UBS Tower
Today’s architectural marvel is the UBS Tower located at One North Wacker Drive, just across the Chicago River from the Heller International Building. Standing at 651 feet (199 meters) and designed by Lohan Associates, this 50-foot skyscraper has a jagged east profile, with “steps” at the 19th and 34th floors.
The tower’s lobby is also an incredible sight, bearing a 40-foot transparent wall made of square glass panes hanging on a web of cables and medallions. This cable system, the first of its kind in the United States, can stand the pressure of a wind speed of nearly 250 miles per hour. The glass panels are also unique, with a surface reflectivity of less than 1%. Most glass has a 7% reflectivity, meaning that this lobby’s glass panels allow even more light into the building than normal.
Photo credit: (c/o Flickr) polomex, corydalus, polomex
UBS Tower: 1 N Wacker Drive
Public trans: Bus # 14, 20, X20, 38, 56, 60, 124, 125, 127, 157
Brown/Pink/Purple/Orange Line train (Washington)
http://www.ubs.com/
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