University Apartments

The University Apartments is an International Style skyscraper designed by I. M. Pei, with Araldo Cossutta as lead architect, and built between 1959 and 1961 in Chicago, IL.

University Apartments 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 University Apartments is also known, or has been known as, University Park Condominiums, or University Gardens Apartments.

Its precise street address is 1400-1451 E.55th Street, Chicago, IL. You can also find it on the map here.

The University Apartments is a structure of significant importance both for the city of Chicago and the United States as a nation. The building embodies the distinctive characteristic features of the time in which it was built and the International Style style. Because of that, the University Apartments was officially included in the National Register of Historic Places on December 22^nd 2005.

The two buildings are identical in their structure and layout. Their design was influenced by Le Corbusier's architecture, it rises on large rectangular concrete pillars, housing a lobby and outdoor communal spaces on the ground floor. Above this base there are 9 floors, with 270 residences in each building. Both buildings are separated by a garden courtyard.

I. M. Pei, with Araldo Cossutta as the lead architect, was the architecture firm in charge of the architectural design. But there was also one other architect involved, as far as we know. We are talking about Loewenberg & Loewenberg.

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 August Komendant in charge of Structural Engineering.

The University Apartments can be categorized as an International Style building.

The University Apartments was completed in 1961. By 1961 the International Style movement had already left its early days behind and could be considered a mature movement, which does not mean it was loved and accepted by everyone, on the contrary. The International Style was accepted by the architecture community way before it was by the general public, and it is therefore likely that the University Apartments was not well received by everyone at the time.

The University Apartments 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 window wall system, which by itself is non-load-bearing. However, in this case, the facade is technically load-bearing, since there are structural elements that have been integrated into it, adirectly influencing the facade’s design.

Window walls are easier to install than curtain walls, often resulting in reduced construction time and cost. However, the exposed edge of the slabs, and in this case other structura elements too, are weak points in terms of thermal insulation. These areas need to be carefully detailed to prevent thermal bridging and potential condensation issues.

From an aesthetic point of view, the facade features a concrete wall that creates a lattice effect where the arched windows, extending from floor to ceiling and framed with aluminum, are deeply embedded. They form rows of 12 windows per floor on the east and west facades and 108 windows on the north and south facades, separated by concrete, structural columns.

Other materials found at the University Apartments include, bamboo wood, found on the floors of all apartments, and hard wood, used in solid doors of the closets.