One Chicago Wins Prestigious 2023 International Architecture Award

One Chicago, a two-tower luxury residential and mixed-use complex completed last year, has won the 2023 International Architecture Award. The project was led by JDL Development and designed in partnership between renowned architecture firms GP and Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture (HPA). The award is sponsored by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design together with The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies. Located on a full-block site in Chicago’s River North area, the development (www.liveonechicago.com) features two residential towers and a shared podium. At 971 feet (295.8 meters), the taller east tower is the tallest all-residential building in the city and the 8th tallest overall.

The project totals approximately 2,200,000 square feet and includes 812 residential units, 55,000 square feet of office space, parking, and 188,000 square feet of retail, featuring a flagship Whole Foods Market, a premier Life Time fitness and wellness center, a restaurant, and a large roof garden on top of the podium.

“We are honored to have One Chicago receive this global recognition,” said Jim Letchinger, CEO of JDL Development. “The project is a testament to a collaborative team effort in developing the latest high-rise landmark for the city.”

The 77-story east tower anchors the development’s southeast corner at State and Superior streets and contains 276 apartments and 77 condominiums. Set back approximately 45 feet along its eastern side, the tower design creates new open space that provides a buffer from street activity as well as an amenity for residents, patrons and the public, including visitors to Holy Name Cathedral across State Street. The tower is composed of five vertical, rectilinear bars that drop off at varying heights as the program mix changes. The setbacks allow for multiple large terraces and create a more slender form as the tower rises. Expressive fins varying in width reinforce the verticality of the building, giving the façades a distinct texture. At the tower base, the residential lobby, amenity spaces and a large terrace open up to the urban park.

“The east tower may be seen as referencing historic Art Deco,” said James Goettsch, FAIA, chairman and co-design director of GP. “However, we feel that with the building’s refined architectural detailing, emphasis on verticality and elegant profile on the skyline, the design is clearly contemporary. The setback at the ground level respectively defers to the cathedral while enhancing the pedestrian experience along State Street.”

The north tower, 49 stories tall and containing 391 apartments, anchors the northwest corner of the development at Chicago and Dearborn streets. Similar to the east tower, the building features roof terraces formed by the tower setbacks that provide private outdoor living spaces for residents.

The podium is wrapped with activated functions, including 68 apartments, as well as the Whole Foods Market, Life Time fitness center, office space, event spaces and a restaurant. Private residential amenities on the 10th floor extend out onto the upper podium roof deck, which provides an unusually large outdoor amenity in the heart of the city and overlooks the expansive series of pool decks offered by the fitness and wellness center. To bring circulation off the street and support logistics for the various building functions, all traffic, services and parking for the development are enclosed and controlled within the podium via a covered auto court, a truck turntable on the ground-floor loading dock, and basement loading areas.

“One Chicago has transformed an underutilized site in the heart of River North into a dynamic, multifaceted development,” said Jim Plunkard, AIA, founding partner of HPA. “The project has been thoughtfully crafted to integrate millions of square feet of new programming into an authentic, urban experience for building users, neighborhood residents and the city as a whole.”

The annual International Architecture Awards recognize excellence in architecture and urbanism from a global perspective. For 2023, a jury of architects and designers from Austria, Germany, Italy and the U.S. selected almost 150 submissions from a shortlist of more than 850 projects. The program pays tribute to new developments in design and underscores the directions and understanding of current cutting-edge processes consistent with today’s design thinking.