11/13/2023 0 Comments Chicago willis towerSections include “Origins,” which explores the history of the built environment in Chicago “Architecture,” which includes the aforementioned fly-through video tour the food-themed “Taste of Chicago,” “Characters,” “Streetscapes,” and the concluding area “Urban Playground.”Īs noted by Oronde Wright, senior designer at Thinc, the experience “ … captures the story of a city that forged itself into being through a combination of American optimism and audacity.” (© Dave Burk/SOM) The lower-level exhibition space is somewhat reminiscent of the immersive, shopping mall-adjacent “pre-show” area at Hudson Yards’ ticketed observation deck, Edge, in that it builds excitement for what’s to come although it is much more comprehensive and museum-like in flavor. Prior to being zipped up the tower’s 103rd floor in high-speed elevators and entering the reimagined Skydeck space, guests are invited to saunter through an interactive exhibition on Chicago architecture and culture that features, among other things, bronze models of famous Chicagoan buildings, a dizzying fly-through showcasing the city’s singular skyline, a full-scale L Train replica, and a 9-foot-long hot dog bench. The lower-level architecture and culture exhibition at the Skydeck. After taking in the views, visitors are encouraged to leave behind messages, both drawn and written, on an interactive sequin wall. Along with interior revamps that include lighting enhancements and building technology upgrades that help to expand the views, a fleet of new interactive monitors installed throughout the Skydeck school visitors in Chicago’s rich architectural history. While work at the Skydeck marks a return to its unfussy original form in which the star attraction is, of course, the sweeping views, this isn’t to say that it hasn’t gained new features. “We wanted to create a quiet backdrop for people to be fully immersed in the city’s skyline and allow the view to speak for itself.” In creating the new Skydeck, we wanted to honor the structural clarity and simplicity of the tower’s original design approach,” explained Scott Duncan, design partner at SOM, in a statement. Envisioned in our studios more than 50 years ago, its design continues to inspire us today. “Willis Tower is synonymous with Chicago’s skyline. One of the most popular attractions in Chicago, the reimagined and renovated Skydeck at Willis Tower takes a step back, with SOM noting in a press release that the vertiginous attraction “returns to the original vision for the building, foregrounding the tower’s iconic views while showcasing its pioneering structural design through minimal design gestures and subtle finishes.” (It currently ranks as the third tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.) In 2009, SOM also oversaw the design of The Ledge at the Skydeck, a pulse-raising quartet of glass-enclosed balconies that extend over 4-feet out from the tower’s 103rd floor. The Willis Tower (née the Sears Tower) also ranked as the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere for more than four decades, up until the completion of the new One World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan in 2013. office tower outside of New York City.Along with the newly completed renovation, SOM designed the Willis Tower itself, a superlatively lanky Chicago landmark that, at 1,450-feet-tall, reigned as the tallest building in the world for 25 years beginning at its completion in 1974. In 2015, the Willis Tower’s sale to The Blackstone Group, which represented the highest price paid for a U.S. The new Skydeck remains one of Chicago’s top tourist attractions, and the worldwide recognition it received translated to an increase in revenue of nearly $10,000,000 annually. Following the redevelopment, the Skydeck saw an increase from slightly more than 1 million visitors to more than 1.5 million in 2012. The Ledge is an engineering marvel, which includes four cantilevered glass boxes that allow visitors to “walk on air” 103 stories above the ground. Among other improvements, American Landmark Properties introduced "The Ledge" to the Skydeck. Equally impressive, in 2009–2010, American Landmark Properties redeveloped the entire Skydeck operation. American Landmark Properties spearheaded the rebranding of the property, repositioning of the Skydeck and the leasing of nearly 2 million square feet of new leases, including the world headquarters for United Airlines. American Landmark Properties and its principals were co-managing members of the ownership group and were involved in every aspect of this world-class property. Purchased in 2004 for $840 million, the Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower), was the largest private-sector office property in North America, with 4,400,000 square feet of premier office space, retail space, the largest broadcasting/antenna facility in the United States, and the Skydeck, an observation deck attraction with over 1.5 million visitors per year.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |