CHICAGO | Aqua | 858 FT / 262 M | 87 FLOORS

[EarlyBuyer]

Update released by Magellan 10/27/09:

"...Construction is moving along at a brisk pace this fall at Aqua. We now have Certificate of Occupancy through floor 62. In addition, we have started drywall on floor 80 with floor 81 to follow shortly. Closings have occured through the 60th floor at this time..."

[jc5680]

[EarlyBuyer]

The Columbus/Fairbanks Sentry.

Great Shot jc!

[Dac150]

Originally Posted by sentinel

That's a very ignorant thing to say, especially coming from you Dac - why is it that every cool/interesting/unique building in this country HAS to belong to one of the coasts? 'Cause we're just a bunch of hillbillies here in the Great lakes area, who can't appreciate high visual art - it is very much at home in Chicago. btw, that 'Top' picture Harry is pretty damn awesome!

...and I'll just leave it at that...

[Ordo_]

Originally Posted by Aleks

I really doubt he meant that. Really really doubt. Plus how is that ignorant? And New York also has a building that has waves and is completely covered in stainless steel. Which is even more uncommon than Aqua's facade.

I agree with him though. Chicago could've had a much better building. It looks really nice from the side and from some angles from the bottom. I feel like the waves could've been better. And yeah, it does feel like it belongs in Miami. I guess it's because the waves looks very cheap, like they just painted over the concrete and that's it.

And don't the 'waves' on the Beekman also serve a purpose? Sure they're decorative but it's the same with this building. Aqua a just a box with wave balconies. The floorplates on Beekman follow the form of the waves so in one way or another it adds space and difference from one apt to the other. Plus I don't think stainless steel is pretty popular in tropical places. White balconies and green glass on the other hand...

I think Dac is completely wrong.

Comparing Aqua to Beekman because they have "waves" is very superficial. Beekman's "waves" dont encompass the whole building, are very minimal to what Aqua's are, and serve no functional purpose in solar shading or anything else. Aqua doesn't generate as much of the trite, whimsical feeling Beekman gives.

The waves don't look cheap at all in person...there is more than enough cheap concrete in Chicago and this is clearly not an example of it. Very little about this building says "Miami." Aqua is distinctly and characteristically Chicago for the precise reason that it maintains a strong box core and is visually dynamic but not to the point of trite whimsicality or simple lack of effort. Aqua is not just balconies; there are a lot of cool things going on with the glass and facade as well. In addition, Aqua is really a 1st class development, drastically improving its neighborhood.

Calling Aqua "just a box with wave balconies" really is a humorous oversimplification.

[wrab]

A few from 10/31:

[Dac150]

It’s amazing that such a nonchalant comment has caused such immature and defensive behavior. Some of you really need to tone it down and put things in perspective; I mean what did I really say to cause such uproar?

I do think that this building is out of place, and I do think that this building would be better suited on the coast of a Floridian city. That doesn’t mean that I dislike the building or have a perception that people who live west of the Appalachian’s are ‘hillbillies’.

Grow up!

[Nowhereman1280]

This building is getting progressively more exciting to view at night as people move in. The lights on in people's apartments create a really interesting effect at night as there are patches of lights on the undersides of the balconies. Also, people have already begun to "Marina Cityize" this building by adding those wonderful personalized touches to their balconies such as colored Christmas Tree lights; I've already seen 3 or 4 balconies adorned as such. Someone should take some pictures of these effects.

[viewguysf]

Originally Posted by Dac150

It’s amazing that such a nonchalant comment has caused such immature and defensive behavior. Some of you really need to tone it down and put things in perspective; I mean what did I really say to cause such uproar?

I do think that this building is out of place, and I do think that this building would be better suited on the coast of a Floridian city. That doesn’t mean that I dislike the building or have a perception that people who live west of the Appalachian’s are ‘hillbillies’.

Grow up!

I just returned home after a week in Chicago. After all of the great pics in this thread over an extended period of time, I found Aqua to be quite underwhelming. It doesn't stand out or add much to the skyline in comparison to other new structures on the scene. I can definitely see how it unified the neighborhood though as far as access and view go. The park next to it was stunning in its fall colors and the entire area is a gem now.

[new.slang]

i think the building is great in chicago but i understand where dac is coming from. The color, the balconies (meaning how pretty much every miami condo has balconies), and because of the waves you think of the beach which makes you think of florida.

[new.slang]

Originally Posted by Nowhereman1280

This building is getting progressively more exciting to view at night as people move in. The lights on in people's apartments create a really interesting effect at night as there are patches of lights on the undersides of the balconies. Also, people have already begun to "Marina Cityize" this building by adding those wonderful personalized touches to their balconies such as colored Christmas Tree lights; I've already seen 3 or 4 balconies adorned as such. Someone should take some pictures of these effects.

Already????

[wrab]

Originally Posted by Aleks

.....Chicago could've had a much better building. It looks really nice from the side and from some angles from the bottom. I feel like the waves could've been better. And yeah, it does feel like it belongs in Miami. I guess it's because the waves looks very cheap, like they just painted over the concrete and that's it.....Aqua a just a box with wave balconies....

Originally Posted by Dac150

Cool building; though it seems it would be more of home in Miami.

Originally Posted by Aleks

Oh I'm not doubting the reason behind waves (well, I kind of am) but I'm just saying that the quality could've been better. I mean, they could've made the building look better (if you're one of the few who don't think it came if at its best) and still keep good quality. I was super duper excited for this project when it first came out but as time went my love for it fainted away and it slowly was gained by Beekman.....

Originally Posted by new.slang

i think the building is great in chicago but i understand where dac is coming from. The color, the balconies (meaning how pretty much every miami condo has balconies), and because of the waves you think of the beach which makes you think of florida.

Wow, once these memes take, they really take! But you all have a point - the developer of this tower (and the rest of the Lake Shore East complex) - Lowenberg - is a notorious skinflint. He specializes in enormous concrete slabs - he doesn't do "high end" and painted concrete is second nature to him. This is where a lot of you are getting these Miami vibes from.

Such buildings are legion in Chicago, especially North of downtown along the lakefront - mile after mile of white concrete.

But, to his credit, Lowenberg brought Studio/GANG in for Aqua's design front. What has a lot of people really excited about S/G and Aqua is that Gang took these constraints and ran with them. Gang has gotten an awful lot from very little here.

[Dac150]

It’s not a bad looking building by any stretch of the imagination, but when I see it intertwined into the city like the pic shows in post #5303; I can’t help but think it’s a tad out of place. Perhaps over time it will age well into the fabric of the city and blend, but right now if I were to live there and walk out onto the balcony I would expect to see the Gulf of Mexico and not the AON Center.

[Ordo_]

Originally Posted by viewguysf

It doesn't stand out or add much to the skyline in comparison to other new structures on the scene.

Its not supposed to. An 800 ft building in Chicago doesn't necessarily pop out of the skyline.

Gang has repeatedly stated that she didn't want a building to take over the skyline. Its supposed to fit in and blend. I know this is a unique concept in the age of headline supertalls, but buildings should be contextual. It doesn't have to dominate everything around it to be "important"

[Ch.G, Ch.G]

Originally Posted by Dac150

It’s not a bad looking building by any stretch of the imagination, but when I see it intertwined into the city like the pic shows in post #5303; I can’t help but think it’s a tad out of place.

Really? You mean this picture? In which it looks like a typical Miesian box with very little hint of the balconies' aquatic effect?

Originally Posted by jc5680

Originally Posted by Dac150

Perhaps over time it will age well into the fabric of the city and blend, but right now if I were to live there and walk out onto the balcony I would expect to see the Gulf of Mexico and not the AON Center.

...or maybe one of the world's largest inland bodies of water?

[Dac150]

Well it’s my opinion, I’m not saying you or anyone else for that matter has to agree with it. But I’d appreciate it if I wasn’t portrayed as someone who has a problem because I don’t sing to your tune.

I see it a different way and that’s fine. It’s a skyscraper; everyone is going to carry their own thoughts. Maybe I think you’re off base with your perception of it…

[new.slang]

why would you expect to see the gulf of mexico if it were in miami lol...

i realize ur probably just talking about florida now though ;p

[viewguysf]

Originally Posted by Ordo_

Its not supposed to. An 800 ft building in Chicago doesn't necessarily pop out of the skyline.

Gang has repeatedly stated that she didn't want a building to take over the skyline. Its supposed to fit in and blend. I know this is a unique concept in the age of headline supertalls, but buildings should be contextual. It doesn't have to dominate everything around it to be "important"

I totally get that, but with the BCBS extension, it isn't visible from many places anyway. I was just referring to the impact that new construction has made upon Chicago. Whether you like it or not, the Museum Park development really stands out as do BCBS, Legacy and, of course, Trump. Not all of those are contextual, for sure.

The pic above also reinforces my feeling that Aqua should have had a crown or better treatment at the roof line, as was discussed many posts ago.

[Nowhereman1280]

Uhh, why does a building have to stand out? What bearing does that have on the quality of its design? Did Marina City stand out of Chicago's skyline? Not really. Did IBM? Not really. Did 860-880? No. Did Inland Steel? No. Did the Reliance Building? No. Go through a list of the most architecturally important buildings in Chicago's history and almost none of them "stood out" when they were built. And no, the Sears Tower wasn't very architecturally important. The Hancock, yeah, but not Aon or Sears. In fact, I find the most innovative designs are the ones that don't stand out since they have to find a different way to sell.

Originally Posted by new.slang

the balconies (meaning how pretty much every miami condo has balconies)

Lol, name me one major condo tower in the last 20 years in Chicago that doesn't have any balconies... Hell you'd be hard pressed to find many in the last 50 years that don't have any.

Do you know why this building wouldn't "fit in" in Miami? Because its good architecture that actually does something new that will influence the field. I can't think of a single building in Miami that has ever been revolutionary. Not to be too city vs city, but frankly, when you view it from a historical perspective, Chicago has a history of revolutionary and significant designs while Miami doesn't...

[J_M_Tungsten]

^^^Trump Tower.