One South Wacker, Office skyscraper in Chicago, US.
One South Wacker is an office tower located at the corner of South Wacker Drive and West Madison Street in Chicago's financial district, rising about 40 floors above street level. The building has a glass and steel facade with clean geometric lines that reflect the design approach common in commercial towers of the early 1980s.
The tower was designed by Murphy/Jahn Architects and completed in 1982, during a period when Wacker Drive was becoming a focus for new commercial construction in Chicago. It is one of the earlier examples of the glass-heavy, geometric style that architect Helmut Jahn became known for in the United States.
One South Wacker sits at a corner that many people use as a reference point when moving through downtown Chicago. Its glass facade reflects the surrounding towers and the river, giving it a presence that locals tend to notice even on a daily commute.
The building sits at a well-connected corner near several elevated train stops, making it easy to reach from different parts of the city. Since it is an active office building, the areas open to the general public are limited to the lobby and a few shared spaces.
Helmut Jahn, who designed this tower, had his own office in another Chicago building he designed, the James R. Thompson Center. The two structures were built within a few years of each other and show how he applied the same glass-heavy geometry at very different scales.
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