Posted by admin | March 20, 2010 | No Comments » |
We are proud to announce that our latest development, Aqua at Lakeshore East, has captured the acclaimed international Emporis Skyscraper Award for 2009. Awarded every year since 2000, this prestigious award commends one building each year on its “outstanding architectural design and functionality.”
This year, Aqua was the standout winner. According to the officials who chose the winner at Emporis, a German-based company that specializes in collecting information about public and commercial buildings, Aqua was “the decisive favorite of our jury, which selected it by a clear margin over the second-place winner.” After our years of hard work on the project, we couldn’t be prouder.
Recently completed at 225 N. Columbus Drive on the west end of our Lakeshore East community, the 82-story mixed-use Aqua tower is believed to be the tallest skyscraper ever designed by an architectural team headed by a woman. Aqua was designed by Jeanne Gang, principal of Studio/Gang Architects, and our affiliate, Loewenberg Architects.
About the Selection Process
Emporis is particularly qualified to give an international award for best skyscraper, since it is a company that gathers information about buildings around the world. In its database are more than hundreds of thousands of buildings worldwide, and it keeps track of all skyscraper projects around the world. Emporis defines a skyscraper as an enclosed building divided into multiple floors with a height of at least 300 feet. Emporis’ selection jury consists of 30 senior editors from the company, 12 of whom are from the U.S.
More on Aqua’s Emporis Award
The aim of the award is to reward skyscraper projects for their ambition, quality of design and functionality, and “to throw the spotlight onto buildings that represent the best of our human culture.” According to the company, skyscrapers are a symbol of our civilization because “An imposing, architecturally appealing structure that harmonizes with its surroundings reflects on mankind as a progressive upward-reaching community.” We are honored that they considered Aqua the best embodiment of this philosophy in the past year.
Previous winners include 30 St. Mary Axe (or “The Gherkin”) in London, Hearst Tower in New York City, and Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower i
