Project Manager/Senior Architect 727 W Madison, FitzGerald Associates Architects, Chicago, IL 5/16 to 6/19

495 unit, $135 million, 47 story, luxury rental apartments w/373 space parking podium, amenities, and 10ksf retail.

727 W Madison was a study in design with glass. Originally conceived of as a curtain wall design, the final design utilized an innovative new window wall product with spandrel glass slab edge covers, thereby realizing the look of curtain wall at the cost of window wall. Meanwhile, the curved shape actually decreased the facade to floor area ratio - ie less facade per square foot of floor area.

A little known characteristic of glass reflectivity was implemented effectively in the creation of diagonal stripes the full height of the elliptical shape. Different reflectivities of glass panels are perceived as dramatically different colors from the outside of the building, but are completely indistinguishable from the inside. It’s the same glass throughout. We simply varied the reflectivity.

Built on the parking lot of an existing hotel, the relationships between the new tower, Madison St. to the South, the hotel entrance to the north, the mid block dock entrance and the shared parking entrance for both the hotel and the tower were particularly challenging. The unique pedestrian plaza and new canopy combined with a tunneled entrance drive mid block from Madison street to the pedestrian plaza and between the tower and the garage resolved the dilemma.