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

[aaron38]

Originally Posted by Vertigo

My favorite photos are those with direct sunlight and shadowed portions within the same shot. It really adds another dimension to the textured quality of the building. As it grows taller, this effect will become even more enhanced as the higher sections become more exposed to direct sunlight.

Right, like Ambient's photo at sunset - it looks amazing.

Furniture on the balconies makes it look alive, lived in. And I'm sure they'll all have the cute little cafe tables - it'll look fine.

[Nowhereman1280]

Crappy? Come on now, how can being in use make a building look crappy? We are in Chicago guys, we build buildings to use them, not make them a museum piece, if we wanted a sculpture, these wouldn't be balconies, but just ornamental slabs...

[Chicagoguy]

Originally Posted by Nowhereman1280

Crappy? Come on now, how can being in use make a building look crappy? We are in Chicago guys, we build buildings to use them, not make them a museum piece, if we wanted a sculpture, these wouldn't be balconies, but just ornamental slabs...

O I know and I complete agree...they should be used...and "cute cafe tables" would be great but look at previous buildings with balconies like this...they have childrens toys outside, bikes, grills, ugly string lights that they hang...to me that is just too much. I hate that marina towers has so many people with different colored string lighting on different floors...just looks tacky to me!

[Tom In Chicago]

I dunno. . . these balconies don't look large enough to bother decorating with furniture. . . but maybe that's just my skewed perception. . .

[Mojava]

No condo association is going to tell you what kind of furniture to put on your balcony. They may prevent you from putting grills out there which many do but thats about it

[honte]

Originally Posted by Chicagoguy

O I know and I complete agree...they should be used...and "cute cafe tables" would be great but look at previous buildings with balconies like this...they have childrens toys outside, bikes, grills, ugly string lights that they hang...to me that is just too much. I hate that marina towers has so many people with different colored string lighting on different floors...just looks tacky to me!

The condo association at Marina City encourages people to put things like bikes out there, so my friends tell me.

Goldberg loved the personal character of people decorating and using his balconies - makes it more like a real "city in the sky." From the initial concept of Aqua's balconies (the one with the colored plastic), I think Gang would feel the same way. It might look strangely top-heavy, though, as the hotel probably will look quite uniform and the rest will look like an urban mess.

[cbotnyse]

Originally Posted by Chicagoguy

O I know and I complete agree...they should be used...and "cute cafe tables" would be great but look at previous buildings with balconies like this...they have childrens toys outside, bikes, grills, ugly string lights that they hang...to me that is just too much. I hate that marina towers has so many people with different colored string lighting on different floors...just looks tacky to me!

I think it adds a ton of character! not tacky at all! Now I dont think every balcony in the city should have christmas lights on them year round, but I'm also of the school of though who thinks people paid a lot of money for that space and they should be able to do what they want with it.

[CMack]

Originally Posted by ambient

I love the different types of glass being used...

I wondered why it looked this way, are they really using different color glass in different parts of the facade? I thought it was just protective covering that hadn't been taken off yet. It looks kind of awkward as it is right now

[Tom In Chicago]

No. . . it's all the same colored class. . . just reflecting different colored stuff. . .

[Chicagoguy]

Originally Posted by cbotnyse

I think it adds a ton of character! not tacky at all! Now I dont think every balcony in the city should have christmas lights on them year round, but I'm also of the school of though who thinks people paid a lot of money for that space and they should be able to do what they want with it.

I agree...I just think it looks really tacky and cluttered. If they can tell you whether you can have grills, pets, and things of that nature...then why cant they restrict what type of furniture you put out on your deck. I have heard it done before from certain buildings in NYC, and I think it is a big deal because it affects the image of building.

[wrab]

^ But if a residential building is "sullied" by the visible signs of human habitation, then perhaps it really isn't all that successful as a residential building.

One of the things I really enjoy about residential towers is the random pattern of lights from the individual units at night - unlike office towers which are more uniform floor to floor.

With Aqua, the facade is so variable - Webers & lawn chairs probably won't disturb the eye the way they might on a uniform facade.

[aaron38]

Also, look at the actual railings, and how you mostly just see the underside of the balcony. I don't think you'll even be able to see the furniture on the upper floors.

And the glass is different reflectivity in the 'burnout' areas.

[ChicagoChicago]

Originally Posted by Ryan81

Just curious - what happens when the owners move in and want to muck up their balconies with furniture, etc.?

We, as good stewards to the land, kill them...

[ih8spires]

Originally Posted by honte

The condo association at Marina City encourages people to put things like bikes out there, so my friends tell me.

Goldberg loved the personal character of people decorating and using his balconies - makes it more like a real "city in the sky." From the initial concept of Aqua's balconies (the one with the colored plastic), I think Gang would feel the same way. It might look strangely top-heavy, though, as the hotel probably will look quite uniform and the rest will look like an urban mess.

The Marina Towers Condo Assosiation wants you to register and put you bike in the storage room. Though, the 25 dollar registration fee is encouraging people the take their bikes to the balconies.

Hey, I just repainted my balcony railing and put up some blue rope light. I think it is great when people have a little pride in thier balcony. Plants and some patio furnature on a maintained balcony look great. Unfortunatly, some people have nothing on their balconies, or some people lacking class chose to put bikes or worse yet use their balconies to store a bunch of crap.

I do not think Aqua will have the problem that Marina City has with a bunch of junk on some of the balconies because some of the resedents of Marina towers are more transient in nature(not sure if that was the best way to state that) and dont really care or are inconsiderate of their neighbors and community. I don't think Auqa residents will be using their balconies for storage. I see them using thier balconies for a table and chairs and maybe over time all of Marina towers balconies will be like that too.

[Chicagoguy]

Originally Posted by ih8spires

The Marina Towers Condo Assosiation wants you to register and put you bike in the storage room. Though, the 25 dollar registration fee is encouraging people the take their bikes to the balconies.

Hey, I just repainted my balcony railing and put up some blue rope light. I think it is great when people have a little pride in thier balcony. Plants and some patio furnature on a maintained balcony look great. Unfortunatly, some people have nothing on their balconies, or some people lacking class chose to put bikes or worse yet use their balconies to store a bunch of crap.

I do not think Aqua will have the problem that Marina City has with a bunch of junk on some of the balconies because some of the resedents of Marina towers are more transient in nature(not sure if that was the best way to state that) and dont really care or are inconsiderate of their neighbors and community. I don't think Auqa residents will be using their balconies for storage. I see them using thier balconies for a table and chairs and maybe over time all of Marina towers balconies will be like that too.

Yea we could only hope...I guess only time will tell

[denizen467]

Originally Posted by Ryan81

Just curious - what happens when the owners move in and want to muck up their balconies with furniture, etc.? I would assume there is a some rule in place on what you may have on your balcony. If not, I wonder the impact all this 'stuff' people like to keep on their balconies will have.

It'll probably be just enough to give it an interesting urban look and not so much that it looks gaudy - unless there are some seriously huge balconies that prompt people to put complete picnic tables out there (and even then it might be interesting). The snow and winds (and scarily high elevations) will probably act as a natural limit on too much stuff going out there.

The most prominent thing about Marina Towers is the varied balcony rail lighting. If this is permitted on Aqua, it might be questionable to some people but it also would help emphasize the wavy balconies. (One worry there would be the ends of the balcony railings, where they depart from the balcony edges and turn inwards to the curtainwall.)

[Chicagoguy]

Originally Posted by denizen467

It'll probably be just enough to give it an interesting urban look and not so much that it looks gaudy - unless there are some seriously huge balconies that prompt people to put complete picnic tables out there (and even then it might be interesting). The snow and winds (and scarily high elevations) will probably act as a natural limit on too much stuff going out there.

The most prominent thing about Marina Towers is the varied balcony rail lighting. If this is permitted on Aqua, it might be questionable to some people but it also would help emphasize the wavy balconies. (One worry there would be the ends of the balcony railings, where they depart from the balcony edges and turn inwards to the curtainwall.)

I really hope they dont allow rail lighting on Aqua...that would be very disappointing

[Nowhereman1280]

^^^ I hope they make it mandatory, that would look sweet at night, different wavy rope lights on wavy balcony rails on wavy balconies...

[i_am_hydrogen]

Originally Posted by Chicagoguy

O I never thought about that...but I am sure people will fill their balconies with tacky things...just look at Marina Towers...it looks so crappy with all of the junk people fill those balconies with! This one will be no different once built I assume....

Thanks for pointing that out!

Harsh words. As much as I wish that the architectural purity of Aqua's balconies could be maintained without interference, I also believe that owners have the right to put whatever they please on their balconies. Architecture, ultimately, is a fusion of artistic design and utility. Therefore, owners ought to be able to use the balconies for their naturally intended purposes, however repugnant the consequences may be to us.

[tone99loc]

^ Agreed - While balconies aren't too popular around here and I'll admit some turn into eyesores, apartment dwellers pay for that space and should use it to their liking. Buildings, after all, are meant for human use.