Due to the site’s unique location and historical relevance the Residences at 400 North Lake Shore Drive are destined to be a Symbol of Chicago. Located at the junction of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River, barely a few hundred feet northeast of Fort Dearborn, the first official outpost of the U.S. government, the residences at 400N Lake Shore will contribute to a century-long tradition of Chicago’s Lakefront luxury living. Embodying Chicago’s character and essential virtues, the project has been conceived to be iconic, flexible and innovative.
The project’s unique location between the Ogden Slip and the Chicago River will forever transform Chicago’s skyline. The site retains the same symbolic role it had one hundred years ago as the portal entry into the city. This historically important gateway demands a single, resonant and immediately recognizable formal expression: an Iconic form.
The project’s development strategy requires a flexible approach, allowing multiple variations in unit typologies as well as unit arrangement diversity within each floor plan. Additionally, the exterior wall is extremely versatile enabling different patterns and expressions seamlessly integrating framed windows, full glass window walls or a combination of both.
The project’s sheer size and the geometric constrains of the site demand an unique, innovative structural approach that saves valuable time and money. Our project takes advantage of viscous damper technology which eliminates the need for tuned mass dampers saving valuable square footage, construction time and, more importantly, achieving approximately 10% of savings in concrete alone. In addition, a very aggressive reutilization strategy allows the project to reuse 88% of the existing foundations.
Our project personifies Chicago’s qualities rooted in pragmatic boldness and vision with elegant proportions, economy of form, efficiency, sophisticated materiality and a powerful expression.