The St. Regis Chicago, formerly Wanda Vista Tower, is a 101-story, supertall
skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...
in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
.
Construction started in August 2016, and was completed in 2020. Upon completion it became
the city's third-tallest building at ,
surpassing the
Aon Center. It is
the tallest structure in the world designed by a woman. It forms a part of the
Lakeshore East
Lakeshore East is a master-planned mixed use urban development being built by the Magellan Development Group in the Loop community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is located in the northeastern part of the Loop, whic ...
development and overlooks the
Chicago River
The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of Chicago, including its center (the Chicago Loop). Though not especially long, the river is notable because it is one of the reasons for ...
near
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...
.
Designed by architect
Jeanne Gang
Jeanne Gang (born March 19, 1964) is an American architect and the founder and leader of Studio Gang (established in 1997), an architecture and urban design practice with offices in Chicago, New York, and San Francisco. Gang was first widely re ...
and her architectural firm,
Studio Gang Architects
Studio Gang is an American architecture and urban design practice with offices in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Paris. Founded and led by architect Jeanne Gang, the Studio is known for its material research and experimentation, collabora ...
, the St. Regis complements the design of the nearby
Aqua
Aqua is the Latin word for water. It is used in many words which relate to water, such as aquatic life. In English, it may also refer to:
Arts
* Aqua (color), a greenish-blue color
Business
* Aqua (skyscraper), an 82-story residential skysc ...
skyscraper, also designed by Gang, as the two tallest structures in the world designed by a woman. Initially a joint project between
Magellan Development Group and Chinese based
Wanda Group
Wanda Group (), or the Dalian Wanda Group (), is a Chinese multinational conglomerate founded in Dalian, Liaoning and headquartered in Beijing. It is a private property developer and owner of Wanda Cinemas and the Hoyts Group.
With inve ...
, the skyscraper cost nearly $1 billion to construct. Magellan bought the project entirely in 2020, and then partnered with
St. Regis Hotels & Resorts,
[ which will open the hotel portion in 2022.
The structure consists of three interconnected towers, called "stems" with differing heights in a step-like arrangement. The stems are formed from alternating truncated pyramidal shapes called "]frustum
In geometry, a (from the Latin for "morsel"; plural: ''frusta'' or ''frustums'') is the portion of a solid (normally a pyramid or a cone) that lies between two parallel planes cutting this solid. In the case of a pyramid, the base faces are p ...
s", giving each tower an undulating appearance, further accentuated by differing shades of glass in alternating pattern. The composition has been likened to sculptor Constantin Brâncuși
Constantin Brâncuși (; February 19, 1876 – March 16, 1957) was a Romanian Sculpture, sculptor, painter and photographer who made his career in France. Considered one of the most influential sculptors of the 20th-century and a pioneer of ...
's ''Endless Column
Endless or The Endless may refer to:
Business
* Endless (private equity), a British firm
* Endless.com, an e-commerce website selling shoes and accessories
* Endless Computers, an American operating system company
Film
* ''The Endless'' (film ...
''. According to Studio Gang Architects, the tower "presents itself as three interconnected volumes of differing heights, moving rhythmically in and out of plane" as a result of the curvilinear design. The tower topped out in April 2019.
Usage
The project was initially planned to house Wanda's Vista luxury hotel brand, its first in North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
, and include condominium residences. In keeping with the general plan, The St. Regis contains 393 condominium
A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership structure whereby a building is divided into several units that are each separately owned, surrounded by common areas that are jointly owned. The term can be applied to the building or complex ...
residences, and 191 hotel rooms, including 33 suites.
Design
The building's chief architect is Jeanne Gang
Jeanne Gang (born March 19, 1964) is an American architect and the founder and leader of Studio Gang (established in 1997), an architecture and urban design practice with offices in Chicago, New York, and San Francisco. Gang was first widely re ...
, head of Studio Gang Architects
Studio Gang is an American architecture and urban design practice with offices in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Paris. Founded and led by architect Jeanne Gang, the Studio is known for its material research and experimentation, collabora ...
. Chicago based bKL Architecture
bKL Architecture is an architecture practice in Chicago, Illinois, United States, founded in 2010 by Thomas Kerwin with the support of James Loewenberg. Practicing primarily in the United States and China, the office has locations in Chicago, ...
is the project's architect of record
Architect of record is the architect or architecture firm whose name appears on a building permit issued for a specific project on which that architect or firm performed services. Building permits are issued by a government agency with the authorit ...
. The design has three interconnected volumes with differing heights. Totalling a height of 101 stories, the east, middle, and west towers are 47, 71, and 93 stories tall, respectively. Mechanical space occupies the remaining floors. Upon completion, Vista Tower designers are targeting a Silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a
green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating systems for the design, construction ...
(LEED) certification.
The three towers feature a curvilinear design, and are made up of alternating frustums. The towers are clad in 6 different shades of glass. The uppermost segment of the tallest tower contains an unoccupied "blow through" floor to prevent excess swaying in the wind. The design was described as "stacks of tapering, truncated pyramids that alternate between right-side-up and upside-down" by the ''Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
''. The tower has a notably smaller footprint than other supertalls in Chicago; it has a building height-to-core aspect ratio of 40-to-1.
Condominium interiors will be designed by hospitality design firm Hirsch Bedner Associates
Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) is an American international hospitality design firm originally headquartered in Santa Monica, California but now based in Singapore. HBA is the largest hospitality design firm in the world.
History
The partnershi ...
, while the hotel interior will be designed by San Francisco firm Gensler
Gensler is a global design and architecture firm founded in San Francisco, California, in 1965.
In 2021, Gensler generated $1.235 billion in revenue, the most of any architecture firm in the U.S. As of 2021, Gensler operated offices in 49 citi ...
. Philadelphia-based OLIN Olin may refer to:
People
Organizations
* OLIN, American landscape architecture firm
* Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis
* Olin College, an undergraduate engineering college in Massachusetts
* Olin Corporation, a chemical ...
will design the project's green spaces, including the rooftop gardens. The structural engineering of the tower was managed by Magnusson Klemencic Associates
Magnusson Klemencic Associates is an American structural and civil engineering consulting firm with its headquarters in Seattle, Washington. The company has completed projects worth more than $99 billion in 48 states and 54 countries. Significant ...
.
Columns
Unlike most buildings, the building's perimeter columns step inward and outward instead of going directly upwards. Each column projects about 5 inches outward or inward from the one below it. This was chosen over using columns set on a diagonal, which would have sacrificed interior space.
Wind resistance
The tower uses coupled dual-core shear-wall assembly that connects the three buildings for wind resistance. The two outer cores are tied together via a 508-ft-tall reinforced concrete spine, from floors 15 to 51 above the upper street grade. For gravity loads, columns that continue to foundations support a 123-ft-long spine wall. This 2-ft-thick spine transfers wind loads from the middle tower to the cores of the 51-story tower to the east and the 101-story tower to the west.
The building contains uninhabited "blow-through floors" to reduce wind-induced sway. Six tanks
A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine ...
, holding more than of water, counteract the movement of the wind. A "spine wall" in the tower’s midsection links two outer cores, helping the two towers act as one unit. The wall is perforated so doors and hallways go through. A "buttressed core" in the two outer stalks are built out to the outer edge of the building. The outer walls are also perforated, leaving openings for windows.
Reception
Edward Keegan of ''Crain's Chicago Business
''Crain's Chicago Business'' is a weekly business newspaper in Chicago, IL. It is owned by Detroit-based Crain Communications, a privately held publishing company with more than 30 magazines, including ''Advertising Age'', ''Modern Healthcare'' ...
'' praised the design of the building, calling it "second only to Hancock Hancock may refer to:
Places in the United States
* Hancock, Iowa
* Hancock, Maine
* Hancock, Maryland
* Hancock, Massachusetts
* Hancock, Michigan
* Hancock, Minnesota
* Hancock, Missouri
* Hancock, New Hampshire
** Hancock (CDP), New Hampshire
* ...
in the gracefulness in its silhouette" and a "proud and soaring thing". However, he also criticised several engineering choices, notably the execution of the tower's blow-through floors.
See also
*List of tallest buildings in the United States
The world's first skyscraper was built in Chicago in 1885. Since then, the United States has been home to some of the world's tallest skyscrapers. New York City, specifically the borough of Manhattan, notably has the tallest skyline in the cou ...
*List of tallest buildings in Chicago
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
*Architecture of Chicago
The buildings and architecture of Chicago reflect the city's history and multicultural heritage, featuring prominent buildings in a variety of styles. Most structures downtown were destroyed by the Great Chicago Fire in 1871 (an exception being th ...
References
External links
Vista Tower
- Official Website
{{authority control
St. Regis hotels
Buildings and structures under construction in the United States
Residential skyscrapers in Chicago
Skyscraper hotels in Chicago
Condo hotels in the United States
Residential condominiums in Chicago
Studio Gang Architects buildings
Lakeshore East
Buildings and structures completed in 2020