Santiago Calatrava’s Chicago Spire project, currently a $50 million dollar hole in the earth, stands as a sobering reminder of the economic climate beginning in 2008. Located at the nexus of Lake Michigan, the Chicago River and downtown, it is a uniquely situated site wrought by logistical and economic challenges that have since become opportunities. Challenged by the client to reconsider the program-matic opportunities from single-use to mixed-use while holding to the original 2000’ height goal, we chose to focus on engagement rather than statistics.

The tower’s formal resolution is a product of privileging experiential opportunities characteristic of the unique sitefrom theindividualusertoaglobalconditions. By enabling access to the widest possible spectrum of audiences, it is sensitive to the local neighborhood conditions, provides a series of attractions at a critical connection point along the Lakefront for tourists and locals alike, stands as an icon to a citywide audience, and ultimately as a destination for international travelers. Ultimately, the Gateway Tower’s success is determined not by its prestige as the tallest tower in the Western hemisphere, but by its ability to engage along the full spectrum of public and private occupancy as well as the range of experiences from the accessible to the exclusive, audience.