Honor Award

• Division: Commercial
• Location: Chicago, IL
• Architect: Goettsch Partners
• Client: The John Buck Company
• General contractor: Bovis Lend Lease
• Consultants: Magnusson Klemencic Associates (Structural); Hill Mechanical (HVAC design/build); Gibson Electric (Electrical design/build); Consentini Lighting (Lighting Design)

Overview

The pedestrian experience exposes the multi-faceted aspects of the 53-story, 1.5 million-square-foot office tower design: the functional requirements of the parking ramp; the transparency of the lobby enclosure that reveals the marble walls; the 80-foot column spacing that allows the building to seemingly hover above the lobby; and the steel-and-glass curtain wall above. The design of the lobby evolved out of the need to incorporate a parking ramp to bring cars from the street to the third floor. Jurors were impressed by the innovative enclosure. "They have taken the inside and brought it outside. The transparency of the base is second to none," commented a juror. Based on its sustainable design initiatives, 111 S. Wacker was certified LEED-CS Gold in 2005.