Skyscrapers are important landmarks of the city and contribute to urban quality, density, sustainability, and livability. Mixed-use high-rises that combine residential, hotel, and retail spaces, can make a positive contribution to Chicago’s Loop (Central Business District) in terms of urban vitality, and urban infrastructure. The project is designed to explore the relationship of the skyscraper to complex physical, social, and environmental context while engaging issues of detail and construction in expressing architectural ideas and concepts. 

The site is located on the north bank of the Chicago River in the 200 blocks of Chicago’s Streeterville District, immediately south of the NBC Tower. North Cityfront Plaza Drive on its western edge, North Water Street on its northern edge, and North Columbus Drive on its eastern edge define the site. Even in the current recession, this is an area of growingdemand for housing and hotel accommodations.