In his latest photo series, Paul Clemence turns his lens towards the newest addition to Chicago’s famed skyline: the undulating shapes of St. Regis Tower, formerly known as Vista Tower. Designed by Studio Gang, the 101-story supertall skyscraper makes its mark as Chicago’s third tallest building. Despite its size, the volume appears slender due to the flowing rhythm that defines its three nested towers.
The tower aims to enhance rather than disrupt its surrounding urban fabric. Sitting between downtown Lakeshore East Park and the Chicago Riverwalk, the careful design of the lower levels allows for a porous connection between the two attractions. Innovative structural systems are implemented to achieve this by completely elevating the second volume from the ground.
Rising from the skyline, the shape of the three interlocking towers is at the same time subtle, yet recognizable. The flowing appearance is generated by alternating the orientation of the towers’ main volumetric module: a 12-story truncated pyramid, also called a frustum. The wavering yet geometrical shape, evocative of Brâncuși’s celebrated Infinity Column, is more than just an aesthetic choice. It regulates sunlight and optimizes airflow from multiple orientations. In this way, the form serves the tower’s function, housing 393 condominiums and a 5-star hotel in addition to restaurants and various amenity spaces.
Paul Clemence’s photographs also highlight another defining building element. The gradient of color visible on the glass-clad façade indicates their varying degrees of reflectiveness. The material qualities of the high-performance glass are optimized for solar performance according to the variation in floorplate size. The image of the stepped edges is created by progressively increasing or decreasing the size of each floorplate from floor to floor, according to the orientation of their respective module.
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat has already recognized the qualities of St. Regis Tower by presenting it with two Awards of Excellence for the categories Best Tall Building 300-399 meters and Best Tall Mixed-Use Building for 2022.
Studio Gang is founded and led by Jeanne Gang. One of their most recognized and acclaimed buildings is the Aqua Tower, an 82-story skyscraper located on the same urban island as St Regis in Chicago. Other recent projects include Populus, the first carbon positive hotel in the United States, and American Museum of Natural History Expansion in New York.
