A new 76 story building will be going up near The Tides & Shoreham at 375 E. Wacker. Currently the Lakeshore East Sales Center has that address. The building will have a unique 20 story opening in the middle of the building.

Sales will begin in August 2007 and units will be priced from $500,000 to $3,000,000.

From the Chicago Tribune - “The striking design by Miami-based Arquitectonica features a 20-story opening through the building’s midsection. The tower, which will rise at 375 E. Wacker Dr., has two intersecting components programmed to house a five-star hotel with 224 suites, as many as 671 condominiums and six stories of underground parking.”

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0705080693may09,0,1695623.story 

Construction & Maintenance reports that Otis Elevator Company of Farmington, CT won an $11 million contract to supply the elevators for Aqua. Otis supplied the elevators for all of the building in Lakeshore East except the first one, the Lancaster.

 Regarding the development in general, Lakeshore East is described as: “When completed, the 28-acre, $4 billion Lakeshore East will consist of 16 high-rise residential buildings, 4, 900 residences, 2.2 million square feet of commercial space, 1,500 hotel rooms, a 6-acre public park and an elementary school.”

More information - http://home.nestor.minsk.by/build/press/2007/05/3105.html

The summer edition of the Currents newsletter has been published. Topics include: the start of construction of the first cluster of 24 Parkhomes which will range in size from approximately three to four thousand square foot each; various property updates for Tides, The Regatta, The Chandler, and more; Chicago’s win in its bid to be the Candidate to host Olympics in 2016; and potential developments along the south side of the Chicago River - just on the other side of East Wacker from Lakeshore East.

To view the full newsletter which includes several photos and artist renderings see — http://www.lakeshoreeast.com/pdfs/MGL_CurrentsSUM07web.pdf

The Construction Writers Association (CWA) will meet at the Hotel Allegro, Chicago, IL, from October 10 to 12, 2007.  The association’s midyear meeting will feature a tour of the Lakeshore East development, an education session focusing on digital media, a session featuring construction-related topics, and an awards dinner.

CWA’s Thursday morning education session will include:  Judy Schriener, formerly editor of McGraw-Hill’s construction website, on writing for the web; Toni Antonetti of Public Relations Chicago on new tools available to writers; and blogging, podcasting, and other new techniques with John Usherwood, eChannel Commercial Manager, MPSD - Global Brand Management, Caterpillar Inc. A wrap-up session will cover the pros and cons of digital and print media.

The $4 billion Lakeshore East development site was the largest available urban acreage in Chicago.  Previously a 9-hole golf course made out of a wasteland, it covers 28 acres east of Michigan Avenue along the Chicago River. Magellan Development Group LLC is creating this luxury village including housing, retail, recreation, and a school.  Three residential buildings have been completed, and three more were nearing completion earlier this summer. The spectacular 82-story Aqua Building is currently under construction.  CWA attendees will visit with the developer and tour the site on Thursday afternoon.

Thursday evening will feature the CWA Marketing Communication Awards and Website and Electronic Communications Awards Dinner.

On Friday morning, the midyear meeting session will highlight the 82-story Aqua Building, designed to combine condos, rental apartments, a hotel and retail spaces.  Ron Klemencic, president of engineering consulting firm Magnusson Klemencic Associates, Inc., Seattle and Chicago; David Alexander of the James McHugh Construction Co., Chicago, IL; and James Loewenberg, AIA, co-CEO of Magellan will be on hand to discuss the Lakeshore East development. Design architect Jeanne Gang has also been invited.

Building Information Modeling, commonly called BIM, will also be introduced.  Mark Woodburn, AIA LEED AP, of DMJM Design will be a panelist.  A software supplier, building owner, and a contractor have been invited to participate on this panel.  We are  also planning a session with representatives of the Illinois Tollway, who will discuss open tolling and variable pricing proposals, concepts that are becoming popular throughout the US.

The CWA Board of Directors will meet on Wednesday afternoon at the Hotel Allegro.  Observers are welcome at this session.  A welcoming reception has been scheduled for Wednesday evening at the offices of Concrete Products magazine, published by Penton, in the IBM Building.  Reservations are needed for the reception due to building security, but there is no charge for Wednesday events.

Rooms at the Hotel Allegro will be $219 per night.  The reservation cut-off date is Friday, September 14, 2007.  To book, call 800-643-1500 and mention the “Construction Writers Association.”

Registration fees for members will be $125 for the Friday midyear meeting, which includes the Thursday evening Awards Dinner, and $125 for the Thursday morning education session - or $240 for both.  Nonmembers will pay $150 for each session or $290 for both.  Nonmembers are encouraged to join CWA for $100 individual annual dues and attend the meeting at member registration rates. There is no charge to attend the CWA Board of Directors Meeting, the welcome pizza party, or the Lakeshore East development tour.

Construction Writers Association is a non-profit, non-partisan, international organization for journalists, publicists, photographers, and marketing communications professionals serving the information needs of the construction industry. By providing opportunities for networking, education, recognition, and fellowship, CWA helps foster a strong community — and improve the quality of construction writing. CWA’s website is http://www.constructionwriters.org/.

Magellan Development Group has published the Spring edition of the Currents Newsletter promoting Lakeshore East and the area.

Topics include: - Lakeshore East named “2007 Development of the Year” by the Greater North Michigan Avenue Association, 340 Sales Office moved to Lakeshore East, Aqua Breaks Ground, Sales Office to Move to Shoreham, Jeanne Gang’s Aqua Design, Regatta Orientation Program, Cafe Roma to open in Shoreham, and 340 on the Park and Chandler “Top Out”.

 View the newsletter here - http://www.lakeshoreeast.com/pdfs/MGL_CurrentsSP07Pweb.pdf 

From CoStar Group - “The $475 million tower is at 225 N. Columbus Drive in the Lakeshore East development, a $4 billion, 28-acre mixed-use campus. The tower will total about 1.9 million square feet, comprised of 263 luxury condominium units, 476 rental apartments, 210 hotel suites, and 42,000 square feet of office space and 37,000 square feet of retail space.”

It is interesting that the estimated date of first delivery is so removed from the final delivery date.

Read more at — http://www.costar.com/News/Article.aspx?id=B441D50EFAE078E722340BEAF1C887A2  

From LynnBecker.com - “It’s actually happening. Aqua, the rippling 82-story tower designed by Studio/Gang’s Jeanne Gang and Mark Schendel is beginning to rise on its site at Columbus and Lake in Magellan Development’s massive Lakeshore East complex.”

Read more and see lots of photos at –

http://lynnbecker.com/repeat/aqua/aquaflow.htm

From the Chicago Tribune – “On Wednesday, construction will get under way on the $474 million, 87-story Aqua residential tower in the Lakeshore East mixed-use development.”

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0702280163feb28,0,7209815.story  

From the Chicago Sun-Times – “Jeanne Gang of Studio Gang Architects will discuss her new 80-story tower called Aqua, scheduled to be built in the Lakeshore East development. She will speak at 12:15 p.m. Thursday at the Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington in the next Friends of Downtown program. It’s free.”

http://www.suntimes.com/business/roeder/275571,CST-FIN-roeder28.article

From GlobeSt. - “Construction is expected to begin as soon the developer receives the final building permit, which should be within a few weeks, Carlins says.” ”The 81-story building will feature condominiums, apartments, an 18-floor hotel, retail and office space.” The building is expected to be complete in mid-2009. “Amenities will include indoor and outdoor 25-yard lap pools, an outdoor wading pool, a track, fire pits, hot tubs, a spa section, weight rooms and a theater component.”

For more information see — http://www.globest.com/news/834_834/chicago/152584-1.html

The Tribune reports that Magellan will begin to use Titan for commercial leasing. Titan was formed by Ben Rosenfield who was formerly with Millenium R/E which Magellan had been using for commercial leasing.

Titan will focus on retail space in Aqua. Presumably, Millenium R/E dealt with the space next to 340 On the Park including the new Treasure Island.

 For more information, see the third news item at –

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0701310043jan31,0,3408723.story

The Tribune reports in their “Development Notes” on the penthouse plans for Aqua. Added to the existing high-end units available at 340 On the Park, the planned ParkHomes, as well as the ultra-high end units planned for the Chicago Spire just across the river, there may eventually be some real competition for buyers in this range.

From the Chicago Tribune - “A collection of penthouse residences has been added to the top two floors of Aqua at Lakeshore East, offering views of Lake Michigan, the Chicago River, and Millennium and Grant Parks.

“The grouping includes five duplex units and one-single level design. They range from 2,364 to 3,869 square feet and are pre-construction priced from $1.9 million to $2.9 million.”

Read more at http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/newhomes/chi-0612090208dec09,1,931322.story

Aqua construction will be complicated by a few factors including the architecture and the height - contruction will continue on the upper floors as multiple types of tenants will start using the lower floors.

From GlobeSt - [There will be the] “requirements of residential, commercial and office tenants while the construction crews are still building the upper floors, Alexander says. “This rarely happens, but I think with the taller buildings it will become more common, you’ll see it at the Trump International Tower in Chicago before our project,” Alexander says. “Moving construction crews around tenants is challenging, we have to handle noise, dust, and even separating vertical transportation, they can’t use the same elevators. Safety is also a huge concern, as is keeping water out of the building, basically the top of the building is open during construction.”

More information at http://www.globest.com/news/786_786/chicago/150811-1.html

From 02138 — “Gang’s latest opportunity to build on that tradition comes from James Loewenberg, architect and developer of the 28-acre Lakeshore East project. He met Gang and her husband and business partner Mark Schendel at a Harvard alumni dinner, and hired them to design the 82-story, $300-million tower, Aqua.

“The winning idea took inspiration from the city itself. Gang’s premise was that people buy tower apartments for the views, so the firm built a model of Chicago and plotted sight lines, running lengths of string between undulating tower balconies and city landmarks.

“I always wanted to do a tower, but I never thought I would get a chance,” Gang says. In fact, Aqua, slated for completion in 2009, is the largest project ever awarded to an American firm headed by a woman.”

Read the full article on 02138mag.com.

From GlobeST.com –

“Strategic Hotels & Resorts Inc. has agreed to purchase 15 floors of the pre-developed 82-story Aqua building for $82.4 million, or approximately $412,000 per key.”

“The hotel portion of Aqua will consist of approximately 200 luxury suites averaging 650 sf each…”

“Strategic Hotels anticipates that the new hotel will be operated in conjunction with its existing Fairmont asset, to which it will be physically linked.”

For the full article see:
http://www.lakeshoreeast.com/media/articles/globest-10022006.pdf

Merlion writes — “I found this forum online and I am considering purchasing a condo at one of the newer Lake Shore developments, Aqua (http://www.lakeshoreeast.com/aqua/index.html). Does anyone have some comments, stories or experiences they would like to share about the LakeShore East community; especially the neighbohood and the people, but also the construction schedules of past or current developments and general comments about the Magellan Development Group (http://www.magellandevelopment.com/portfolio/lakeshoreeast.html)?”

To reply to this question, register in the forum and go to Merlion’s post here –

http://forums.new-eastside.com/index.php/topic,74.0.html

Star Power Triggers Rapid Sales Pace At Lakeshore East’s New Aqua Tower

In astronomy, a star is defined as a celestial body usually visible as a small, bright point of light in the night sky.

In residential architecture, a star is a designer with imagination and a magnetic force that energizes a market and helps produce a tidal wave of sales. Such is the case with architect Jeanne Gang, principal of Studio/Gang/Architects, whose sensuous, “organic” design of the 82-story Aqua at the new Lakeshore East neighborhood has helped generate spectacular sales.

Continue to read full press release about Aqua from Lakeshore East.

The Tribune recently published an article about Aqua, the new building planned for the west side of the Lakeshore East development on the site of the Lakeshore Grill building –
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/arts/chi-0603110259mar12,1,1808401.story

Highlights include the fact that the building was shifted slightly south to allow easier pedestrian access connecting Lakeshore East with the rest of New Eastside.

The elevator by the fire station has not been working for several weeks. For people who may have a stroller or are unable to use stairs and want to cross Columbus to get to the Sheraton, NBC Tower, AMC 30, hospital etc. this can pose a problem. During the day you can get into 300 East Randolph, but during weekends and holidays this option is not available. In this post I will share two ways to get to Intermediate Columbus from the Upper Level.

The first involves using the KPMG building, I believe this is 330 E. Wacker. It is the building next to the Swissotel. There is a parking garage in this building which has a door leading out to Intermediate Columbus right next to the elevator by the fire station. From the upper level, just enter the doors by security (NW corner) and the elevator down to the parking garage is all the way around the building (last set of elevators). From there go to P1 or the top parking level. The garage doors will be around to your right.

The second option is in the Hyatt. There is an unmarked door to the right of the main entrance that leads to an elevator that lets you out at the parking garage level. From here you can get out to Intermediate Stetson which you can use to get to Wacker and back to Columbus and across the bridge.

Hope this helps someone. Please post questions and comments.

also visit ericfrost.com