The 1000 Lake Shore Plaza is an International Style skyscraper designed by Sidney Morris Associates, with Sidney Morris as lead architect, in association with Salk, Ward & Salk, and built in 1964 in Chicago, IL.
Its precise street address is 1000 North Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL. You can also find it on the map here.
Sidney Morris Associates, with Sidney Morris as the lead architect, was the architecture firm in charge of the architectural design, in association with Salk, Ward & Salk.
That being said, architecture is a complex discipline involving many professionals from different fields, without whom this building would have not been possible. We will surely be leaving out a lot of names here, but here is a list of the people we do know also played their part in making the 1000 Lake Shore Plaza a reality:
The 1000 Lake Shore Plaza can be categorized as an International Style building.
The international style originated in Europe in the early 20th century, and made its way to the US a couple of decades later when the rise of the Nazi regime forced figures such as Walter Gropius, Marcel Breuer, or Mies van der Rohe to flee Europe.
The International Style emerged as a response to the prevailing historicism and ornate architecture styles of the late 19th century, which according to a younger generation of architects didn't represent the new materials and construction techniques that were on the rise at the time.
Architecture in the early 20th century US was marked by the adoption of steel structures, modern construction techniques, and the rise of the skyscraper. As it turns out, this combination of circumstances created the perfect ecosystem for the International Style to flourish, becoming the to-go style for skyscraper designs during the mid-20th century, when American cities were growing fast.
The International Style’s legacy can not only be found in numerous iconic buildings across all major American cities, but also incorporated in contemporary architecture, which still puts a big emphasis on functionality and minimalism.
The 1000 Lake Shore Plaza was completed in 1964. By 1964 the International Style movement had already left its early days behind and could be considered a mature movement, which does not mean it was loved and accepted by everyone, on the contrary. The International Style was accepted by the architecture community way before it was by the general public, and it is therefore likely that the 1000 Lake Shore Plaza was not well received by everyone at the time.
The 1000 Lake Shore Plaza reaches an architectural height of 591ft (180m). It has a total of 55 floors.
In regards to parking space, the building has a total of 244 spots available, which roughly equals 4 spots per floor (above ground).
Ever since opening its doors to the public in 1964, the 1000 Lake Shore Plaza has mainly been used as Residential space, with other complementary uses such as retail space.
The 1000 Lake Shore Plaza has a total of 138 residential units throughout its 55 floors.
The 1000 Lake Shore Plaza uses a frame structure made of concrete columns and concrete and steel slabs.
A frame structure uses a combination of beams and columns to sustain the building's weight. The walls in this case are non-load bearing, which allows for more flexibility when distributing the interior spaces.
The facade uses a window wall system, which by itself is non-load-bearing. However, in this case, the facade is technically load-bearing, since there are structural elements that have been integrated into it, adirectly influencing the facade’s design.
Window walls are easier to install than curtain walls, often resulting in reduced construction time and cost. However, the exposed edge of the slabs, and in this case other structura elements too, are weak points in terms of thermal insulation. These areas need to be carefully detailed to prevent thermal bridging and potential condensation issues.
From an aesthetic point of view, the facade features a visible light-colored concrete, load-bearing structure, with clearly defined slabs and columns.
The columns organize the facade into several bays, some of them featuring recessed balconies, while others frame planes of large windows with short, green colored brick spandrels.
The floor slabs project slightly towards the outside, creating a climbing rhythm and providing light protection to the windows..
