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170 N. May & 175 N. Racine Chicago

Chicago, IL

Design
2023-2024
Project Area
1,000,000 square feet
Consultants
Thornton Tomasetti, Structural; Mackie Consultants, Civil; Confluence, Landscape; Salas O'Brien, MEPFP; Jenkins and Huntington, Vertical Transportation; Shiner, Acoustics; Kaplan Gehring McCarroll, Lighting
Materials
Brick Podium, Vision Glass, Spandrel Glass, Metal Panels

Located in Chicago's vibrant Fulton Market neighborhood, this project consists of two mixed-use towers: 170 N May, a 25-story building, and 175 N Racine, which rises to 38 stories. The design centers around the principles of interaction and scale, with the massing carefully developed to respond to the surrounding context. This approach creates a pedestrian-friendly environment along all street frontages, with retail space at the ground level to activate the streetscape.

The building forms are designed to reduce the perceived height and minimize the imposing nature of the towers when viewed from the surrounding neighborhood, with special attention given to Randolph Street. Multiple setbacks are incorporated throughout the design, creating interactive terracing between the buildings and the adjacent street levels, fostering a dynamic connection with the public realm.

The materiality and facade expression have been thoughtfully developed to provide a responsive and respectful aesthetic, ensuring the towers blend seamlessly with the architectural context of the area.