Waldorf Astoria Chicago

The Waldorf Astoria Chicago is a Contemporary skyscraper designed between 2002 and 2005 by Lucien Lagrange Architects, and built between 2006 and 2009, for a reported $238 million dollars, in Chicago, IL.

Waldorf Astoria Chicago is not the only name you might know this building by though. Between 2009 and 2012 it was also known as The Elysian.

Its precise street address is 11 East Walton Street, Chicago, IL. You can also find it on the map here.

The Waldorf Astoria Chicago has received multiple architecture awards for its architectural design since 2009. The following is a list of such prizes and awards:

• Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards in 2012
• Certificate of Excellence Award de TripAdvisor. in 2013

Lucien Lagrange Architects 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 here is a list of the people we do know also played their part in making the Waldorf Astoria Chicago a reality:

• Halvorson and Partners in charge of Structural Engineering
• James McHugh Construction Co. as the Main Contractor
• Elysian Development as the Main Developer
• Kadlec in charge of Interior Design

The Waldorf Astoria Chicago 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 Waldorf Astoria Chicago is inspired by the neoclassical style.

The Waldorf Astoria Chicago 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 of the building however, is load bearing. This doesn't imply that it is a traditional load-bearing wall. Rather, it means that the structure's exterior pillars have been pushed to the very edges, becoming integrated with the facade, and therefore, technically, a part of it.

From an aesthetic point of view, the facade features a stone-clad facade with floor-to-ceiling windows in white frames. The windows are divided into two panes, a fixed glass spandrel and a larger pane above.

Adding to its Parisian charm a cobblestone courtyard reminiscent of the grand hotels of Paris in the 1920s, complete with colonnades, spires, and a motor court.