Opening the Loop

The Mills Corp. (Arlington, Va.) has broken ground on a new mixed-use facility in the heart of Chicago’s Loop.

Gensler (San Francisco) is design architect of the 400,000-square-foot retail, entertainment and transportation component of the project, on North State Street, that also includes office space, a ground-level broadcast studio, a luxury hotel and residential units.

Perkins + Will (Chicago) is architect of record for the office tower and Rockwell Group (New York) is responsible for interior design and signage.

The office tower and broadcasting studio are expected to be completed by late 2007, the retail, dining and entertainment component by spring 2008. A Chicago Transit Authority train station will provide service to O’Hare and Midway airports.

“Our goal was to embrace and enhance the vibrant street life of Chicago’s Loop,” said Gensler’s design director, David Epstein. Stressing visual transparency, glass facades invite visitors and integrate the development with the streetscape. The project incorporates the concepts of reflection, observation and sight, which have been pivotal in the success of Millennium Park, where sculptures by international artists have captured the public’s attention by reflecting multiple images of the city’s inhabitants.

A vertical art installation on the State Street facade by artist James Carpenter will feature projected video imagery of the city with Gensler-designed stainless-steel panels on either side, which will undulate in a basket-weave pattern that reflects the buildings and street life around them. “It’s got all of the components to become a major city icon,” said Grant Uhlir, Gensler’s project director. “There’s no doubt it will make downtown even more attractive to workers, residents and visitors.”