Lake Point Tower

The Lake Point Tower is a Modern Style skyscraper designed by Schipporeit & Heinrich, in association with Graham, Anderson, Probst & White, and built between 1965 and 1968 in Chicago, IL.

Its precise street address is 505 North Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL. You can also find it on the map here.

The Lake Point Tower has received multiple architecture awards for its architectural design since 1968. The following is a list of such prizes and awards:

• Chicago Building Congress Merit Award in 1968
• Chicago Chapter AIA Distinguished Building Award in 1969
• Chicago Chapter AIA Distinguished Merit Award in 1970
• American Institute of Architects National Honor Award in 1970
• Chicago Chapter AIA 25 Year Award in 1994
• Mayor Daley’s Landscape Award in 2009
• SOAR Beautification Award in 2019

The architects George D. Schipporeit and John Heinrich were students of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Some architecture critics note that the tower's dark, curved facade pays homage to Miesian modernist aesthetics, comparing it to the Glass Skyscraper that Mies designed in 1922 in Berlin.

Schipporeit & Heinrich was the architecture firm in charge of the architectural design, in association with Graham, Anderson, Probst & White. But there was also one other architect involved, as far as we know. We are talking about William Goodman.

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 Lake Point Tower a reality:

• William Schmidt & Associates in charge of Structural Engineering
• Crane Construction as the Main Contractor
• William F. Hartnett Jr., and Charles Shaw as the Main Developer

The Lake Point Tower can be categorized as a Modern Style building.

By their own nature, the Modern and International Styles can still look current, even in contemporary buildings. So that's not to say the Lake Point Tower appeared old or outdated when it was completed, but Schipporeit & Heinrich certainly did not take many risks when it came to choosing the design style. This made the building look more "classic" and integrated within the city's architecture.

The Lake Point Tower uses a frame structure made of 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.

From an aesthetic point of view, the facade features a curvilinear curtain wall made of bronze polarized glass and golden anodized aluminum, which covers the Y-shaped structure. This layout allows all residences to have views of the lake while ensuring that occupants do not overlook each other.

The tower's four-level base, which houses the parking area, is clad in green glazed bricks.