Archinect - News

Four landmark tall towers by AS+GG: Your Next Employer?

2024-02-05T12:55:00-05:00

Following last week’s visit to San Francisco-based JENSEN Architects, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to Chicago this week to explore the work of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture.

From their studios across Chicago and Beijing, the firm operates along an ethos “dedicated to the design of high-performance, energy-efficient and sustainable architecture on an international scale.” Among the firm’s varied portfolio across mixed-use complexes, corporate offices, and cultural architecture, are a series of significant tall and super-tall towers across the world; projects which recently formed the basis of a book by the firm titled Supertall | Megatall: How High Can We Go?

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring for several positions to join their Chicago office. For candidates interested in applying for a position, or anybody interested in learning about the firm’s output, we have rounded up four landmark tall towers by AS+GG that exemplify the studio’s...

Zero-carbon Forbes International Tower, designed by AS+GG Architecture, proposed for Egypt's new capital

2023-02-02T15:34:00-05:00

Forbes and Egyptian real estate development company Magnom Properties have announced plans to construct a 55-story zero-carbon commercial tower in Egypt’s New Administrative Capital outside of Cairo. Called the Forbes International Tower, this marks the first time the media giant has branded a commercial tower. Its design is led by Chicago-based Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture.

The partnership was announced on the concluding day of the recent Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos last month, where world leaders and experts discussed the need for sustainable climate solutions in urban development. A Memorandum of Understanding to develop the project was signed by the Group Chairman of Rawabi Holding and Chairman of Magnom Properties, Abdulaziz Al Turki, and Forbes CEO, Mike Federle.

“Cities play a critical role in our race to reach net zero and buildings, which are responsible for up t...

New AS+GG book explores design process behind world’s tallest towers

2022-11-07T12:37:00-05:00

Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG) has published a new book charting the firm’s design and delivery of some of the world’s tallest structures. Titled Supertall | Megatall: How High Can We Go?, the book uses drawings and details from AS+GG’s archives to explore projects from the viewpoint of sustainability, technology, programming, and contextualization.

Among the schemes featured in the book are the Central Park Tower in New York City, the Chengdu Greenland Tower in China, and the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which still holds the record of the world’s tallest building.

Central Park Tower by AS+GG. Image © Royce Douglas

With only 173 completed supertall buildings around the world, defined as a building whose height measures between 985 and 1,970 feet (300 and 600 meters), AS+GG sees the retrospective look at built precedents as an important tool for informing future high-rise projects.

"To go back and see something that was done 15 years ago, and how that's weathering, or how...

Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture envision 724-foot glass tower for Miami's Brickell neighborhood

2020-02-05T12:30:00-05:00

Over the years, the Miami has become synonymous with its collection of ultra-luxe residential towers and its constantly evolving skyline. In fact, with over 300 skyscrapers situated across its various business, residential, and commercial districts, the city offers the "third-largest skyline" in the U.S. based on the number of high-rises, falling behind only Chicago and New York. Work on that skyline is continuing apace once again with the construction of 830 Brickell, a new 724-foot luxury commercial tower.

The Miami Herald reports the new office building will be the second tallest office tower in Miami-Dade County. Construction broke ground in 2019 at the site of the tower, which is designed by Chicago-based architecture firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill and features interior designs by Italian architecture firm Iosa Ghini Associati.

830 Bickell. Image render © Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture

830 Bickell. Ima...

Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill unveil modest changes for Chicago's second-tallest tower

2019-11-13T21:00:00-05:00

Plans for a new 1,422-foot-tall tower designed by Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill Architecture haven taken a step forward in Chicago, where developers Golub & Co and CIM Group have unveiled their latest iteration of the spire.

The four-sided tower is wrapped by curved and flat exposures and rises to a flat top marked by a pair of pointed corners resembling "the ears of Batman’s mask," according to The Chicago Tribune. As currently proposed, the glass-wrapped tower would rise just 29-feet shy of the Willis Tower, Chicago's longstanding tallest building. The tower would surpass the city's 1,380-foot Trump International Hotel & Tower, which is designed by Adrian Smith while he was a design partner at SOM Chicago, prior to founding AS+GG.

The 96-story tower is still a long way from being cleared for construction, however, as zoning approval for the project is still pending. The latest designs for the tower have made accommodations for site planning concerns raised by community members wh...

World's tallest residential building tops out in New York City

2019-09-17T13:15:00-04:00

The Central Park Tower, Adrain Smith + Gordon Gill's 1,550-foot supertall tower in New York City, has topped out.

The 131-floor, 179-unit complex, created for developer Extell, now reigns as the tallest residential building in the world, New York Yimby reports. Wrapped in rippled floor-to-ceiling blue-glass curtain walls, the tower is one of several new supertall structures currently under construction at the southern end of Central Park.

Ground-level view of 217 West 57th Street. Image courtesy of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill.

Neighbors include KPF's 1,401-foot One Vanderbilt tower, the SHoP Architects-designed 1,066-foot 111 West 57th tower, and Jean Nouvel's 1,050-foot 53W53 tower.

When completed, the Central Park Tower will include a triplex penthouse totaling more than 17,000-square-feet in size. The base of the building will be occupied by a 320,000-square-foot Nordstrom flagship store that will occupy seven levels. Floors eight through eighteen of the tower will house the bui...

Central Park Tower breaks Willis Tower's record 45-year claim to highest roof in the Western Hemisphere

2019-08-05T07:00:00-04:00

Central Park Tower, aka 217 West 57th Street, has surpassed the 1,450-foot-tall Willis Tower (née Sears Tower) to claim the title of highest roof in the Western Hemisphere. The Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill-designed supertall is being developed by Extell and will soon top-out at 1,550 feet tall over Billionaires’ Row.

Once the world's tallest building from 1974 to 1996, the 1,450-foot-tall Willis Tower in Chicago is, little by little, kicked out from top placements in various height-record categories by the new kids on blocks all over the world.

After losing the overall height crown to the twin Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur in the mid-90s (when it was still the Sears Tower), the 110-story Modernist structure was ejected from the elusive Top 10 Tallest Buildings club when the 2,073-foot-tall Shanghai Tower was completed, and now, Willis Tower had to pass on also the title of highest roof in the Western Hemisphere to a young, skinny New Yorker on Billionaires' Row, the soon-to-be-completed (and tallest residential building on the planet) Central Park Tower.

View this post on Instagram @CentralParkTower and @One57–– two NYC landmarks gracing the skyline and providing residents with unparalleled views of #billionairesrow
A post shared by Central Park Tower (@centralparktower) o...

Central Park Tower rises above 432 Park, officially becomes tallest residential building in the world

2019-03-27T10:59:00-04:00

Extell Development’s supertall on Billionaires’ Row is officially the tallest residential tower in the world. Central Park Tower, at 225 West 57th Street, has reached its 92nd floor, surpassing the 1,396-foot-tall tower at 432 Park Avenue. Designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, Central Park Tower will top out at 95 stories, or 1,550 feet tall, making it stand out significantly among neighboring skyscrapers when construction wraps up next year.

New renderings of Central Park Tower aka Nordstrom Tower aka 217 West 57th Street

2018-10-16T13:36:00-04:00

It’s looking to be a big year for Billionaires’ Row: Just one month after sales launched at 111 West 57th Street, Extell has followed suit at Central Park Tower, its behemoth located at 217 West 57th Street. [...] The development has been somewhat shrouded in mystery since plans were announced more than five years ago. Construction got underway not long after, but details about the tower have been few and far between.

With a target floor count of 101 and designed to stand 1,550 feet tall once completed, the Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture-designed tower on Billionaires’ Row brands itself as the "tallest residential building in the world". At this height, the upper floors don't have much else standing in their way to interrupt their million-dollar views of New York City's Central Park.

Image via @centralparktower on Instagram

Chicago Architecture Center opens in new location this Labor Day weekend

2018-08-30T14:25:00-04:00

The oversized skyscraper models in the window, one of them 38 feet tall, are the undisputed stars of the show, but they’re not the only reason to visit the Chicago Architecture Center, the engaging new home of the organization previously known as the Chicago Architecture Foundation. There is also the dramatically expanded Chicago Model, an expanse of mini skyscrapers and other buildings that offers a helicopterlike overview of the city’s sprawling downtown.

Previously announced back in January, the Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) will now be open to the public this coming Labor Day weekend beginning Friday August 31. Formerly known as the Chicago Architecture Foundation, the CAC opens in its new location featuring everything architecture in Chicago through tours, programs, and exhibitions.

The building, originally designed by Mies van der Rohe, has been renovated with interiors by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS + GG) in partnership with museum planning and design firm Gallagher & Associates. If you're in the area be sure to check out this new addition to architecture and the city. Plan your visit with more information here.

Jeddah Tower construction reaches 63rd floor

2018-02-08T15:05:00-05:00

Construction of the world's tallest skyscraper in Jeddah is going ahead, the head of the consortium behind the $1.5 billion project said, despite the detention of some businessmen backing the plan in Saudi Arabia's crackdown on corruption. [...] Construction has reached the 63rd floor and the superstructure - the concrete shell and the cladding - is to be completed next year, Jomah said, adding that delays in some areas were inevitable because of technical challenges.

Progress on the soon-to-be tallest structure on earth has been troubled for a while, with the main contractor (and partial owner) Saudi Binladin Group going through a financial rough patch and, more recently, several project officials and royal family members being targeted by the country's anti-corruption crackdown.

Despite the challenges, work is going ahead on the 1,000 m/3,281 ft Jeddah Tower (formerly Kingdom Tower) designed by Chicago-based Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, and construction recently reached the 63rd floor.

The Chicago Architecture Foundation announces the Chicago Architecture Center, to encompass both past and future design innovation

2017-09-07T17:22:00-04:00

Chicago is one of the global centers of the architectural world, not only for its rich history, but also as a stage for continuous innovation and design exploration. This lineage is a major part of why The Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) has decided to create the Chicago Architecture Center (CAC), a 20,000 square foot project replete with exhibition space, a lecture hall, custom design studios, retail space, and expansive views of the metropolitan skyline. With interiors created by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture on a site plan originally designed by Mies van der Rohe, the CAC will be the new home for the CAF.

On a river cruise, as organized by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. Image: CAF

One of the coolest parts of the new interior has to be the Skyscape Gallery, which will be host to the permanent Tall Buildings and Innovation Exhibit. The exhibit will feature a 26-foot-tall "double-height" space allowing for a comprehensive investigation of tall buildings, from th...

Completion of Jeddah Tower, the world's tallest building, pushed back to 2019

2017-05-17T14:02:00-04:00

Completion of the world’s new tallest tower, Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia, has been pushed back to 2019, its developer said yesterday. Formerly known as Kingdom Tower, the structure is to reach more than a kilometre in height, which means it will surpass Dubai’s Burj Khalifa. Construction began in April 2014, and was to have finished in 2018. [...] “The project was delayed... but it’ll open (in) 2019,” Prince Alwaleed said during a media visit to the site, reports AFP.

"Saudi Binladin Group has been hit by a fall in work brought by lower Saudi public spending following the collapse in oil revenues," GCR reports. "Last year workers in Mecca burned buses in protest over unpaid wages amid reports of mass lay-offs."

Adrian Smith+Gordon Gill unveils Al Wasl Plaza scheme for Dubai Expo 2020

2017-04-26T20:07:00-04:00

After securing the commission in a fierce competition, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture revealed their design of the Al Wasl Plaza for the World Expo 2020 in Dubai. As the Expo's last major design element to be finalized, AS+GG's building will stand among other major pavilions designed by Foster + Partners, Grimshaw, BIG, and Santiago Calatrava's falcon-like UAE Pavilion. Back in 2013, AS+GG had the winning scheme for the 2017 Astana World Expo site.

According to the architects, Al Wasl Plaza is named after a historical reference to Dubai and also translates to “connection”, pertaining to the Expo's overall “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future” theme.

Al Wasl Plaza will be a central event hub at the heart of the 4.38-square kilometer Expo site that is being masterplanned by HOK, Populous and Arup. It'll also connect the three sub-thematic districts, “Opportunity”, “Sustainability”, and “Mobility” — whose pavilions are being designed by BIG, Grimshaw, and Foster + Partners, r...

Will the Willis Tower lose its claim to being the tallest building in Chicago?

2017-01-27T17:51:00-05:00

The Willis Tower may soon have to say goodbye to its title as the tallest building in the Windy City. Two competing designs for a redevelopment of the Helmut Jahn-designed James R. Thompson center stretch high above the tower. One, by Jahn himself, would preserve the original, curving structure while adding a 1,340-foot hotel and residential skyscraper besides it. Another, by Chicago architects Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill, would demolish the Jahn building and build a 1,700-foot mixed-use tower. Apparently, Governor Bruce Rauner is in favor of demolishing the older building.

According to the Chicago Tribune, it’s not clear if any of these plans will actually be realized. Budgetary disputes between Dems and Republicans in the state government may preclude any action.

Megatall Jeddah Tower, formerly Kingdom Tower, 20% complete

2016-03-17T13:18:00-04:00

Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia, which is set to the world’s tallest building, is over 20% complete, according to the developers. The planned 1km-tower has already reached the 37th floor and is on track for completion by 2018 [...]. Although the number of habitable floors has not yet been revealed [...] expects it to be around 167 floors tall on completion. Jeddah Tower, formerly known as Kingdom Tower, is set to overtake the 830-metre Burj Khalifa in Dubai as the world’s tallest tower.

Kingdom—pardon—Jeddah Tower previously in the Archinect news:

Kingdom Tower megaproject secures new funding to complete long-delayed construction

2015-11-30T13:33:00-05:00

The developer behind the Kingdom Tower, set to become the world’s tallest building, has secured new funding to complete its construction. [...] The company said that 26 of the planned 252 floors of the tower had been completed by contractor Saudi Binladin Group (SBL). The tower would overtake the 828-metre Burj Khalifa in Dubai as the world’s tallest building when it is expected to be completed in 2018.

First design of Burj 2020 unveiled, Dubai's shiny, new supertall tower by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill

2015-09-11T14:20:00-04:00

A masterplan has been unveiled for the Burj 2020 District, an upcoming megaproject set to include a skyscraper dubbed ‘the diamond of Dubai’ [...] The centerpiece of the district, the Burj 2020 tower, will be designed by Adrian Smith and Gordin Gill (AS + GG), the architects behind the Kingdom Tower in Saudi Arabia.

"The demand that will be registering will dictate the exact height of the tower, but at the highest, it might go 700 plus," the Executive Chairman of the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, Ahmed Bin Sulayem, was quoted saying. "We are looking at a supertall tower, and we are looking at having one of the world’s highest viewing decks which will offer 360 degree experience." Of course, we didn't expect anything less than that.

Previously on Archinect: Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill selected to design Burj 2020, the world's tallest commerical tower

Architect's Top 50 firms include NADAAA, Gensler, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill

2015-09-09T14:12:00-04:00

We updated our methodology to include new metrics: percentage of women and minority designers; range and value of employee benefits; rate of employee turnover.

What defines a successful architectural firm? For Architect Magazine, it's a blend of diversity in staffing, sustainability, and overall design savvy/business acumen. Accordingly, big names Gensler, SOM, and Perkins + Will snagged places in the top five, while Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture received the highest score overall, also taking the top spot in the category of business. In the category of design, NADAAA scored the highest; in sustainability, it was EYP Architecture & Engineering. Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill were recently commissioned to design the Burj 2020, while NADAAA's founding principal Nader Tehrani was selected to be the new Dean of the Cooper Union's Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture.

Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill selected to design Burj 2020, the world's tallest commerical tower

2015-06-18T18:06:00-04:00

Tall buildings specialist Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS + GG) has been chosen by the master developer of Dubai’s Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT) district to design the Burj 2020 tower - set to be the world’s tallest commercial tower. [...] The Council for Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat ranks New York’s One World Trade Center as the world’s tallest commercial tower, at 541 metres. The height of Burj 2020 is yet to be revealed.

Nordstrom Tower aiming to snatch 'tallest building' title from One World Trade Center

2015-05-11T13:52:00-04:00

The current race to the top of the skyline is the most impressive in New York City’s history, with ever-taller skyscrapers sprouting from the Financial District all the way to 57th Street. And YIMBY has now learned that 217 West 57th Street, aka the Nordstrom Tower, received a height boost between April and June of last year, pushing the tower’s pinnacle to 1,795 feet. That will make it the tallest building in New York City, the United States, and the Western Hemisphere.

Previously

Nordstrom Tower in New York Will be World's Tallest Residential Building at 1,775'

2014-07-09T13:25:00-04:00

225 West 57th Street‘s facade will top-out 1,479′ above street level, while a surprise spire on top will cap the tower at 1,775 feet. Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill are designing the building. The new height details will result in several superlatives: Manhattan will finally retake the ‘tallest roof’ in the United States from Chicago’s Willis Tower, which stands 1,451′, and 225 West 57th Street will become the tallest residential building in the entire world [...].

New Federation of Korean Industries HQ by Adrian Smith+Gordon Gill Architecture opens to the public

2014-01-23T17:24:00-05:00

Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG) announced today the public opening of the new Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) headquarters in Seoul. AS+GG collaborated with engineering firms Thornton Tomasetti and Environmental Systems Design, and locally based firm Chang-Jo Architects on the project.

Find more project details on Bustler.

Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill wins Kazakhstan Astana World Expo 2017 competition

2013-11-01T13:55:00-04:00

Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture's design proposal was selected for the 2017 Astana World Expo exhibition site. Construction of the two-phase development is expected to begin in March-April 2014.

Previously: Kazakhstan’s Astana World Expo 2017 Competition Attracts Big International Names

Adrian Smith Will Design NYC, North America's Tallest Apartment Building

2012-12-17T13:08:00-05:00

He's already designed the world's tallest building (and highest apartments) at the Burj Khalifa, as well as Chicago's highest apartments (and second tallest tower). Now, Adrian Smith will be the architect of 225 West 57th Street, set to become New York City's tallest apartment building at 1,550 feet or higher. The project is years away, but it is already chasing a number of other 1,000-plus-foot projects onto the skyline.

AS+GG Designs Master Plan for Great City, a Sustainable Satellite City in China

2012-10-24T16:57:00-04:00

Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture is pleased to announce that it has completed a master plan for Chengdu Tianfu District Great City, a self-sustaining, environmentally sensitive 1.3-square-kilometer satellite city scheduled to begin construction this fall on an approximately 3-square-kilometer site outside Chengdu, China.

One of the first projects of its kind to be proposed or completed in China, Great City—developed by Beijing Vantone Real Estate Co., Ltd.—is envisioned as a prototype or model city to be replicated in other locations throughout the country. The development is intended to respond to the problem of overburdened infrastructure in many of China’s major urban centers without contributing to the high energy consumption and carbon emissions associated with suburban sprawl.

When completed in about eight years, Great City will be home to about 30,000 families totaling 80,000 people, many of whom will also have opportunities to work within the development. The dist...

AS+GG Wins Competition for Qintai Center in Wuhan, China

2012-10-02T17:42:00-04:00

Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture has just won another competition for a skyscraper in Asia: earlier today, the Chicago firm was announced as the winner of the international competition to design Qintai Center, a 248-meter (814-feet) tall, high-performance corporate headquarters tower and related podium structure in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.

AS+GG Designs Dancing Dragons Complex for Seoul’s Yongsan District

2012-05-10T17:51:00-04:00

Chicago-based firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture just released its design for Dancing Dragons, a pair of landmark supertall mixed-use towers for the new Yongsan International Business District in Seoul, South Korea. The buildings, which include residential, “officetel” and retail elements, consist of slender, sharply angled mini-towers cantilevered around a central core.

The AS+GG towers will find themselves in close proximity to MVRDV's highly controversial The Cloud towers.

AS+GG Designs Kingdom Tower, to Be the World’s Tallest Building

2011-08-02T20:26:00-04:00

News broke that Chicago firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture is designing Kingdom Tower, to be the world’s tallest building, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, near the Red Sea. [...] It has been reported that the tower’s height will be at least 173 meters (568 feet) taller than the world’s current tallest building, Dubai’s 828-meter-tall Burj Khalifa, which was designed by Adrian Smith while at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

We just received a few more images of the proposed tower from Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture:

Adrian Smith Honored with CTBUH Lifetime Achievement Award for Supertall Buildings

2011-06-30T19:38:00-04:00

Adrian Smith, senior Design Partner at Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture in Chicago, is the 2011 winner of the Lynn S. Beedle Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat for his extraordinary contribution to the supertall building typology.