Description

The two apartment towers, the first to be realized almost exclusively in glass and steel, are placed on the trapezoid lot in such a manner that they appear to glide past one another and to provide all apartments with a panoramic vista of Lake Michigan. A roof between the recessed entrance stories links the two towers. Although based on an identical structural grid, the north tower accommodates eight 2-room apartments on each floor, and the south tower four 5-room apartments.

The original floor plans were loosely based on the “open plan” of Farnsworth House. A service core with open kitchen and bathroom was to define living, dining and bedroom. After the financier objected that Americans preferred enclosed rooms, the floor plans had to be revised. The more conventional floor plan solution with separated bedrooms and enclosed kitchens was ultimately realized. Kitchen and bathroom are located at the center in both solutions. The other rooms benefit from the view.

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Originally published in: Oliver Heckmann, Friederike Schneider (eds.), Floor Plan Manual Housing, fourth revised and expanded edition, Birkhäuser, 2011.