One Chicago East Tower

The One Chicago East Tower is a Contemporary skyscraper designed in 2017 by Goettsch Partners , in association with Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture, and built between 2019 and 2022 in Chicago, IL.

One Chicago East Tower is not the only name you might know this building by though. It is common for companies to want to attach their names to iconic buildings when they move in, or for the general public to come up with nicknames, and this one is no exception. The building has changed names several times over the years, and is also known as:

• One Chicago Square Tower A.
• 732-758 North State Street.
• One Chicago Square East Tower.

Its precise street address is 1 West Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL. You can also find it on the map here.

The One Chicago East Tower has received multiple architecture awards for its architectural design since 2022. The following is a list of such prizes and awards:

• American Architecture Award by The Chicago Athenaeum in 2021
• Residential Development of the Year by the Chicago Commercial Real Estate Awards in 2022
• Multifamily Development of the Year by the NAIOP Chicago Chapter in 2022
• Multifamily Development of the Year by the Illinois Real Estate Journal Awards in 2023
• Design Excellence Award in the Architecture XL category by the American Institute of Architects, Chicago Chapter in 2023
• International Architecture Award by the The Chicago Athenaeum in 2023

The tower East tower is the tallest of the two towers that make up this development, and it's connected to the West Tower through a 10-story-high podium.

Goettsch Partners was the architecture firm in charge of the architectural design, in association with Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture.

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 Chicago East Tower a reality:

• Magnusson Klemencic Associates in charge of Structural Engineering
• Power Construction as the Main Contractor
• JDL as the Main Developer

The One Chicago East Tower can be categorized as a Contemporary building.

The One Chicago East Tower 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.

The two towers combined take up a full city block, which meant that digging a 4-story deep basement was a delicate task and had to be carefully planned. After reviewing options, a top-down method was chosen as the most efficient and cost-effective.

A strong secant wall and concrete slabs supported the basement, while the towers’ concrete cores were built from the bottom up in braced areas. These braces were removed gradually as work progressed downward.

Building the basement and towers simultaneously saved six months and allowed the parking garage to open before the residential units

From an aesthetic point of view, the facade features a continuous reflective glass surface with vertical aluminum accent elements that emphasize the building's height.

From a volumetric point of view the building is composed of five vertical rectilinear volumes with varying heights and setbacks, creating numerous terraces and a slimmer profile as the tower ascends.