One Bennett Park Building

The One Bennett Park Building is a Contemporary skyscraper designed in 2013 by Robert A.M. Stern Architects, with Kyung Sook Gemma Kim, Daniel Lobitz and Robert A.M. Stern as lead architect, in association with GREC Architects, and built between 2016 and 2018, for a reported $400 million dollars, in Chicago, IL.

Its precise street address is 451 East Grand Avenue, Chicago, IL. You can also find it on the map here.

In 2020 the One Bennett Park Building was awarded with the ENR Midwest, Best Project Awards - Residential/Hospitality.

Robert A.M. Stern Architects, with Kyung Sook Gemma Kim, Daniel Lobitz and Robert A.M. Stern as the lead architect, was the architecture firm in charge of the architectural design, in association with GREC Architects.

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 One Bennett Park Building a reality:

• Thornton Tomasetti in charge of Structural Engineering
• LendLease as the Main Contractor
• Related Midwest as the Main Developer
• WMA in charge of MEP Engineering
• Michael van Valkenburgh in charge of Landscape Architecture
• Tomás Saraceno as the collaborating Artist

The One Bennett Park Building 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 One Bennett Park Building is inspired by the art-deco style.

The One Bennett Park Building 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 modular, or panelized system. This type of facade can function as either a window wall or a curtain wall, depending on the design. Unlike traditional glass curtain walls or window walls though, the modular facade is not primarily composed of glass. Instead, it often features more opaque panels that mimic masonry or stone-clad finishes, with smaller windows cut into the panels.

This type of facade allows the building to benefit from the modern qualities of a curtain wall while giving the design team flexibility to achieve visual aesthetics beyond the all-glass modern skyscraper.

From an aesthetic point of view, the facade features a curtain wall system of precast concrete clad panels with embedded floor-to-ceiling windows.

Vertical setbacks enhance the facade's architectural interest, adding depth and dimensionality. At the very top, crowning the tower, a striking lantern, which houses mechanical equipment, creates a memorable silhouette against the skyline.