CHICAGO | St. Regis Chicago (Vista) | 1,191 FT | 101 FLOORS - Page 347

pilsenarch · #1 Posted **Apr 10, 2021, 4:05 PM**

I would suspect it happens because Lowenberg didn't want to spend the money or the square footage necessary in the mechanical risers to have direct exhaust from the kitchens.

So, when a buyer of a multi-million dollar unit says they want direct exhaust, they get it.

photoLith · #2 Posted **Apr 11, 2021, 2:33 AM**

Biggest disappointment in a supertall in a while. Those mechanical floors or just awful and ruin the whole tower.

edale · #3 Posted **Apr 14, 2021, 4:24 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by photoLith

Biggest disappointment in a supertall in a while. Those mechanical floors or just awful and ruin the whole tower.

I agree. The undulation of the building looks really cool, as does the gradation of the glass. But those mechanical/blow through floors look horrendous and completely mar the building. I can't believe no one has found a more elegant way to solve the problem, and I hope something can be done in the future to remedy it. I'm surprised St. Regis wants their name associated with this tower, tbh.

Drcastro · #4 Posted **Apr 14, 2021, 4:02 PM**

^ Except isn’t the north side considered the front of the building?

Zerton · #5 Posted **Apr 14, 2021, 4:09 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drcastro

^ Except isn’t the north side considered the front of the building?

The north side is the more picturesque angle but I'd say 100X the number of people experience the building from the south. Especially because upper Wacker on the north side is a dead end and not a thoroughfare.

donnie · #6 Posted **Apr 14, 2021, 8:41 PM**

Going to have to disagree with all you because from the Glenview Park District i can see Sears, Chump, Aon, John, and my favorite Vista in all their glory....

CityAmateur · #7 Posted **Apr 16, 2021, 12:48 PM**

The tallest part of the tower has that mangy starved look of those hideous 57th street hot money deposit towers in Manhattan.

It's disappointing but it's tall and helps fill in the skyline which is all that can be said for it.

ardecila · #8 Posted **Apr 20, 2021, 2:23 PM**

^ The pocket park, porte-cochere, etc on the north (Wacker) side are all still under construction. Interior work on the hotel is still underway, etc.

southoftheloop · #9 Posted **Apr 20, 2021, 3:12 PM**

The end of this thread will be the end of an era. It has lived through a changed world!

Mikelacey45 · #10 Posted **Apr 21, 2021, 7:48 PM**

The end of this thread will be the end of an era. It has lived through a changed world!

This is true

Zapatan · #11 Posted **Apr 21, 2021, 7:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikelacey45

The end of this thread will be the end of an era. It has lived through a changed world!

This is true

Speaking of that this building is no longer U/C I believe.

Which supertall is next, Parcel I or Tribune East?

Quote:

^ The pocket park, porte-cochere, etc on the north (Wacker) side are all still under construction. Interior work on the hotel is still underway, etc.

EDIT: Nevermind, didn't realize that. Any day now...

Drcastro · #12 Posted **Apr 21, 2021, 5:30 PM**

Still waiting for all the ropes to come down.

Chi-Sky21 · #13 Posted **Apr 22, 2021, 5:15 PM**

Everybody bustin out the SAT words today....let me try. I like this building bigly....

sentinel · #14 Posted **Apr 22, 2021, 6:25 PM**

It's a perfectly cromulent building.

Steely Dan · #15 Posted **Apr 22, 2021, 6:27 PM**

And it embiggens the smallest man.

BrinChi · #16 Posted **Apr 22, 2021, 6:31 PM**

Look at me! Look at me! I so smart.

We all have our own ways of showing off.

feynman · #17 Posted **Apr 23, 2021, 4:16 PM**

Rooted Aboriginal, I think you're getting more hung up on the financials of this than the architecture itself. Even with the blow through, it's an incredible tower. Miles better than all the beige precast of River North. And, I think it's pretty neat that Gang has done a few towers in Chicago now. It's quite fitting since, imho, she's carrying the mantle of organic architecture pioneered by Sullivan, Wright, and John Lautner, who all have Chicago connections.

observer · #18 Posted **Apr 28, 2021, 12:18 PM**

The louvers and blow through floors have received a good bit of comments over the last year or so, with debates on them being appropriate or not. I don't recall seeing a lot of comments though on the unremarkable nature of the base of the building. I think initial concepts for the building had a more grand gesture, similar to what was called for in the original master plan for this site (a gateway element of sorts visually connecting the Lakeshore East Park with river). Not sure that was ever going to be the right solution, but in my opinion the base of the building is completely unremarkable from the pedestrian experience side. Yes, one can look up and experience the delightful massing of the building, but once you look forward again, there is little in the way of upgraded details/materials/pedestrian space. This is not an office building, granted, where the omission of an upgraded pedestrian experience on an iconic tower would be almost criminal, but even so, it may be the uninspired and under improved base of the building that ultimately captures the most criticism when the building is complete and not the louvers or blow through floors. I am surprised this has not been discussed or called out more (if it has, I missed it, and my apologies for missing the discussion!).

ardecila · #19 Posted **Apr 28, 2021, 3:23 PM**

Yeah the base is great, especially compared to the other Lakeshore East buildings that just hit the ground with a dull thud. The landscaping details are elegant and subtle, I love little touches like the portal around the garage entrance, or the lights that wash the tops of the columns. I love that the drive lanes around the building are the bare minimum, to give as much space to pedestrians as possible. Etc, etc.

both images: credit harryc

And I'm judging that only based on what is open now - once the pocket park opens and the cladding is finished, it should be excellent.

observer · #20 Posted **Apr 28, 2021, 10:45 PM**

If the base of the St. Regis tower is 'great' as noted by ardecila, what words do you use to describe the base of a building like the one being proposed in New York at 175 Park Avenue (Grand Hyatt)? Not built yet, but as a big idea for the base of a tall tower, I would call that 'great'. Or the lobby of the built Lotte Tower in Seoul? My point is if someone created a list of top 10 or 20 building bases on tall towers, this one would likely not be on the list compared to all the other amazing things that have been done at the bases of tall towers. It is great compared to other buildings at Lake Shore East, but is it good enough for the scale building it is and considering how rare it is that buildings of this scale get built in Chicago? There is ultimately no comparison to dollars spent in NY on buildings as compared to Chicago. Might as well be different planets. The critique I have likely has more to do with the developer and budgets than the architect. Studio Gang has demonstrated many times how to deal with the base of buildings in a memorable way.