Aqua, Contemporary skyscraper in Lakeshore East, Chicago, US.
Aqua is an 82-story tower in Lakeshore East, downtown Chicago, completed in 2009. The wavy concrete balcony slabs extend outward at different depths on each floor, giving the structure a flowing, rippled surface.
Studio Gang Architects started planning in 2006 and handed over the building three years later. The construction method was new at the time and later inspired many architects worldwide to develop similar facade concepts.
The design comes from Jeanne Gang, who became the first woman in the US to shape a building of this height. The project changed how people saw female architects in a field long led by men and remains a reference for modern building today.
Apartments, hotel rooms, and offices fill the interior, with lower floors used mainly for public and commercial purposes. Visitors can view the building from outside at different angles, especially well from Millennium Park and the shore of Lake Michigan.
The balconies were calculated using computers to direct views toward known Chicago landmarks while reducing wind load. Each floor therefore has its own geometry that varies depending on height and orientation.
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