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 | Oct 8, 2020
New Florida office property is designed for a post-Covid-19 world
Chesterfield is developing the project.
Office Buildings | Sep 15, 2020
REI sells new, unused HQ to Facebook
Site developer Wright Runstad & Company and Shorenstein Properties also purchased an undeveloped 2-acre portion of the property.
Office Buildings | Sep 4, 2020
The office building of the future should be an essential part of its community
When the dust settles, the office is going to look and feel like a different place than the one we left in March.
Giants 400 | Aug 28, 2020
2020 Giants 400 Report: Ranking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms
The 2020 Giants 400 Report features more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Coronavirus | Aug 25, 2020
Video: 5 building sectors to watch amid COVID-19
RCLCO's Brad Hunter reveals the winners and non-winners of the U.S. real estate market during the coronavirus pandemic.
Coronavirus | Jul 20, 2020
Student housing amid the pandemic, infection control in buildings, and future airport design on "The Weekly"
Experts from Core Spaces, Bala Consulting Engineers, and Populous were interviewed in the July 23 streaming program from Horizon TV.
Coronavirus | Jul 10, 2020
HOK, Cushman & Wakefield, and HMC Architects hold sway on July 16 "The Weekly"
“The Weekly,” a new streaming program for the commercial design and construction industry, to feature experts from HOK, Cushman & Wakefield, and HMC Architects. Tune in July 16 for insight on social media and interior design, the future of the workplace, and healthcare design after COVID-19.
Office Buildings | Jul 9, 2020
Sydney will be home to the world’s tallest hybrid timber tower
SHoP Architects, in collaboration with BVN, is designing the project.
Office Buildings | Jun 25, 2020
New HQ for Chinese tech supplier will feature gardens on every floor
NBBJ’s spiral design maximizes worker exposure to the green spaces.