Location, location, location is a phrase oft-repeated by those in the real estate industry. And it’s true, where a property is located has a bearing on its marketability, which is why choosing the right spot to buy a property or on which to build one should be a well-researched decision.
It seems the planners of the newest luxury residential/mixed-use development in the Windy City chose a good spot to build.
Ground recently was broken on a development in fertile soil, so to speak, in the Chicago area. One Chicago, a dual-tower skyscraper, commenced its 41-month construction in late April. When completed, it will offer hundreds of luxury residences, and a green-roofed podium as big as a city block. It also will include office and retail space, including a Whole Foods Market.
The complex’s large roof garden is a lifestyle feature that will fit well with the development’s plan for a Life Time Fitness and wellness center onsite.
See Also: Nerves of steel: 150 North Riverside
The development at 1 West Chicago Avenue is in the upscale River North area. That section of the city’s North Side has many hotels, luxury shops, restaurants, cocktail bars, nightclubs, artist’s lofts and other attractions.
Developed by JDL Development, the luxury residential/mixed-use complex was designed by Goettsch Partners and Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture. Its size, style and amenities will make it stand out, planners say.
“One Chicago has the scale and location to be spectacular,” says Jim Letchinger, president of JDL Development. “We carefully selected a project team to collaborate on this world-class design helmed by two of the city’s leading architects, both with deep Chicago roots and known nationally and internationally for large-scale urban complexes.”
The development’s 76-story main tower will change the Chicago skyline, and set the development apart, as well as making it an easily recognizable destination point.
“The main tower emphasizes a strong verticality and elegant image that will create a new landmark on the skyline. We fully appreciate the significance of this project in the context of the city,” says James Goettsch, FAIA, chairman and co-CEO of Goettsch Partners.
The main tower will be composed of five vertical, rectilinear bars that drop off at varying heights and allow for large terraces. Expressive fins will reinforce the building’s verticality, while giving the buildings’ façades a distinctive appearance.
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
Webcor, Hunt Construction lead the way in mixed-use construction, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 30 Mixed-Use Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Report: Fraud levels fall for construction industry, but companies still losing $6.4 million on average
The global construction, engineering and infrastructure industry saw a significant decline in fraud activity with companies losing an average of $6.4 million over the last three years, according to the latest edition of the Kroll Annual Global Fraud Report, released today at the Association of Corporate Counsel’s 2009 Annual Meeting in Boston. This new figure represents less than half of last year’s amount of $14.2 million.
| Aug 11, 2010
First CityCenter projects earn LEED Gold
CityCenter announced today that it has received three Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design LEED Gold certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council for: 1) ARIA Resort's hotel tower; 2) ARIA Resort's convention center and theater; 3) Vdara Hotel. ARIA and Vdara will open in December on the Las Vegas Strip and are the first of CityCenter's developments to be LEED certified.
| Aug 11, 2010
And the world's tallest building is…
At more than 2,600 feet high, the Burj Dubai (right) can still lay claim to the title of world's tallest building—although like all other super-tall buildings, its exact height will have to be recalculated now that the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) announced a change to its height criteria.
| Aug 11, 2010
Spa resort in harmony with mountain setting
The Sparkling Hill Resort and Wellness Hotel in Vernon, B.C., looks as if it was chiseled out of bedrock and jutting from the mountainside. Designed by the Victoria, B.C., office of Cannon Design, the 240,000-sf resort has 152 guest rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows and spa-like bathrooms, as well as a signature 20,000-sf whole-body wellness spa with treatment rooms designed to feel like they...
| Aug 11, 2010
Triangular tower targets travelers
Chicago-based Goettsch Partners is designing a new mixed-use high-rise for the Chinese city of Dalian, located on the Yellow Sea coast. Developed by Hong Kong-based China Resources Land Limited, the tower will have almost 1.1 million sf, which includes a 377-room Grand Hyatt hotel, 84 apartments, three restaurants, banquet space, and a spa and fitness center.
| Aug 11, 2010
CityCenter projects get LEED Gold
MGM Mirage and Infinity World Development have received LEED Gold certification for the first three CityCenter projects: the ARIA Resort hotel tower, ARIA Resort convention center and theater, and the Vdara Hotel (above). The CityCenter developers anticipate Gold or Silver LEED certification for the project's remaining developments, which include a Mandarin Oriental hotel, a 500,000-sf retail a...
| Aug 11, 2010
RMJM unveils design details for $1B green development in Turkey
RMJM has unveiled the design for the $1 billion Varyap Meridian development it is master planning in Istanbul, Turkey's Atasehir district, a new residential and business district. Set on a highly visible site that features panoramic views stretching from the Bosporus Strait in the west to the Sea of Marmara to the south, the 372,000-square-meter development includes a 60-story tower, 1,500 resi...
| Aug 11, 2010
'Feebate' program to reward green buildings in Portland, Ore.
Officials in Portland, Ore., have proposed a green building incentive program that would be the first of its kind in the U.S. Under the program, new commercial buildings, 20,000 sf or larger, that meet Oregon's state building code would be assessed a fee by the city of up to $3.46/sf. The fee would be waived for buildings that achieve LEED Silver certification from the U.
| Aug 11, 2010
Five-star resort breaks ground on the Black Sea
Construction work has commenced on a five-star resort and leisure destination along the Black Sea coast in Batumi, Georgia. The RTKL-designed resort consists of two towers rising 86 and 58 meters over a two-story podium. The larger tower contains 250 guestrooms and suites while the smaller tower offers 78 residential apartments.
