Studio Gang Architects | Aqua Tower

Aqua Tower

A Vertical Topography Shaped by the Forces of the City

Location

Chicago / USA

Architect

Studio Gang Architects

Architect of Record

Loewenberg Architects

Owner

Magellan Development LLC

Status

Completed 2010

At 82 stories and over 1.9 million sf, Aqua Tower is one of few high-rises in the world that creates a community on its façade. With a hotel, apartments, condominiums, parking, offices, and one of Chicago’s largest green roofs, this multi-use tower demonstrates both architectural and technical achievements. Its outdoor terraces—which differ in shape from floor to floor based on criteria such as views, solar shading and dwelling size/type—create a strong connection to the outdoors and the city, as well as form the tower’s distinctive undulating appearance.

Awards

2010 International Highrise Award Finalist, Deutsches Architekturmuseum

2010 Honor Award, Distinguished Building, AIA Chicago

2009 Skyscraper of the Year, Emporis

2009 Annual Design Review Honorable Mention, Architect Magazine

2009 “Proggy” Award, PETA

2008 American Architecture Award, Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture & Design

Selected Publications

2011 Feb 15, Cityscapes
"Gehry's 8 Spruce Street isn't pursuing LEED certification; Gang's Aqua is"

2011 Jan, Casabella
"Schermo Liquido"

2010 Nov 19, Esquire
“The Best of 2010”

2010 Nov/Dec, Chicago Architect
"Staggering Achievements: 2010 Design Excellence Awards"

2010 Fall, CS Interiors
"He's Got Frame"

2010 Oct 29, Cityscapes
"Aqua leads parade of 2010 Design Excellence Award winners"

2010 Oct, Chicago Magazine
"Top 40 Buildings in Chicago"

2010 Sept, Elle Decor
"ELLE DECOR Goes to Chicago"

2010 May, Architectural Record
"Ahead of the Curve"

2010 April, The Plan
“Aqua Tower – Chicago, USA”

2010 Feb 1, The New Yorker
“Wave Effect: Jeanne Gang and Architecture’s Anti-Divas”

2010 Jan/Feb, GreenSource
“Curves Over Chicago: Aqua Tower Makes Waves in the Windy City”

2010 Jan 17, LA Times
“Jeanne Gang Brings Feminine Touch to Chicago’s Muscled Skyline”

2009 Nov 23, Fast Company
“Chicks With Bricks: The World’s Tallest Female-Designed Skyscraper”

2009 Nov 8, Chicago Tribune
“Waves of Creativity”

2009 Oct 20, The Guardian
“Aqua Tower: The Tower That Jeanne Gang Built”

2009 10X10/3: 100 Architects, 10 Critics (Phaidon)

2009 July, British Airways High Life
“The Only Way is Up”

2008 Skyscrapers: A History of the World’s Most Extraordinary Buildings (Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers)

2008 City by Design: Chicago (Panache Partners)

2008 June, Metropolis
“Jeanne Gang: The Art of Nesting”

2008 Density Projects: 36 New Concepts on Collective Housing (A+T Publishers)

2007 June, Azure
“High Definition”

2006 Oct, 02138 Magazine
“Gang Mentality”