CHICAGO | 400 N Lake Shore Drive | 851 FT & 765 FT | 73 & ? FLOORS

[kryptic27]

I don’t remember the building looking this good in real. I think it just looks very stubby. It would’ve looked much nicer if the height was 1.5xed. Hoping the other tower if it ever gets built is taller.

[Halsted & Villagio]

Originally Posted by kryptic27

I don’t remember the building looking this good in real. I think it just looks very stubby. It would’ve looked much nicer if the height was 1.5xed. Hoping the other tower if it ever gets built is taller.

Could be because the crane was likely still up when you saw it. As he explained up front, Nick removed the crane. With some towers, that makes all the difference.

I think it is a beautiful tower and a welcome addition. We can always pick nits about any tower - people are almost never in 100% agreement any tower. What I really like about it is the different dimension it adds to our skyline. It is a shape that we did not have. I have seen it in a few insta shots and was shocked at the visceral reaction that I got -- in a good way. There are photos taken in conjunction with our larger skyline (from people out boating on sunny days) where this tower just pops.

I am in the camp that appreciates it. When tower 2 gets done (fingers crossed) this set of towers will be absolutely sick!

[Toasty Joe]

Source: Barry Butler

[Zapatan]

This building is actually gorgeous, and despite not being tall looks so due to its surroundings (or lack thereof).

It looks better than the renderings IMO.

[cloudbod]

Originally Posted by vexxed82

400_Lake_Shore-WEB-2 by Nick Ulivieri, on Flickr

This might be my favorite angle of this tower. What a shot.

It's true that from very close to the base of the tower, the rolling setbacks compress a bit, making it look more rounded at the top, but that's the case with any tapering tower. From any of the parks around Navy Pier, or especially the lake, it hypnotizes the eye with its form and details.

[IMADreamer]

Flew just north of it on our way into ORD the other day. Admittedly didn't have the best view from the air but I thought it looked great.

[r18tdi]

Surprised you could even see it through all the smoke and haze.

[BVictor1]

Originally Posted by r18tdi

Surprised you could even see it through all the smoke and haze.

07.16.26

[kryptic27]

Can someone explain why the final touches are taking so long? It feels like the building was mostly cladded earlier in March and then it’s been slow putting up the final glass at the top. I just want to see it finished and the leasing to begin in earnest so that we can hopefully proceed to the next tower…

[sentinel]

Originally Posted by kryptic27

Can someone explain why the final touches are taking so long? It feels like the building was mostly cladded earlier in March and then it’s been slow putting up the final glass at the top. I just want to see it finished and the leasing to begin in earnest so that we can hopefully proceed to the next tower…

Building of this massive size are incredibly complex structures, so while the exterior is complete and the tower crane is coming down, there is still a massive amount of interior work that needs to be completed before the building is habitable. That includes mechanical, electrical, plumbing, finishes, etc., all of which need to be complete and essentially certified by the architect and engineers of record as ready for residents to move in (typically called “substantial completion” or even certification for occupancy issued by City inspectors). Oftentimes, for high rise buildings, occupancy can be phased, so that once lower floors are certified as ready to move in, residents/leasees can move into those floors before the rest of the buildings is complete.

[kryptic27]

Originally Posted by sentinel

Building of this massive size are incredibly complex structures, so while the exterior is complete and the tower crane is coming down, there is still a massive amount of interior work that needs to be completed before the building is habitable. That includes mechanical, electrical, plumbing, finishes, etc., all of which need to be complete and essentially certified by the architect and engineers of record as ready for residents to move in (typically called “substantial completion” or even certification for occupancy issued by City inspectors). Oftentimes, for high rise buildings, occupancy can be phased, so that once lower floors are certified as ready to move in, residents/leasees can move into those floors before the rest of the buildings is complete.

I see. Thanks for clarifying. And I guess leasing generally begins when they have some apartments fully readied to show to potential buyers/renters?

[sentinel]

Originally Posted by kryptic27

I see. Thanks for clarifying. And I guess leasing generally begins when they have some apartments fully readied to show to potential buyers/renters?

That's true, but a model unit may be built elsewhere to show potential renters what the inside looks like sometimes before construction of an apartment building starts, in order to get enough pre-leases to obtain financing; or renders help too. Same for new construction condos.

[cloudbod]

Some screenshots of Devodare's video, which was taken on July 10. What a beautiful city.









It's interesting to see the mechanical floors top-down like that. The crown is basically a big truss-framed smokestack.

[NYguy]

https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/capping-north-tower-chicago-waterfront-complete-north-tower-som

[r18tdi]

They must have photoshopped the crane out?

[donnie]

As the boom comes to a close, i for one am grateful for what our beautiful city has built and hope it won't be too long before the next one!

[kryptic27]

Damn, this looks stunning in its final form. Our city just keeps building the most gorgeous buildings.

[cloudbod]

Besides just looking extremely crisp, this building seems like a sure bet in terms of financial stabilization. The design is pretty novel-- bay windows that extrude out past the neighboring units for more panoramic view angles and a ludicrous number of huge terraces.

Google says it's now the tallest building in the world with bay windows-- take it with a grain of salt, but I think that might actually be the case?

But yeah the project is stacked in general. Two immediately abutting green spaces (DuSable park and the planted area to the north along Ogden Slip), a direct ramp onto LSD, a design by a famous late architect, on a site that's been in the news for the last 20 years. I get the feeling that if there's not some huge recession or something, this is gonna be a successful endeavor.

[dropdeaded209]

it is certainly refreshing that the profile is crisp as they integrated all mechanical systems fully within the building envelope--no ungainly mechanical penthouse, just a clean roofline.