Trapped At Sea

           Another American Product.
           The new Aqua skyscraper that opened on 11.1.11 along the Chicago River next to Lake Michigan is as American as it gets, from an ethnocentric European perspective. The structure appears fancy at first but under further inspection just looks appealing but is not made to last. At a quick glance during a morning commute Aqua looks unfinished and when inspected at a closer distance, a notion of despondency lingers. Sure the building is a great place to live in because it features a half of a basketball court, a running track circling it, restaurants, a movie theater and a pool (among other amenities), but these things are just a gimmick, a marketing ploy, a feeling that resonates throughout this whole building. An excellent idea left rudderless in the ocean.
          Designed by Jeanne Gang and Jim Loewenberg under Studio Gang Architects, the most renowned feature of Aqua is its protruding cream white brises-soleils that undulate, each in its own unique manor. This emulates waves, complementing the two bodies of water in its vicinity, and create “solar shade.” Solar shade is an architectural “green” term that simply means an object that blocks the suns rays to stabilize indoor temperature without the use of heating of cooling. Albeit this feature has its flaws, along with other “green” purports.
          Aqua does incorporate some environmentally beneficial features such as rainwater collection systems, energy efficient lighting and public charging stations for electric cars yet other claims need rebuking and flaws need to be dove into as well as explored. The protestation of the benefits of solar shade brings up obvious drawbacks. The uneven balconies will most likely cause heating and cooling bills to be all over the charts, so each units “greenness” varies. On top of this, Chicago’s climate is harsh during the winter and therefore the shade prevents heating from the sun. Not so environmentally friendly. Furthermore the fact that the each of projecting platforms are the base of most floors means that during the winter they will radiate cold into the units. This results in higher heating costs. Also not too green. Over and above, the building features the second largest roof top garden in Chicago, which sounds environmentally friendly but after some research one finds out that it is actual located on an extension of the building where the pool, track and gazebos are located. The top roof’s content is currently unavailable; hardly sounds like the garden was erected for green purposes. What really clouts a nerve is the fact that in Edgar B. Howard’s film with Jeanne Gang, Gangs says “from (Aqua) it is easy to go out and do your shopping, be close to cultural institutions and to your place of work... so living in a high-rise is a much more sustainable pattern of development,” at about 265,000 for a studio. Really Gang, really? It is green because it is located downtown?
           Location. The building seems to have an appropriate homage near the Chicago River, Lake Michigan and the nautically themed buildings around it (The Tides, The Shoreham, and The Regatta) but its structural qualities say otherwise. In addition to the thermo-sensitivity of the terraces, the patios are molded out of concrete. A huge blunder; Chicagoans know the fate of exposed concrete to our conditions. An imminent fate awaiting these “innovations.” I do not doubt that there is a sort of sealant present to prevent water penetration, but this will require regular maintenance and does not address the bigger problem: thermal cracking. This has been a plague affecting the Marina City Towers for years. Quite frankly Aqua building is beginning to sound like it would be better situated in Miami.
           The most irksome quality of Aqua is the fact that it looks unfinished. The building is allegedly supposed to resemble a form of water, but other then the hotel’s lobby nothing is blue. The windows delude a blue color on a clear day however when approached on a dissimilar day, it takes on different colors. This trait presents a great anamorphic feature yet does not ride the tide of its claims as “Aqua.” Instead it comes off as a projected that was began but left unfinished by a boy afflicted by ADHD; a simple tinting of windows would have had a more outstanding, striking effect (See the John Hancock Tower in Boston). The creamy white balconies on the other hand, need not to be altered as they come across as being the tips of waves crashing in on themselves, following a meeting with shallow waters.
           No matter, all these “innovations” are just marketing schemes meant to bring in money. Rather then actually pushing the envelope, Studio Gang Architects created an illusion that they are creating something new. However behind the brandished brises-soleils stands a box, structured like most others in the world. Sure it will look esthetically pleasing for a few years but afterwards it will just fade away into the depth of the city.

          If one is looking to see a similar, more innovative and older piece of architecture look into the highly recommend Marina City Towers.