From a planning standpoint, TODs help bring needed density to the transit nodes of the city of Chicago, providing a positive impact on the city. But what impact does the transit system have on the planning and design of these buildings? This impact can be felt in the design of Hubbard 221, a 23-story, 290,000 square foot residential mixed-use building located on a mid-block site with elevated tracks along its entire frontage, connecting two “S” curves. The building’s design responds to these elevated tracks by looking at the building uniquely in three distinct levels.
The base of the building, containing retail spaces and the residential lobby, is designed as a horizontal plane, clad in phenolic panels and glass storefront, relating to the horizontal space found underneath the tracks. The track level, relating to the 95-car parking podium, is clad in vertical ribbed, perforated metal panels that span between the floors without expressed framing, creating a curtain-like effect that shimmers in the sunlight and creates a feeling of movement for those passing by on the CTA. The upper floors were designed as a series of glass volumes that step back three times to help reduce its scale and create outdoor terraces for both the 195 residential units and the 21st floor amenity space / pool deck. The step-backs are articulated is a series of glass cubes that are bundled together around a central glass volume.
Located immediately adjacent to the CTA Brown Line tracks, acoustics played an important consideration in the design. The perforated metal panels that clad the garage absorb and decelerate the sound from the L trains. The building’s residential floors are clad in a high-performing, laminated glass window wall, providing beautiful views to the skyline and surrounding neighborhood while mitigating the effect of the train’s noise on the residential units. Glass, and thus the views, were able to be provided on all four facades, including the west façade located on the property line, by providing a deluge sprinkler system on the west facing glass. The 21st floor pool deck and amenity spaces were turned to face south, both to get more sunlight and to reduce the effect of the train noise on the outdoor spaces.
