_{Students of the Masters of Tall Buildings and Vertical Urbanism (MTBVU) program, along with Dr. Antony Wood, Director of the MTBVU Program, visited Studio Gang's Chicago Office on 3 March.}

Students of the Masters of Tall Buildings and Vertical Urbanism (MTBVU) program had a great opportunity to visit Studio Gang's Chicago office, on 3 March 2025. This visit was organized by Dr. Antony Wood, Director of the MTBVU program, and was kindly supported by Studio Gang. For the past twenty years, Studio Gang has been actively involved in numerous Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) activities, including chairing the Best Tall Building Awards jury and speaking at our conferences. Their high-rise work is regarded as among the best internationally.    

_{Thorsten Johann, Design Principal; Harry Soenksen, Senior Technical Design Director; and Claire Cahan, Principal at Studio Gang, delivered a presentation on their high-rise projects.}

Upon arrival, the office visit began with a presentation on Studio Gang’s projects by Thorsten Johann, Design Principal; Harry Soenksen, Senior Technical Design Director; and Claire Cahan, Principal. The students enjoyed learning more about high-rise projects such as Aqua at Lakeshore East, The St. Regis Chicago, Populus, and Mira, which inspired and encouraged them to develop strategies they could incorporate into their own studio projects.  

_{Left: Andi Altenbach, Archivist and Librarian at Studio Gang, guided the students through the model shop;
Right: Students explored various physical models in the shop, representing Studio Gang's renowned projects.}

Following the presentation, Andi Altenbach, Archivist and Librarian, guided the MTBVU group through the impressive spaces and facilities at Studio Gang’s Chicago office, including the model shop, where students had the opportunity to explore various high-rise projects up close in model form. This experience provided valuable insights into the early design process and the integration of intricate geometries into high-rise projects.

Many thanks to our colleagues at Studio Gang for hosting this special visit! Check out some of Studio Gang’s notable high-rise projects below, which the students learned about during the visit.

_{Left: A looking-up view of Aqua at Lakeshore East, Chicago, showcasing the series of flowing contours created by the outdoor terraces on the façade;
Right: Students had the opportunity to view one of the foam models created for the design of Aqua at Lakeshore East.}

Aqua at Lakeshore East, Chicago: Unlike a tower in an open field, new towers in urban environments must negotiate small viewing corridors between existing buildings. In response to this, the Aqua at Lakeshore East is designed to capture particular views that would otherwise be unattainable. A series of contours defined by outdoor terraces extends away from the face of the tower structure to provide views between neighboring buildings. The terraces inflect based on criteria such as the view, solar shading and size and type of dwelling. When viewed together, these unique terraces make the building appear to undulate, presenting a highly sculptural appearance that is rooted in function.

_{Left: An overall view of The St. Regis Chicago as seen from the Chicago River. © Tom Harris, courtesy of Studio Gang;
Right: A physical model of The St. Regis Chicago, positioned on the site model alongside surrounding buildings.}

The St. Regis Chicago: Upon completion, The St. Regis Chicago became Chicago’s third tallest building and the tallest building within the mixed-use Lake Shore East development located near the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. Proximity to the river and the city’s renown lakefront park system, as well as placement upon a north-south view corridor within the city’s street grid, provides for a high level of prominence for the mixed-use building. The reinforced concrete structure is composed of a series of stacked frustrum-shaped volumes moving rhythmically in and out of plane and extruded vertically into four sections extending to various heights.

_{Left: A view from the street captures the main entrance of Populus, Denver, and the openings above it, where light is transferred. © Jason O’Hear, courtesy of Studio Gang;
Right: The eye-shaped windows, inspired by Colorado's aspen trees, are designed based on the views from the interior spaces. © Jason O’Hear, courtesy of Studio Gang}

Populus, Denver: Rather than pull from the typical examples of prow-like or Flatiron typologies for the project, Studio Gang heavily modeled the structure after Colorado’s aspen trees (pulling the name from its scientific classification, Populus tremuloides, not the stadium designers) and the project wears the influences on its sleeve. The façade, arranged in columns of white “tree trunks,” is pocked with eye-shaped windows reminiscent of the distinctive black knots left behind when a branch is removed.

Learn more about IIT's MTBVU program here.