Vista Tower is a 101-story, supertall skyscraper under construction in Chicago, Illinois. Construction started in August 2016 and is expected to be completed by mid-2020. Upon completion, Vista Tower will become the city's third-tallest building at, surpassing the Aon Center, and the tallest structure in the world designed by a woman. Designed by architect Jeanne Gang and her architectural firm, Studio Gang Architects, Vista Tower will complement the design of the nearby Aqua skyscraper, also designed by Gang, as the two tallest structures in the world designed by a woman. A joint project between Magellan Development Group and Chinese based Wanda Group, Vista Tower will cost nearly $1 billion to construct. The structure consists of three interconnected towers with differing heights. According to Studio Gang Architects, the tower "presents itself as three interconnected volumes of differing heights, moving rhythmically in and out of plane" as a result of the curvilinear design. The tower topped out in April 2019. It will form part of the Lakeshore East development.
Usage
Vista Tower will contain nearly 400 condominium residences, and a five-star Wanda Vista Hotel with around 200 hotel rooms. The Wanda Vista Hotel will be located on the first 11 floors, while the condos will be located between floors 13 and 93. Additional floors are occupied by mechanical space and parking.
Design
The building's chief architect is Jeanne Gang, head of Studio Gang Architects and Chicago based bKL Architecture is the project's architect of record. Vista Tower is composed of three interconnected volumes with differing heights. Totalling a height of 101 stories, the east, middle, and west towers are 47, 71, and 93 stories tall, respectively. Mechanical space occupies the remaining floors. Upon completion, Vista Tower designers are targeting a Silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification. The three towers feature a curvilinear design, and are made up of alternating frustums. The towers are cladded in 6 different shades of glass. The uppermost segment of the tallest tower contains unoccupied “blow through” floor to prevent the structure from swaying in the wind. This design was described as "stacks of tapering, truncated pyramids that alternate between right-side-up and upside-down" by the Chicago Tribune. The tower has a notably smaller footprint than other supertalls in Chicago; Vista has a building height-to-core aspect ratio of 40-to-1. The architecture of record is bKL Architecture. Condominium interiors will be designed by hospitality design firm Hirsch Bedner Associates, while the hotel interior will be designed by San Francisco firm Gensler. Philadelphia-based OLIN will design the project's green spaces, including the rooftop gardens. The structural engineering of the tower was managed by Magnusson Klemencic Associates. OLIN was the landscape architect for the project.
Columns
Unlike most buildings, Vista's perimeter columns step inward and outward instead of going directly upwards. Each column projects about 5 inches outward or inward from the one below it. This was chosen over using columns set over a diagonal, which would have sacrificed interior space.
Wind Resistance
The tower uses coupled dual-core shear-wall assembly that connects the three buildings for wind resistance. The two outer cores are tied together via a 508-ft-tall reinforced concrete spine, from floors 15 to 51 above the upper street grade. For gravity loads, columns that continue to foundations support a 123-ft-long spine wall. This 2-ft-thick spine transfers wind loads from the middle tower to the cores of the 51-story tower to the east and the 101-story tower to the west. Vista will contain uninhabited "blow-through floors" to reduce wind-induced sway. Six tanks, holding more than of water, counteract the movement of the wind. A "spine wall" in the tower’s midsection links two outer cores, helping the two towers act as one unit. The wall is perforated so doors and hallways go through. A "buttressed core" in the two outer stalks are built out to the outer edge of the building. The outer walls are also perforated, leaving openings for windows.
Reception
Edward Keegan of Crain's Chicago Business praised the design of the building, calling it "second only to Hancock in the gracefulness in its silhouette" and a "proud and soaring thing". However, he criticised several engineering choices, notably the execution of the tower's blow-through floors.
