Cities Within Buildings
“The Turbine"
5th Year Architectural Thesis
Advised by Ana de Brea and Dr. Cesar Cruz
2023-2024
Cities Within Buildings
Inspired by my love of Chicago and all things skyscraper, I sought to redefine and modernize the densely packed residential skyscraper and what it meant to live in a city. The thesis project focuses on the programmatic elements necessary to achieve the goal of a city within a building.
Bisected by Lake Shore Drive, the site chosen for the thesis presented various challenges. Known for the gigantic hole dug for foundations of a never-completed “Chicago Spire” designed by Santiago Calatrava in 2008, I also saw ample opportunity on the land claim.
The major driver of the thesis became the diverse and unique program. Mixing the public and private sectors up and down the vertical circulation of the building was done in an effort to produce the feel of a more “public” work of architecture.
Wind
Located on the edge of the Windy City, it seemed fitting to look at wind load as a resource rather than a design constraint. 4 floors are removed from the building and built to act as wind-generating blow-through floors. Using massive vertical wind turbines, “The Turbine” lives up to its name, and the concept of a wind turbine becomes a practical element of the architecture.
Structure
Taking inspiration from Calatrava’s twisted torso, The Turbine has a rigid concrete core and steel exoskeleton tied to the fins that support the rotation of the floor plates. The fins on the short sides of the building act as light control and are also an architectural element designed to emulate the fins of a vertical wind turbine.
Walkability
Located so centrally in the metropolitan area of Chicago, It was important to me to design an outdoor space around the building that people would want to occupy. In an effort to carry the same values I had in building design to the site, the site acts almost entirely as a public park. With several plazas with beautiful views of Navy Pier, Lake Michigan, and the Chicago River, the grounds of 400 Lake Shore would become a destination regardless if you had business in the building itself or not.
History
As The Turbine is largely inspired by Santiago Calatrava’s designs, I felt it necessary to design around and include the foundations of the uncompleted Chicago Spire. The void in the site is designed as a centerpiece of the main plaza, and even features a short pier that visitors can walk out on and observe the depth of the foundations.
Views
The Turbine twists and turns one degree each floor, and finishes its rotation 90 degrees offset from the bottom floor plate. Shown here from the 67th floor, looking west into Chicago, the view of the skyline is as beautiful as the opposite side’s view of the great lake.
Icon
The Turbine’s site location demands it play a pivotal role in the skyline of the city. The Turbine was designed with a few uncomplicated moves. from extruding the form vertically to rotating it along its central axis. The result is a unique silhouette that accentuates the already prominent skyline of Chicago.
