Wanda Vision

Chicago Architectural Imagery—The Wanda Vista Tower

Now known as the St. Regis Chicago, the Wanda Vista Tower is a beautiful building. It's one of those things, like the Grand Canyon, or an XKE, or a leopard gliding through the brush, that you just stare at and wonder "how?" In this case, the "thing" is the world's tallest building designed by a female architect, and Chicago's third tallest skyscraper; the "how" is remarkable. Per the Wiki:

"Unlike in most buildings, the building's perimeter columns step inward and outward instead of going directly upwards. Each column projects about 5 inches outward or inward from the one below it. This was chosen over using columns set on a diagonal, which would have sacrificed interior space.

"The superstructure uses a buttressed core. There are two elevator cores, one each within the west and east masses, which are connected by a concrete spine. The concrete spine is 508 feet (155 m) tall, rising from floors 15 to 51. Walls also extend from the concrete spine to the perimeter of the building. The central mass is carried above a pathway that connects Lakeshore East to the Chicago Riverwalk.[78][81] Columns that descend into the foundations support a 123-ft-long spine wall. This 2-ft-thick spine transfers wind loads from the central mass to the cores of the west and east masses.[81]

"The building contains uninhabited 'blow-through floors' to reduce wind-induced sway.[78][82] Floor 83 was originally supposed to be a condominium floor, but it was converted into a blow-through floor following a wind tunnel test. The blow-through floors are covered by vertical grates that measure 24 feet (7.3 m) high and are painted the same color as the windows.[82] Six tuned mass damper tanks, holding more than 400,000 US gallons (1,500,000 L; 330,000 imp gal) of water, counteract the movement of the wind. Two of the dampers are on the 83rd floor, while the other four dampers are near the top of the building. The roof of the central mass contains an outdoor terrace spanning 8,000 square feet (740 m2).

In 2021, I trekked to Chicago for my Pizzapocalypse '21 adventure. I flew in, and took the train home. I did not plan serious photography, so it was iPhone only. There is a freedom that comes with just carrying a phone camera and not being under any pressure to shoot a portfolio-worthy image. And so it was that I spent a lot of time imaging the Wanda Vista Tower from a number of different perspectives, but especially from Maggie Daley Park, which also contains a very moving Cancer Survivors' Garden. The image to the right is one of those iPhone sketch shots.

I would return to Chicago in 2022 with Mary and separately for a private workshop with Julia Ann Gaspodarou. These sessions would lead to some very gratifying imagery, one such of which is the Wanda Vista Tower in monochrome, the Portfolio image below.

Provenance: Leica M11 • Voigtlander 15mm

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