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

[chex]

i know its still not finished yet, but i dont like the base...

[i_am_hydrogen]

[SolarWind]

January 21, 2009

[honte]

Wow, guys. It certainly is photogenic.

[wrab]

Ridiculously awesome photos from both of you, as usual.

[UrbanSoldier]

This is one of the most spectacular buildings ever built! The design is so simple yet so incredibly sexy. Bravo!

[george]

Apriori tower, the base is a bust.

[wrab]

2/7

[Beck4ABigChicago]

Originally Posted by ginsan2

To my inexperienced eye, it just looks like they constructed a building meant to be viewed from only one angle. From the ground and the side perspectives, it really adds nothing to the street. So from that perspective, I too agree that it's very "gimmicky"; clearly built for only one angle, for only one effect.

Also, I had a biology class once where I had to cut open a cow intestine. The lining of its stomach and the intestine looked exactly like that building's waves and ripples. It makes me a little ill.

This gimmicky talk is all fine and good if you want to talk about "built for only one angle." But lets get real, this assumes that the building is built for your visual consumption as an individual that has no vested interest in the property. In reality, as mentioned earlier, the balconies are not there to give you something "cool" to look at, but rather, to give actual owner certain visual corridors and views. With this perspective, the building is not only not gimmicky, but rather successful.


P.S. I'm not putting you down, I make the same argument about Trump...I hate it b/c of how pathetically petite it look from so many angles...so I am not one to talk, but maybe my explanation makes sense anyway :-)

[harryc]

Feb 4

from Lower East North Water


from N bank



Feb 5
Everyone will get a bit of the sun (this is the west face)

from Clark st bridge

Feb 6

Trump Plaza


Trump Plaza

Panasonic DMZ TZ4 - Picasa - Autostitch - Photomatix HDR

[wrab]

^ Love that first Feb 6 shot, with all of the riverfront towers marching down towards the Lake.

---

2/7 Street scale:

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by wrabbit

^ Love that first Feb 6 shot, with all of the riverfront towers marching down towards the Lake.

Imagine that view once Magellan's Arquitectonica tower in LSE is built. (I'm assuming it will, eventually, be built - Magellan is in for the long haul at LSE).

[SolarWind]

February 5, 2009

[EarlyBuyer]

Hey guys-I've been out of town for about 10 days without internet access. Just logged in...great updates everyone, thanks!

[wrab]

2/7

[jc5680]

Originally Posted by wrabbit

2/7

wrabbit, do you use a polarizing filter? The glass in this photo looks unusually transparent…the interesting part to me is, if you do, the differences in the glass are still apparent. I kind of figured the different glass just varied in reflectivity. The CPL makes it look like they may vary in color as well. Very cool.

[honte]

^ @ Wrabbit's last shot: Donald Byrd?

Killer shots wrabbit. Much appreciated!

Originally Posted by wrabbit

^ Love that first Feb 6 shot, with all of the riverfront towers marching down towards the Lake.

This really blew me away... this "towers marching toward the Lake" is precisely what I was thinking when I was looking at Harry's shot. For whatever reason, the new heights of BCBS and Aqua are driving this concept home. I really like the new and unexpected quality this area has, something like a peninsula, a totally different area of downtown that knows it and ain't afraid to act the part.

And I love the Boul Mich one too... seems to capture the love affair with the American Big City.

Harry, great shots as well. And the return of the Great Solarwind has me all giddy.

[wrab]

2/7

[wrab]

2/7

[aaron38]

The base certainly does leave much to be desired, but fortunately no one will be looking at it with Aqua overhead.