Vista Tower construction kicking into high gear

Crews have installed the first of many angled columns which will give the tower its unique shape

By AJ LaTrace Jul 5, 2017, 9:53am CDT

Photography by Harry Carmichael

Work on the Vista Tower for Lakeshore East officially kicked off last autumn, but we’re just now finally getting our first glimpse at the skyscraper taking shape. Designed by Chicago’s Studio Gang, the 1,186-foot supertall tower will feature a unique shape composed of alternating frustums, creating an undulating appearance across all three sections of the skyscraper. In the last few weeks, crews with McHugh Construction installed the first of many angled columns which will ultimately give the tower its shape.

There’s still much, much more work to be done on the tower. However, vertical construction has been moving along at a steady pace since the 4,000-cubic-yard concrete pour for the tower’s foundation took place in February. As of last week, two large tower cranes and one smaller telescoping crane were on the site helping to put the pieces into place.

The Vista Tower project is a $1 billion joint venture between Chicago’s Magellan Development and Chinese partner Dalian Wanda Group. Designed by Studio Gang in collaboration with bKL Architecture, the frustum-shaped building officially broke ground in September 2016 and will become the Windy City’s third tallest tower when it opens in 2020.