Wolf Point East, a 665-foot residential tower, part of the last remaining development along the Chicago River, topped off and is near completion. Designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, and part of a master plan to redevelop the area, the east tower generates 700 rental units, 35,000 square feet of amenities, and 4,000 square feet of retail at street level.
Wolf Point East is one of the most important sites we have had the good fortune to work with. It is truly gratifying and exciting after many years of development and design to see Wolf Point East, a pivotal building on the Chicago River, topped off and nearing completion. -- Fred W. Clarke, Co-founder and Senior Design Principal, FAIA, RIBA, JIA, and Mark Shoemaker, Design Principal, AIA.
In order to revitalize the historical site of the first settlements in Chicago, Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects conceived a 2-million-square-foot mixed-use development master plan, composed of three towers, a 2.3-acre public park, and a 1,000-foot-long river walk. In fact, Wolf Point will become a landmark for the city, designed for both its inhabitants and the visitors.
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On another hand, the South Tower, an 813-foot tall mixed-use structure, with 1.3 million square feet of office space, taller than the 665-foot Wolf Point East tower, is the anchor of the project. The design of both buildings is classical and iconic. They stand out in the city’s skyline and balance transparency and opaqueness, glass and metal and stone. Their façade walls are “shell-like enclosures reminiscent of sails that taper at the top and bottom”, reminiscent of the 19th-century's occupation of the region, a trading post and docking ships.
Recognizing our responsibility to Chicago and its citizens, we designed Wolf Point to be accessible and enjoyable for the entire community. Instead of close and congested buildings, we worked in collaboration with a celebrated local Landscape Architect to introduce a 2.3-acre public park, occupying the open space connecting the buildings. The park, planted with native trees, flowers, and grasses, will include gardens and stepped lawns for seating and an underground four-level parking garage hidden from view. To further maximize the site’s presence, each building’s base is designed to be transparent and reduced for a minimized presence at ground level to engage the riverfront and newly expanded Riverwalk. -- Fred W. Clarke, Co-founder and Senior Design Principal, FAIA, RIBA, JIA, and Mark Shoemaker, Design Principal, AIA.
_Steelblue.jpg?1567375202 "Pelli Clarke Pelli's Wolf Point East Topped Out")
