Citadel Center

The Citadel Center is a Contemporary skyscraper designed by Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura, and built between 2000 and 2003, for a reported $185 million dollars, in Chicago, IL.

Citadel Center is not the only name you might know this building by though. The building is, or has also been known as Dearborn Center.

Its precise street address is 131 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, IL. You can also find it on the map here.

A limited edition of one of the most famous sculptures in the world, "Winged Victory of Samothrace", was exhibit on the lobby for many years, until 2018.

At the time of its completion in 2003 the Citadel Center incorporated solutions that were quite advanced at the time, these included the use of an elevated-floor pressurized plenum system, enabling effective underfloor air circulation and personalized climate control through diffusers mounted on the floor. It was the first time that this innovative approach, which enhances the well-being of occupants by ensuring a continuous supply of fresh air throughout the entire vertical space, was used in Chicago.

Research indicates that such measures contribute to a healthier and more conducive working environment, and also, contributed to the building getting the Energy Star certification and the LEED Gold award.

The building underwent a major restoration in 2018.

Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura 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 at the very least we know that there was one other part involved, that was Paul Beitler development co. as the Main Developer.

The Citadel Center can be categorized as a Contemporary building.

That being said, and even thought being a contemporary building, probably taking advantage of modern materials, construction techniques, and technology, the design of the Citadel Center is inspired by the postmodernism style.

The Citadel Center uses a frame structure made of steel columns and reinforced concrete 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 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.

From an aesthetic point of view, the facade features a blue-colored, all glass, curtain wall that mirrors its surroundings.

The lobby is quite monumental, with super high 9-meter ceilings.