When Miami-based developer Crescent Heights unveiled plans for a 76-story, 829-foot-tall skyscraper with 792 apartments, that building could lay claim to be the tallest in Chicago’s South Loop. This Rafael Viñoly-designed tower is the first of three that Crescent Heights is planning just south of Grant Park, according to Crain’s Chicago Business.
But only few days after Crescent’s plans became public, details surfaced about an even taller 86-story glass residential tower on 1000 S. Michigan Avenue, about a block from Crescent Heights’ proposed skyscrapers.
Last April that high rise’s developer, a joint venture between New York real estate firms JK Equities and Time Equities, paid $10.5 million for the 111-year-old eight-story Lighter Building, which is adjacent to their proposed tower. According to the JV’s application, the Lighter Building will continue to serve as office space. If the city approves 1000 S. Michigan, the joint venture intends to purchase a portion of the site for their tower from its current owner, First American Bank, according to Crain’s.
Architect Helmut Jahn designed this 506-unit tower, to be situated on a little more than an acre, to resemble four stacked boxes on its South façade. The 75-year-old Jahn has used this multi-step design approach before on a 41-story residential high rise in Chicago that was completed in 2008. The new tower proposal calls for condos on its top 60 floors and apartments on 21 floors. A parking garage with 598 slots would be in an 11-story rear extension to the tower.
Including its rooftop terrace, this tower would soar 1,030 feet, making it the Windy City’s fifth-tallest building. However, such claims are always transitory: Studio Gang’s architect Jeanne Gang has proposed a 1,140-foot-tall Vista Residences in Chicago, which would feature a trio of glass towers arranged in a row, with heights of 47, 71, and 93 stories. Gang told Dezeen magazine that she was inspired to mass the buildings by a formation called “frustum,” which resembles a pyramid without a pointy peak.
Helmut Jahn's proposed 506-unit tower. Rendering courtesy Hahn (via Chicagoist)
Jeanne Gang has proposed a 1,140-foot-tall Vista Residences. Rendering courtesy Jeanne Gang
Related Stories
BIM and Information Technology | Feb 8, 2015
BIM for safety: How to use BIM/VDC tools to prevent injuries on the job site
Gilbane, Southland Industries, Tocci, and Turner are among the firms to incorporate advanced 4D BIM safety assessment and planning on projects.
Museums | Feb 6, 2015
Tacoma Art Museum's new wing features sun screens that operate like railroad box car doors
The 16-foot-tall screens, operated by a hand wheel, roll like box car doors across the façade and interlace with a set of fixed screens.
Office Buildings | Feb 6, 2015
6 factors steering workplace design at financial services firms
Grossly underutilized space and a lack of a mobility strategy are among the trends identified by HOK based on its research of 11 top-tier financial services firms.
Cultural Facilities | Feb 6, 2015
Architects look to ‘activate’ vacant block in San Diego with shipping container-based park
A team of alumni from the NewSchool of Architecture and Design in San Diego has taken over a 28,500-sf empty city block in that metro to create what they hope will be a revenue-generating urban park.
Multifamily Housing | Feb 6, 2015
Fannie Mae to offer lower interest rates to LEED-certified multifamily properties
For certified properties, Fannie Mae is now granting a 10 basis point reduction in the interest rate of a multifamily refinance, acquisition, or supplemental mortgage loan.
Airports | Feb 6, 2015
Zaha Hadid-designed terminal in Beijing will be world’s largest
The terminal will accommodate 45 million passengers per year, and will be a hub for both air and rail travel.
Codes and Standards | Feb 6, 2015
Obama executive order requires federal construction projects to consider flood damage caused by climate change
To meet the new standard, builders must build two feet above the currently projected elevation for 100-year floods for most projects.
HVAC | Feb 6, 2015
ASHRAE, REHVA publish guide to chilled beam systems
The guide provides tools and advice for designing, commissioning, and operating chilled-beam systems.
Cultural Facilities | Feb 6, 2015
Under the sea: Manmade island functions as artificial reef
The proposed island would allow visitors to view the enormous faux-reef and its accompanying marine life from the water’s surface to its depths, functioning as an educational center and marine life reserve.
Contractors | Feb 6, 2015
Census Bureau: Capital spending by U.S. businesses increased 4.5%
Of the 19 industry sectors covered in the report, only one had a statistically significant year-to-year decrease in capital spending: the utilities sector.
