340 on the Park Building

340 On The Park
  1. About the 340 on the Park Building in Chicago
  2. Architect and team
  3. Architectural style
  4. Spaces and uses
  5. Structure and materials

The 340 on the Park Building is a Contemporary skyscraper designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz, and built between 2004 and 2007, for a reported $244 million dollars, in Chicago, IL.

340 on the Park Building is not the only name you might know this building by though. The building is, or has also been known as 340 E. Randolph.

Its precise street address is 340 E Randolph St, Chicago, IL. You can also find it on the map here.

In 2007 when it was compelted, 340 On the Park was Chicago's first residential high-rise to be granted the LEED certification, exemplifying unparalleled environmental consciousness in the city's housing landscape.

Building's timeline

Construction begins
2004
20
Construction completed
2007
17
years ago
2024

Architect and team

Solomon Cordwell Buenz was the architecture firm in charge of the architectural design.

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 340 on the Park Building a reality:

  • Magnusson Klemencic Associates in charge of Structural Engineering
  • Lend Lease as the Main Contractor
  • Magellan Development Group as the Main Developer

Architectural Style

The 340 on the Park Building can be categorized as a Contemporary building.

Contemporary style architecture builds on top of the principles of Modernism and Postmodernism, but incorporates other variables which might not have been that important in the past, but certainly are today, such as technology, sustainability, inclusivity, and others.

From a historical point of view, it is hard to categorize things from a not-so-distant time, and therefore we choose to categorize most buildings built after the year 2000 as "Contemporary". It is possible that as time goes by and we, as a society, gain perspective on the things happening today, we'll be able to look back and recategorize all these buildings into more concrete subsections, some of which might not even exist today.

Spaces & Uses

The 340 on the Park Building reaches an architectural height of 672ft (204.8m), with the last accesible floor being 631ft (192.4m) off the gorund. It has a total of 62 floors.

In regards to parking space, the building has a total of 468 spots available, which roughly equals 8 spots per floor (above ground).

Ever since opening its doors to the public in 2007, the 340 on the Park Building has mainly been used as Residential space.

About the residences

The 340 on the Park Building has a total of 344 residential units throughout its 62 floors.

672ft (204.8m)
631ft (192.4m)

Materials & Structure

The 340 on the Park Building uses a frame structure made of reinforced concrete columns and beams.

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 non-load bearing curtain wall system. This means the curtain wall modules are anchored to the building's structural frame, typically by being attached to the edge of the floor slabs. The curtain wall system connects to the slabs using brackets, anchors, and mullions, which transfer the loads imposed by wind and temperature changes, to the building's primary structural elements.

This setup allows the curtain wall to accommodate differential movement between the facade and the structural frame, such as thermal expansion, floor deflection, or sway from wind forces. This system's integration with the slab edges also allows for continuous insulation and weatherproofing layers.

Non-structural Curtain Wall Facade
Non-structural Curtain Wall Facade

From an aesthetic point of view, the facade features a blue glass curtain wall with some light-gray opaque bands that organize the facade in stacking sections of 5 floors each.

Each curtain wall module is divided into two sections, a large fixed pane on the top and a very narrow horizontal section at the bottom, through which the climatization machines can interchange air with the exterior.

There are also recessed balconies on each floor, although not every unit has one.

Sources

  • www.dreamtown.com
  • aviewoncities.com
  • www.magellandevelopment.com
  • www.chicagospropertyshop.com
  • en.wikipedia.org
  • www.usgbc.org
  • www.seechicagorealestate.com
  • dandamudis.com