At approximately 80,000 square feet, the rooftop amenity deck of the 82-story mixed-use Aqua tower at Lakeshore East is the largest and most diverse in Chicago, including luxury gardens, gazebos, swimming pools and cabañas, hot tubs, walking/running track, fire pit and barbecue grills.
By larry schaFFel
Lakeshore East Accentuates Green Rooftop Retreats the diverse lifestyle package at the blossoming lakeshore east community rising near the confluence of the Chicago river and lake michigan is enhanced by rooftop gardens both high and low.
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ach of the six completed residential towers at Lakeshore East is capped by a landscaped, rooftop sundeck that provides residents enviable views of the community’s award-winning park, the river and lake and fascinating cityscape views among its rooftop attractions. The first phase of 25 of Lakeshore East’s unique low-rise Parkhomes also includes 10 three-story homes with enormous rooftop terraces and a pair of luxurious single-level penthouses featuring private terraces atop the seven-story building. But while it does not precisely fit the description of a rooftop garden, the incomparable amenities deck of the community’s newest building produced by Magellan Development Group, the mixeduse Aqua is a combination rooftop garden with sprawling terraces and park features that provide a unique package. Already proclaimed as one of Chicago’s newest architectural landmarks because of the dramatic design of its
balconies and terraces, the distinctive Aqua mixed-use tower at Lakeshore East also incorporates an extraordinary amenities package.
Deck Features Diverse Amenities Magellan notes that Aqua occupants will enjoy access to more diverse amenities than in any building in any major city, indoors and out. The unique 80,000square-foot deck features luxury gardens, gazebos, pools and cabañas, hot tubs, a running track, fire pit and grills. Indoors, a 35,000-square-foot amenity floor will provide fitness facilities, indoor lap pool, a spa featuring a hot tub, sauna, steam and massage room, a private party suite with catering kitchen, coffee bar and lounge, media room, billiards and game area, business and conference center, library, skygarden and concierge services.
26 C h i C a g o l a n d B u i l d i n g & e n v i r o n m e n t S
Dramatic Design Aqua’s dramatic design is produced by outdoor balconies and terraces that form unique contours of different sizes and shapes that change gradually from the lower to the higher part of the 82story tower. Designed by Jeanne Gang of Studio/Gang Architects, the unique Aqua design features balconies up to 12 feet in width that appear as undulating waves and create a rippling effect that Gang explains mirror the striated outcroppings and formations visible throughout the Great Lakes region. Aqua is the first high-rise in Chicago specifically designed to feature condominiums, rental, hotel and retail spaces in a single structure.
Preview of the Future Nearing completion, the Aqua is a blend of 264 luxury condominiums rising from a level equal to or higher than many city penthouse levels, 475 rental units, 210 hotel units, 42,000 square feet of office space and 37,000 square feet of retail space. Lakeshore East is a preview of the future, a mixed-use development where people can live, work, shop, eat and pur-
autumn 2009