In Chicago, One Chicago has won the 2023 International Architecture Award. Led by JDL Development and designed in a collaboration between renowned architecture firms Goettsch Partners (GP) and Hartshorne Plunkard Architect (HPA), the project is a two-tower luxury residential and mixed-use complex with a shared podium. At 971 feet (295.8 meters), the eastern tower is the tallest all-residential building in the city and the 8th tallest overall. The project totals approximately 2,200,000 square feet and includes 812 residential units, 55,000 square feet of office space, parking, and 188,000 square feet of retail.
The distinctive towers are distinguished by five vertical, rectilinear bars that drop off at varying heights as the program mix changes. Generous setbacks allow for a large terrace and create a more slender form as the tower rises. Expressive fins varying in width reinforce the building's verticality, lending a distinct texture to the facades. A residential lobby, amenity spaces, and a large terrace open up to an urban park at the base of the tower.
The 77-story east tower anchors the development's southeast corner at State and Superior streets and contains 276 apartments and 77 condominiums. Set back approximately 45 feet along its eastern side, the tower design creates new open space that provides a buffer from street activity and an amenity for residents, patrons, and the public, including visitors to Holy Name Cathedral across State Street.
"The east tower may be seen as referencing historic Art Deco," said James Goettsch, FAIA, chairman and co-design director of GP. "However, we feel that with the building's refined architectural detailing, emphasis on verticality, and elegant profile on the skyline, the design is clearly contemporary. The setback at the ground level respectively defers to the cathedral while enhancing the pedestrian experience along State Street."
The north tower is 49 stories tall and contains 391 apartments. Anchoring the northwest corner of the development at Chicago and Dearborn streets, the building features, like the east tower, roof terraces formed by the tower setbacks that provide private outdoor living spaces for residents.
The podium is activated with various functions, including 68 apartments, a Whole Foods Market, Life Time fitness centre, office space, event space, and a restaurant. Private residential amenities on the 10th floor extend onto the upper podium roof deck, providing an extensive outdoor amenity in the city's heart and overlooking the expansive pool decks offered by the fitness and wellness center.
To bring circulation off the street and support logistics for the various building functions, all traffic, services, and parking for the development are enclosed and controlled within the podium via a covered auto court, a truck turntable on the ground-floor loading dock, and basement loading areas.
The annual International Architecture Awards is sponsored by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design, together with The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies to recognize excellence in architecture and urbanism from a global perspective. For 2023, a jury of architects and designers from Austria, Germany, Italy and the U.S. selected almost 150 submissions from a shortlist of more than 850 projects. The program pays tribute to new developments in design and underscores the directions and understanding of current cutting-edge processes consistent with today's design thinking.
