1000 Lake Shore Plaza vs 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments

Comparing the 1000 Lake Shore Plaza and the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments is interesting because they both rise in Chicago, IL, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, Sidney Morris Associates and Mies van der Rohe, and were completed at different points in time. They were finished more than a decade apart.

This contrast within the same city allows us to see how different creative minds interpreted the evolving needs of Chicago across time.

Let's take a closer look!

The 1000 Lake Shore Plaza is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 591ft (180m) with 55 floors above ground, while the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments reaches 269ft (82m) with 26 floors above ground.

Of course, each project may have faced different briefs or regulatory constraints, which we don't really know about and could also explain the outcome.

Both the 1000 Lake Shore Plaza and the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the International Style style.

At the time, this style was at the height of its popularity. So both Sidney Morris Associates and Mies van der Rohe followed what was in many ways expected of them, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms, rather than breaking with convention.

Both the 1000 Lake Shore Plaza and the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments were designed to serve as residential towers, and that has remained their main use since their completion, serving similar roles in the urban fabric.

In terms of capacity, the 1000 Lake Shore Plaza offers 138 apartments, while the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments provides 248 units.

The 1000 Lake Shore Plaza also provides 244 parking spaces.

Both the 1000 Lake Shore Plaza and the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments rely on a Frame structural system.

A frame structure uses a grid of columns and beams to carry the building's loads. This frees the walls from structural duties, allowing for flexible floor plans and larger windows.

They also employ the same type of facade, a Window Wall facade.

A window wall system is installed between floor slabs. It is simpler and faster to build than curtain walls, but exposes slab edges and requires careful detailing to avoid thermal bridges.