The aqua tower

Marie Fortsch

Reviewing the Arts

Thomas

3-16-12

The Aqua Tower

            The Willis Tower, Cloud Gate, and The John Hancock are some of the most memorable architecture in Chicago.  However many don’t get the recognition they deserve.  They may not project the city skyline or have the bragging rights of being one of the tallest buildings in the world but the Aqua tower deserves just as much attention.  The Aqua was designed by Jeanne Gang which leads it to be the tallest skyscraper designed by a woman.  That right there is extremely impressive.  Jeanne Gang is also the founder of Studio Gang Architects which is a Chicago based company.  The Aqua has beautiful views of Lake Michigan and the wave like balconies both influenced the name.  Each floor looks different because of the curvy white balconies. Gang actually designed each floor differently so they are each unique and not one is the same as the next.  It starts to trip you out after looking at it for too long.  It also depends on the time of day and where you are in reference to it.  The closer the better because you can really see the design and appreciate how different it is.  When you look at the building from a distance it looses its uniqueness and isn’t as impressive. When close and looking up it looks like hundreds of never ending ripples.  You would never guess you were looking at an apartment building and a hotel.  The views from inside are breathtaking because of how close the lake is.  During the day you can see all of its details and at night you can focus on the white balconies against the black sky.  The Aqua is 82 stories high but it’s not about the height for this building it’s about the design of it which looks more like a sculpture or a piece of art not something that’s functional.  Besides the wake like balconies and Lake Michigan The Aqua also got some help for its name because of its surrounding buildings.  The buildings in the Lakeshore East development follow a nautical theme with buildings called The Tides, The Shoreham, and The Regatta.  These however look like every other conventional skyscraper.  If you took away the balconies The Aqua too would look like the other conventional buildings.  But there’s something about the way Gang built the balconies and the way they look against the conventional building.  She found a new and unique way of shaping something so simple and normally square.  She took what we see everyday on buildings and put a new and modern twist. The Vancouver Pair in Canada, also designed by Gang and her team, is very similar to the Aqua.  It looks like a similar design but two paired directly next to each other. You can see in much of Gangs work that she creates things that look like there is movement and creates very new and elegant designs.  Gang and her team have also designed a few other building in Chicago that will amaze and intrigue you including Ford Calumet Environmental Center, Nature Boardwalk at the Lincoln Park Zoo, or the Columbia College Chicago Media Production Center. These all are amazing in their own way but you’ll find The Aqua tower is her most impressive in Chicago.  The Aqua is located right in the heart of downtown and also across the street from the famous Millennium Park.  The building may get overlooked because of all that the park has to offer but take a look behind you and appreciate a remarkable skyscraper.