Chicago-based Goettsch Partners has released an extensive set of renderings for 110 North Wacker Drive, a new office tower proposed for a site just across the river from the firm’s nearly finished 150 North Riverside Tower. The 51-story 110 North Wacker Drive will rise along the east bank of the south branch of Chicago River, adding 1.35-million-square-foot to Chicago’s financial district.
Clad in a sheer aluminum and glass curtain wall, the tower will include one of Goettsch Partners’s signature bases. The tall glassy ground floor is set back from the street and the river, not unlike 150 North Riverside. A serrated facade along the building’s western side will provide views up and down the river for its tenants, while rooftop decks will provide a 360-degree panorama of the surrounding city. Along with class-A office space, the tower will include retail dining, a conference center, and a fitness facility.
“One of the few office building sites in downtown Chicago bounded by three streets and the Chicago River, 110 North Wacker Drive is the last premier office site in Chicago offering unmatched views of and from the building,” said James Goettsch, FAIA, chairman and CEO of Goettsch Partners in a press statement. “The site’s trapezoidal shape allows us to provide a series of stepped projections on the western facade, enhancing views up and down the river, emphasizing the building’s verticality, and providing the building with a distinct identity. At street level, almost half of the site is publicly accessible and features a soaring covered riverwalk, supported by a distinctive structural design.”
To achieve its size, the project paid $19.55 million into the city’s Neighborhood Opportunity Bonus system. This money, which allows developers increase FAR or building height, is then used for community improvements around the city. A full 80% of the nearly $20 million will go towards commercial corridor improvements in under-served neighborhoods, while the remaining 20% going towards landmarks around the city and infrastructure in the neighborhood around the tower.
