Chicago Tribune Tower
Completed
2017
Chicago Cultural Centre, Chicago, US
5.5m x Ø 1.2 m
Chicago Architecture Biennial, Chicago, US
“Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”
- Excerpt from the King James Bible.
Just as the Tower of Babel is a powerful symbol of humanity’s ability and strength when united in a common goal and language, Kéré Architecture’s reimagining of this concept in form of the Tribune Tower for the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial embraces communication and community as driving forces for its design.
The proposal anticipates multiple aspects of modern life existing within the same building footprint such as housing, workplace, commerce and recreation. To accommodate these activities, the tower is composed of segmented blocks each with a central void. As opposed to a conventional skyscraper design with a technical core running through the centre, all structural and technical aspects of Kéré Architecture’s design exist in three separate cores pushed to the exterior. This way, the interior is freed up for a variety of dynamic amenities, communal functions or constructed landscapes.
Each block has the potential to host a different programme in relation to the vertical proximity to the city at ground level. For example, the crown of the tower may contain private apartments while the base holds a cultural centre. The design represents the value of a balanced work and life ratio while retaining meaningful connections with each other and with the places people live in.
A 16-foot tall, indigo-blue sculpture of the Tribune Tower was part of the Chicago Architecture Biennial’s exhibition Vertical City, which brought together 16 international designs of conceptual skyscrapers in the Sidney R. Yates Hall of the Chicago Cultural Centre.
“Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”
- Excerpt from the King James Bible.
Just as the Tower of Babel is a powerful symbol of humanity’s ability and strength when united in a common goal and language, Kéré Architecture’s reimagining of this concept in form of the Tribune Tower for the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial embraces communication and community as driving forces for its design.
The proposal anticipates multiple aspects of modern life existing within the same building footprint such as housing, workplace, commerce and recreation. To accommodate these activities, the tower is composed of segmented blocks each with a central void. As opposed to a conventional skyscraper design with a technical core running through the centre, all structural and technical aspects of Kéré Architecture’s design exist in three separate cores pushed to the exterior. This way, the interior is freed up for a variety of dynamic amenities, communal functions or constructed landscapes.
Each block has the potential to host a different programme in relation to the vertical proximity to the city at ground level. For example, the crown of the tower may contain private apartments while the base holds a cultural centre. The design represents the value of a balanced work and life ratio while retaining meaningful connections with each other and with the places people live in.
A 16-foot tall, indigo-blue sculpture of the Tribune Tower was part of the Chicago Architecture Biennial’s exhibition Vertical City, which brought together 16 international designs of conceptual skyscrapers in the Sidney R. Yates Hall of the Chicago Cultural Centre.
