UBS Tower

Infobox Skyscraper
building_name=UBS Tower


previous_building=
year_built=
surpassed_by_building=
year_highest=
year_end=
plural=
location=Chicago, Illinois
status=Complete
groundbreaking=
constructed=1999
est-completion=
opening=2002
destroyed=
use=Offices
antenna_spire=
roof=651
top_floor=
floor_count=50
floor_area=
architect= Lohan Associates
contractor=
developer=John Buck Company
owner=

UBS Tower is a 651 foot (199 m) tall skyscraper located at One North Wacker Drive in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The 50 story structure, started in 1999 and completed in the spring of 2002, was designed by Lohan Associates with developer the John Buck Company to accommodate the needs of UBS groups such as UBS Warburg, UBS PaineWebber, UBS Global Asset Management and UBS O’Connor in a single building.

Building

The UBS Tower was the first large multi-tenant tower to be constructed in Chicago since 1993

Architecture

The tower's most eye-catching feature is its main lobby. The lobby's glass wall was a first in the United States. The convert|40|ft|m|0|sing=on wall was made out of 5'x5' glass panes attached to a system of medallions and cable. This cable system was tested at pressures above 150 psf, or a wind speed of nearly 250 mph. The glass itself is also noteworthy- an optical interference anti-reflective glass (designed by Schott AG) with an unusually low surface reflectivity of 1% is used. This imbues the lobby with an almost transparent appearance.

Exterior landscaping was designed by the Berkeley, Calif.-based firm, Peter Walker and Partners Landscape Architecture Inc.

Artwork

Artwork throughout the building is drawn from the UBS PaineWebber Collection of contemporary art pieces and from the UBS Global Asset Management collection of architectural relics. Roy Lichetenstein’s sculpture, Archaic Head, is displayed on the 38th floor near Louis Sullivan’s elevator gate, claimed from the old Chicago Stock Exchange.

Use

With convert|1754000|sqft|m2|-2 of floorspace, UBS Tower's rents are the highest per square foot of any building in the Chicago Metropolitan Area at an average of over $381 per square foot. The building amenities also include a two story underground garage for senior executives, One North Kitchen and Bar, a Conference Center, Fitness Center and Convienience Store.

Awards

In March 2002, the building was recognized as “Development of the Year” at the 14th Annual Greater Chicago Commercial Real Estate Awards.

ee also

*List of skyscrapers
*List of tallest buildings in the United States
*List of tallest buildings in Chicago
*World's tallest structures

References

* [http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=100401 Emporis listing]
* [http://www.ubs.com/1/e/media_overview/media_americas/virtualpresskits/ubs_tower_chicago.html Press kit]