorporates innovative technology to maximize occupant health, mitigate risk related to harmful environmental factors, and enhance tenant operational efficiency.
![320 South Canal Street View Looking East (c) Nick Ulivieri Photography](/sites/default/files/inline-images/11_320%20South%20Canal_Street%20View%20Looking%20East%20%28c%29%20Nick%20Ulivieri%20Photography.jpg)
High-rise office features advanced air monitoring, filtration
Features include advanced air monitoring and air filtration systems, bipolar air ionization, fresh air delivery that is six times the national code standard, a tenant engagement app that provides a real-time display of air quality metrics, antimicrobial fixtures, and touchless technology throughout. Occupants also have access to outdoor terraces for fresh air as well as the outdoor spaces and activities provided by The Green.
Designed as a stepped, three-tiered building, 320 South Canal is oriented north-south along the east side of the site. The east face of the building aligns with the property line, reinforcing the urban street wall defined by the historic Union Station headhouse on the adjacent block.
Three setbacks reflect the internal organization of the building, with efficient, column-free floor plates that cater to a variety of tenants. Large terraces at each setback offer outdoor amenity spaces with expansive views of downtown. The building’s subtly folded façade creates a changing texture that reinforces the verticality of the building. At street level, east and west façades express V-shaped structural transfers that open up the ground floor. The resulting effect makes the park an integral part of the building, and the building serves as an extension of the park.
![Aerial of the park, looking northeast. Photo: Nick Ulivieri Photography](/sites/default/files/inline-images/10_320%20South%20Canal_Aerial%20of%20Park%20Looking%20Northeast_%28c%29%20Nick%20Ulivieri%20Photography.jpg)
Early in the planning process, decision-makers chose to make the tower taller with a smaller footprint, allowing most of the site to be dedicated as a park. The 1.5-acre park space is organized around a 10,000 sf oval-shaped lawn. A curved path defines the main pedestrian circulation from the northeast to southwest corners of the site, promoting connections between the station and the evolving West Loop.
In addition to the central lawn, the park includes a variety of smaller spaces that allow for a variety of outdoor activities, both programmed and spontaneous, as well as pop-up retail space at the north side—all set against the backdrop of the iconic Union Station headhouse.
On the project team:
Owner and/or developer: Riverside Investment & Development and Convexity Properties
Design architect: Goettsch Partners
Architect of record: Goettsch Partners
MEP consultant: Environmental Systems Design (ESD)
Structural engineer: Magnusson Klemencic Associates
General contractor/construction manager: Clark Construction
![Illustration of the project's technology, sustainability, and wellness features. Illustration courtesy Goettsch Partners](/sites/default/files/inline-images/17_320%20South%20Canal_Technology%20Sustainability%20and%20Wellness%20Diagram_%28c%29%20Goettsch%20Partners.jpg)
![The park at dusk looking northeast. Photo: Nick Ulivieri Photography](/sites/default/files/inline-images/15_320%20South%20Canal_Park%20at%20Dusk%20Looking%20Northeast_%28c%29%20Nick%20Ulivieri%20Photography.jpg)
![320 South Canal tower looking southwest. Photo: Nick Ulivieri Photography](/sites/default/files/inline-images/02_320%20South%20Canal_Overall%20Looking%20Southwest_%28c%29%20Nick%20Ulivieri%20Photography.jpg)
![Street view looking northwest. Photo: Nick Ulivieri Photography](/sites/default/files/inline-images/06_320%20South%20Canal_Street%20View%20Looking%20Northwest_%28c%29%20Nick%20Ulivieri%20Photography.jpg)
![Lobby detail. Photo: Nick Ulivieri Photography](/sites/default/files/inline-images/08_320%20South%20Canal_Lobby%20Detail_%28c%29%20Nick%20Ulivieri%20Photography.jpg)
![Street view looking west. Photo: Nick Ulivieri Photography](/sites/default/files/inline-images/01_320%20South%20Canal_Street%20View%20Looking%20West_%28c%29%20Nick%20Ulivieri%20Photography.jpg)
Related Stories
Office Buildings | Jun 8, 2021
RMJM Milano wins competition to design Sanko Headquarters in Istanbul, Turkey
The project was selected for its sustainable and innovative features.
Office Buildings | Jun 3, 2021
What's next for workplace design?
Balancing personal space and the need for collaboration.
Digital Twin | May 24, 2021
Digital twin’s value propositions for the built environment, explained
Ernst & Young’s white paper makes its cases for the technology’s myriad benefits.
Office Buildings | May 18, 2021
“The Beam” will be Arizona’s first CLT project
RSP Architects designed the building.
Wood | May 14, 2021
What's next for mass timber design?
An architect who has worked on some of the nation's largest and most significant mass timber construction projects shares his thoughts on the latest design trends and innovations in mass timber.
Office Buildings | Apr 28, 2021
The Salvation Army’s National Headquarters renovation completes
HGA designed the project.
Steel Buildings | Apr 17, 2021
Speed Core wall system is used for the second time in office building in San Jose
The construction method is expected to knock off three months from the project’s schedule.
Office Buildings | Apr 15, 2021
JetBrains St. Petersburg campus to include large, vertically stepped indoor atrium
UNStudio is designing the project.
Office Buildings | Apr 12, 2021
A Fort Myers, Fla., developer finds growth in an office sector that, post COVID, might be catching its second wind
Seagate Development Group has several office projects near completion.
Office Buildings | Apr 7, 2021
Thyssenkrupp’s new HQ will include the tallest elevator test tower in the Western Hemisphere
The facility began construction in August of 2019.