Project 300 north lasalle chicago

Building high in 
the Windy city 
is not a charge
to be taken lightly. 
New haven–based 
Pickard chilton has
risen to the challenge 
with this 1.3 million-
square-foot, 60-story tower 

on the north bank of the chicago river that 
emphatically states its presence.
in devising the scheme, the architects worked
closely with chicago developer hines and
anticipated anchor tenant, the international law
firm of Kirkland & ellis (K&e), which previously
occupied edward durell Stone and Perkins and
Will’s aon center. With a new home for K&e, 
the team hoped to create a visible identity as well
as a high-performance transparent building that
connected with the waterfront, attracted talent,
and enabled K&e to use less square footage 
moreefficiently while maximizing perimeter offices.
“the design of 300 North laSalle was instrumental 
in securing the anchor tenant K&e,”
says hines vice president jim Walsh. “the building
needed to create an image of quality. 


Pickardchilton’s selection of materials, from the curtain
wall’s stainless steel to material choices in the lobby 
and the public plazas, as well as their detail in the overall 
design, achieved that goal.” this and flexible, efficient floor 
plans were also instrumental in attracting tenants for the
25,000-squarefoot rentable floor plates. 
“in many cases,” points out Walsh, “these tenants will be
 paying more per square foot but taking less square footage.”
to maximize daylighting and views, the team raised the ceilings
to about 10 feet and employed floor-to-ceiling low-e glass 
(with stainless steel shade fins). and to achieve leed Gold cS






architectural record may 2011