OVERVIEW

Working on Chicago’s “Queen” of the Skyline

DCA Contracting Services takes great pride in helping shape Chicago’s skyscape. 311 South Wacker Drive is one of the tallest concrete structures globally and is known in Chicago as the “Queen” of the skyline. The building is crowned by a 105-foot-tall translucent atrium surrounded by four other crown-like glazed masses. These crowns illuminate the city at night, making 311 S. Wacker one of the most recognizable buildings in the Chicago skyline. The ground floor is equally as impeccable as the crown. Two levels are designated as a “winter garden,” and an 86-foot high glazed roof splashes sunlight throughout the open space offering a welcoming realm to all visitors and tenants alike in the lobby. This 961′ tall building accommodates 1.4M square feet and was awarded by AIA “Citation for Distinguished Architecture.”

311 South Wacker Drive is a post-modern 65-story skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois, completed in 1990. At 961 feet (293 m) tall, it is the ninth tallest building in Chicago and the 32nd tallest in the United States. It was once the tallest reinforced concrete building in the world. 311 South Wacker was also the tallest building in the world, known only by its street address until it was surpassed in height by New York’s 432 Park Avenue in 2015.

The lower level of the winter garden was designed for a possible connection via an underground passageway to Chicago Union Station. The building also contains three levels of underground parking. The building includes both retail and commercial tenants. The top of the building is a 105-foot (32 m)-tall translucent cylinder, surrounded by four other smaller cylinders inspired by the Tribune Tower’s massing. This makes it among the most visible Chicago skyscrapers at night, as its crown is brightly illuminated. The five cylinders on top are lit at night by 1,852 fluorescent tubes, and a lantern at the top changes colors for various holidays and special events. DCA Contracting Services managed to construct 65-stories while the building was simultaneously being mined, to accommodate a three-level parking structure.

• 7th tallest building in Chicago
• 24th tallest in the USA
• 961′-00″ tall

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