111 E. Wacker

The renovation connected both buildings, as well as opened up the north elevation of the building to Wacker drive.
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Ventana was selected to design, manufacture, and install the exterior wall systems at the lobby renovation of 111 East Wacker Drive. The project is located in downtown Chicago and was originally designed by world-famous architect Mies van der Rohe. The new design added retail space and a modern look in an initiative to reposition the property into a more attractive place to shop and work. The south elevation features a double-height retail space facing the Chicago River and on the north elevation a connector was added to link 111 East Wacker Drive to the adjacent 233 North Michigan Avenue building.

Approximately 18,000 square feet of custom, stick-built curtain wall was provided. The glass was structurally glazed to the mullions in the field. The T-shaped mullions are 13 inches deep and steel loaded in order to be able to free-span up to 34 feet in certain areas of the project. The mullions were sourced both locally and in China and the heaviest ones on the project weigh approximately 1,700 lbs. The glass was imported from Tianjin North Glass in China and the make-up used is 3/8 inch ply over 3/8 inch ply with a 0.060 inch PVB interlayer. In order to match the existing building, clear glass without low-E coatings was used. The largest glass lites are 10 foot wide by 18 foot tall and weigh about 1,900 lbs.

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