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875 North Michigan Avenue
Big John, 175 East Delaware Place, John Hancock Center
Building
Completed
1969
Residential / Office
All-Steel
343.7 m / 1,128 ft
100
1
717
50
9.2 m/s
260,126 m² / 2,799,973 ft²
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Construction Start
Completed
Usually involved in the front end design, with a "typical" condition being that of a leadership role through either Schematic Design or Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.
The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.
The main contractor is the supervisory contractor of all construction work on a project, management of sub-contractors and vendors, etc. May be referred to as "Construction Manager," however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Main Contractor" exclusively.
Other Consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc).
Material Supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc).
You must be a CTBUH Member to view this resource.
Usually involved in the front end design, with a "typical" condition being that of a leadership role through either Schematic Design or Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.
The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.
The main contractor is the supervisory contractor of all construction work on a project, management of sub-contractors and vendors, etc. May be referred to as "Construction Manager," however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Main Contractor" exclusively.
Other Consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc).
Material Supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc).
Other Consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc).
These are firms that consult on the design of a building's façade. May often be referred to as "Cladding," "Envelope," "Exterior Wall," or "Curtain Wall" Consultant, however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Façade Consultant" exclusively.
12 September 2019 - Event
28 March 2019 - Conference Activity
07 November 2013 | Chicago
Clyde N. Baker, Jr., Fazlur R. Khan Lifetime Achievement Medal Winner, discusses his lifetime work as a geotechnical engineer including working on 7 of the...
25 June 2020
Sae Hwang Oh, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
Beginning in the late 19th century, construction of skyscrapers spread throughout Chicago, New York City, and then the world as demand of space in buildings...
08 October 2024
On 1 October, it was announced that Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) has been brought on to lead the architectural redesign and redevelopment of the...
Over forty years after completion, the 875 North Michigan Avenue has established itself as one of the world’s most recognized skyscrapers and an iconic example of late twentieth century Chicago design, construction, and engineering. The building’s structural, programmatic, and architectural innovations combine to create a design that is heralded for its elegant simplicity.
As one of the world’s first mixed-use tall building projects, the John Hancock Center design was influential in its internal organization. The complex programmatic design placed commercial space on a sub-level concourse and the first five levels. This was followed by levels of parking, office, residential, and finally dining, observation, and broadcasting facilities.
The architecture of the tower is informed by its expressive structural system and gently sloping façades. This innovative form was designed to efficiently accommodate the variety of uses contained in the building. The gentle inward slope creates optimally-sized floor plans for both the lower parking and office levels and the higher residential floors. Additionally, the tapered form significantly reduces wind loads, allowing for a reduction in the size of structural members. For Chicago’s busy streetscape, the building’s shape increases the visual verticality of the building; adding perceived height to an already impressively tall tower.
The architectural form of the 875 North Michigan Avenue represents a radical departure from established aesthetics of the time. Initially, critics labeled the building as too industrial, but over time it has come to symbolize the gutsy tradition of structural expression in Chicago. It is often characterized as super-rational, logical, and a representation of the machine age of architecture. It exhibits its true structure much in the tradition of bridge construction. These qualities are at the heart of why the building has endured in the minds of so many.
07 November 2013 | Chicago
Clyde N. Baker, Jr., Fazlur R. Khan Lifetime Achievement Medal Winner, discusses his lifetime work as a geotechnical engineer including working on 7 of the...
20 September 2012 | Chicago
Tony Long of CBRE is interviewed by Jeff Herzer during the 2012 CTBUH Shanghai Congress at the Jin Mao, Shanghai. Tony talks about the management...
03 March 2008 | Chicago
Kyoung Sun Moon from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign discussed stiffness-based design methodologies for tall building structures at the CTBUH 8th World Congress in...
25 June 2020
Sae Hwang Oh, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
Beginning in the late 19th century, construction of skyscrapers spread throughout Chicago, New York City, and then the world as demand of space in buildings...
11 October 2019
On the 50th anniversary of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat’s founding, the CTBUH 10th World Congress returns to the Council’s home: Chicago....
11 October 2019
CTBUH Research
The default image of the skyscraper for the past 50 years in the public imagination has likely been the extruded, rectilinear corporate “box,” derived from...
01 March 2018
Kyoung Sun Moon, Yale University School of Architecture
The emergence of tall buildings in the late 19th century was possible by using new materials and separating the role of structures and that of...
01 December 2016
Kheir Al-Kodmany, University of Illinois; Mir M. Ali, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
There is much architectural and engineering literature which discusses the virtues of exterior bracing and diagrid systems in regards to sustainability - two systems which...
01 December 2016
Charles Besjak, Preetam Biswas & Tobias Fast, SOM
In the design of supertall towers, engineers often find the conventional frame systems used in countless buildings in the past decades incapable of providing the...
24 August 2015
CTBUH Research
Perhaps no element of a tall building is more closely related to the pure pleasure of standing high in the sky and taking in the...
01 February 2000
Hal Iyengar, Skimore, Owings & Merril
This paper reviews the stages of conceptual design through the final design of the John Hancock Center in Chicago. Several unique features of the project...
08 October 2024
On 1 October, it was announced that Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) has been brought on to lead the architectural redesign and redevelopment of the...
08 March 2022
Chicago-based real estate firm Hearn is looking for medical providers to move into the former John Hancock Center, now formally known as 875 North Michigan...
29 July 2019
A group of people on floor 96 of the former John Hancock Center in Chicago became entrapped on their elevator to the ground floor over...
12 September 2019
Members of the original architecture and engineering team behind Chicago’s John Hancock Center shared the story of the creation of one of the city’s best-known landmarks.
28 March 2019
"CTBUH 50th Anniversary: Moments in History #3" explores the impact that CTBUH Chairman Fazlur R. Khan, partner, Skidmore Owings & Merrill, had on the tall building industry.
22 January 2019
Check out our monthly predictions based on our industry intelligence to see what trends and milestones will shape the industry in the year to come!
13 October 2016
The Council is pleased to announce the Top Company Rankings for numerous disciplines as derived from the list of projects appearing in 100 of the World’s Tallest Buildings.
29 May 2015
A group of 20 Belgian real estate professionals traveled to Chicago from May 25-29 to visit several tall buildings, and related developments as part of a CTBUH Belgium study trip.
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