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. 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.

Architect: STUDIO GANG ARCHITECTS
Architect of Record: Loewenberg & Associates
Owner: Magellan Development
Program: Hotel and Residential High-rise with retail and commercial spaces
Size: 1.9 m SF including parking, 823 feet high
Completion: Summer 2009, currently under construction

Published/Exhibited:
2008 Mar 23, Chicago Tribune "Gang's turf is secure"
2008 Mar 21, Chicago Tribune, The Skyline (blog)
2008 Feb, World Architecture News.com
2008 Jan, Density Projects: 36 New Concepts on Collective Housing
2007-2008 Fall/Winter, CS Interiors
2007 Sept/Oct, Residential Architect
2007 June, Azure magazine
2007 May, O-The Oprah Magazine
2007 April, Civil Engineering
2007 Jan, Chicago Tribune
2007 Jan, Concrete Products
2006 Dec, Conscious Choice
2006 Nov, Chicago Tribune
2006 Oct, New Homes
2006 Oct, San Francisco Chronicle
2006 Oct, ENR
2006 Oct, Architect Magazine
2006 Fall Issue, Currents at Lakeshore East
2006 Fall Issue, i4design
2006 June, The New York Times
2006 02138 Magazine, premiere issue
2006 May, Focus
2006 May, Chicago Reader
2006 May, Architectural Record
2006 May, Casamica
2006 April, Interior Global News Update
2006 April, Chicagoland Avenues
2006 April, Building Design and Construction
2006 March, Chicago Tribune
2006 3360 IIT College of Architecture News
2006 March, Business Week online
2006 March, KHL Group
2006 March, Baumeister, BauNetz fur Architekten
2005 Dec, Focus
2005 Oct, Crain’s Chicago Business