Aqua

Aqua is an 82-story mixed-use skyscraper in downtown Chicago’s Lakeshore East, built on a former rail yard near the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. Designed by Jeanne Gang’s team at Studio Gang, it was the firm’s first skyscraper and, upon completion, the world’s tallest building designed by a woman. Its most distinctive feature is a façade of rippling concrete balconies inspired by Great Lakes limestone formations, which also provide shade and help deflect wind. Combining residences, hotel space, retail, and offices, Aqua became a prominent symbol of Lakeshore East’s redevelopment and helped establish Jeanne Gang as a major figure in contemporary skyscraper design.

Chicago, Illinois · United States