Jeanne Gang-Designed Skyscraper Could Become Chicago’s Third Tallest

By Ioana Neamt, Associate Editor

Wanda Vista Hotel & Residences

A recent public meeting at Chicago’s Aqua Tower discussed a $900 million mixed-use supertall skyscraper proposed by The Dalian Wanda Group and Magellan Development for Lakeshore East. Wanda Vista Hotel & Residences was announced in July 2014 and is slated for completion in 2019, pending approval.

According to Curbed Chicago, the current proposal includes 405 condominiums, 169 hotel rooms, 410 parking spaces, as well as a 5,400-square-foot ballroom. If approved, the 93-story skyscraper would become Chicago’s third tallest building, behind Willis Tower and Trump International Hotel and Tower.

The project brings together an all-star team of professionals: Studio Gang will act as lead architect; Gensler of San Francisco will design the hotel; bKL Architecture will serve as architect of record; Philadelphia-based OLIN will handle the landscape design; and Seattle-based Magnusson Klemencic Associates will be the structural engineer.

Designed to achieve LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, Wanda Vista Hotel and Residences will incorporate more than 1.8 million square feet of space at 381-383 E. Wacker Drive, according to the Chicago Tribune. The development would also include a public plaza and a drop-off area for vehicles arriving at the hotel, and would improve traffic and circulation through Lakeshore East.

The project, Wanda’s first in the U.S., is expected to create over 2,000 construction jobs and more than 500 permanent jobs. If finalized, the tower would also become the world’s tallest building designed by a female-led architecture firm. Jeanne Gang is best known for designing the undulating Aqua Tower, also in Chicago’s Lakeshore East neighborhood.

Rendering courtesy of Studio Gang Architects.

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