Aqua in Chicago, Illinois

myminifactory

Aqua stands tall in The Loop area as a bold architectural statement. Its massive presence makes it seem more like an art installation than a residential building in the heart of the city. The name "Aqua" fits perfectly with the nautical theme prevalent in the Lakeshore East development, which includes The Tides, The Shoreham, and The Regatta. However, Aqua is unique; despite being a standard glass box at its core, it features undulating concrete balconies that resemble ripples or waves. This design pays homage to the building's location near Lake Michigan and the Chicago River. The undulating balconies come with their own set of challenges. Each floor plate in Aqua is unique, which makes construction more complicated than usual. For homeowners, this means not all units are equal; some people might have a balcony as wide as 12 feet, while others will be measuring theirs in inches rather than yards. Initially, Aqua was envisioned as a mix of condominiums and a hotel but due to economic changes, some condo units were converted into apartments. The hotel aspect also faced challenges after Strategic Hotels & Resorts pulled out of the project in October 2008. A decade later, a Radisson Blu opened in the space where the hotel was supposed to be located. Quick Facts * Construction started: 2006 * Completion date: 2010 * Designed by: Loewenberg Architects and Studio/Gang/Architects * Cost: $475 million * Type: Skyscraper * Floors: 82 * Height: 870 feet / 265 meters Statistics * Hotel rooms: 334 * Residences: 718 * Apartments: 474 * Condominiums: 264 * Floor space: 1,900,000 square feet Timeline * September 1, 2006: Groundbreaking. * October 3, 2008: Crain's Chicago Business reported that Strategic Hotels & Resorts has pulled out of its $84 million deal to buy 15 floors of this building to expand the Fairmont Hotel across Columbus Drive. * 2009: Plans to develop the hotel portion of this building were put on hold when the developer's hotel partner backed off its expansion plans. * November 16, 2009: This building was connected to the Chicago pedway system. * May 14, 2010: Carlson Hotels Worldwide bought the hotel portion of this building and announced plans to spend $125 million developing it into the first Raddison Blu in America. * September, 2010: This building was named #22 on Chicago Magazine's list of the Top 40 Buildings in Chicago. * November, 2010: Construction began on the hotel portion of this project. * December, 2011: A Radisson Blu opened in this building's hotel space. Notes * Architect: Jeanne Gang * Architect: Jim Loewenberg * Design architecture firm: Studio Gang Architects * Architect of record: Loewenberg & Associates * Developer: Magellan Development Aqua holds a special place as the tallest building designed by a woman in the United States. The hotel features a massive 20,000 square-foot ballroom. This building formerly used the address 430 East Waterside Drive. The balconies of this building stretch for seven miles with railings along them. The foundation of Aqua rests on 31 main rock caissons drilled 112 feet deep and six feet into a layer of dolomite. These are supplemented by 274 smaller bell caissons sunk into clay. During construction, the areas where the balconies fade away were called "burn zones." Aqua was one of the filming locations for the 2011 movie Transformers 3. Due to the building's unique design, each floor plate is different and each level's concrete pour was distinct.