Projects:
Hyatt Center, 71 South Wacker
Chicago, Illinois
Office
completed
All lateral loads are resisted by the narrow curved core walls of this 2005 SEAOI Excellence in Engineering Merit Award Winner. At 700 feet, this office tower is one of the tallest examples of an efficient composite structural scheme. Outside the core, structural steel beams span from the core walls to perimeter steel columns, supporting lightweight floor slabs with lease spans of 42 feet and perimeter bays of 38 feet. The result: breathtaking open floor plates, nearly transparent exterior structure and, as all members are equal length, economic floor framing. Blast mitigation provisions were also incorporated in this first post-9/11 Chicago office tower. HP integrated these aesthetic and technical needs to provide a structural solution with a minimal cost premium over a standard rectangular building.
