A study on the John Hancock Center, Chicago as an example of high tech architecture. Brief overview and study of what makes it stand out in the Chicago skyline

1. ROSE RANJAN
10110050
SNEHA NAGARAJAN
10110058

2. LOCATION OF CHICAGO

3. LOCATION OF JOHN HANCOCK CENTRE
NORTH MICHIGAN AVENUE 130 E WACKER DR

4. TEMPERATURE OF CHICAGO
• Mid-summer day, humidity is usually moderately high andtemperatures
ordinarily reach anywhere between 78°Fand 92°F (26°C to 33°C).
• Overnight temperatures in summer usually drop toaround 65°F (18°C),
but can sometimes remain wellabove 70°F (21°C).
• Yearly precipitation comes about 36 inches (920 mm).
• Summer in Chicago is prone to thunderstorms.
• In a normal summer, temperatures exceed 90°F (32°C)on 24 days.

5. PROJECT BRIEF
Project :- John Hancock Center
Architect :- Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.
City :- Chicago
Country :- USA
Building Type :- Tower
Number of Dwellings :- 700
Date Built :- 1968-70
Floor :- 100
Floor area :- (260,126 m²)

6. Height
Antenna/Spire :-1,500 ft (457 m)
Roof :-127 ft (344 m)
Top floor :-1,078 ft (329 m)
Elevator count :-42
Contractor :-Tishmanconstruction co.
Developer :- johnHancock insurance
Known locally as 'Big John', the John Hancock
Center is one of the Chicagoans' favorite
skyscrapers. The 100 - story building,
completed in 1969, has a remarkable design,
with the huge X-braces serving both a
structural and a visual purpose. Visually, it
gives the impression of stability and it moves
the eye away from the human-sized windows

7. The building is one of the most recognizable in the world and has won numerous awards for its
distinctive style, including the 1970 Honor Award of the AIA Chicago Chapter.
In 1999 this building became the 30th recipient of the American Institute of Architects'
prestigious Twenty-Five Year Award.

8. The hero of the movie Iron Man might be able to fly this high, but birds
stop at about 500ft. So one wouldn’t expect to see one eye-to-eye up
here.
At 1506ft THE JOHN HANCOCK CENTER

9. Technical Data
Height (tip) 456.90 m
Height (architectural) 343.69 m
Height (roof) 343.69 m
Height (main roof) 337.31 m
Height (top floor) 321.31 m
Height (observation floor) 313.81 m
Height (observation deck) 313.81 m
Length 80.77 m
Width 50.29 m
Floors (above ground) 100
Construction start June 1965
Construction end 1969
Floor-to-ceiling height 2.64 m
Elevators 50
Parking places 750
Building costs $95,000,000
Tallest building in Chicago (or anywhere outside New York) from 1969
to 1973; surpassed by the Standard Oil Building (now the Aon Center).

10. BUILDING USES
Mixed use
Communication
Observation
Office
Residential

11. Located at 875 North Michigan Avenue in the GoldCoast area of Chicago, Illinois.
Skyscraper designed by structural engineer fazlurKhan of Skidmore, Owings and
Merrill.
It was the tallest building in the world outsideNew
York City completed in 1969. Currently the fourth-tallest
building in Chicago andthe sixth-tallest in the United States.
When measured to the top of its antenna masts, itstands at
1,506 feet (459 m).
The building is home to offices and restaurants, as well as
about700 condominiums and contains the highest residences
in the world. This skyscraper was named for John Hancock
Mutual Life InsuranceCompany, a developer and original
tenant of the building.

12. THE ELLIPTICAL-SHAPED
OUTDOOR PLAZA
THE PLAZA

13. THE CROWN OF LIGHTS
It takes two men 40 hours each to change all the light bulbs in the
Crown of Lights, on the 99th floor.
A band of white lights around the 100th floor is visible all over Chicago
at night. The lights change color for Christmas, Valentine's Day, St.
Patrick's Day, July 4, and Halloween.

14. FACADE
The facade consists of 5 sections, each
approximately 18storey high.
Facade defined by the diagonal
bracing tubes.
In the top section, only half of the
pattern is visible.
The external cladding is made of
anodized aluminum with tinted bronze
glass and bronze colored aluminum
window frames.
Five sections defined bydiagonal
braces.

15. If you melted all the metal in John Hancock Center you could make 96
tour buses
Made of STEEL
The slope of the windows helps to reduce the feeling of vertigo for
people on higher floors.
The building tapers on all four sides, narrowing by a total of 105 feet on
the east & west sides and 65 feet on the north & south.
Because of space constraints caused by the tower's tapering walls,
common hallways and elevator lobbies are narrower on higher floors.

16. SITE PLAN

17. PLANS
STREET LEVEL PLAN TRANSIT FLOOR PLAN

18. Structure in General
Building type skyscraper
Building status existing [completed]
Structural system trussed tube
Structural material steel
Foundation system caisson foundation
Facade material aluminum
Facade system curtain wall
Facade color black
Architectural style structural expressionism
Roof system flat roof with 1 box
Since the floorplates do not transfer wind loads to the structural core as
in most skyscrapers, it is possible to create a two-story space by cutting
out the floor almost anywhere in the building!!

19. • The building's distinctive X-bracing has made it an architectural
icon, and increases the flexibility of interior spaces by eliminating
the need for regular columns between the core and perimeter
• The construction was designed by the engineer Fazlur Kahn and
architect Bruce Graham from Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Fazlur
Kahn devised the frame-tube system, which he also implemented in
the Sears Tower.
• This new construction method was made possible by new
technologies, like more advanced software and new developments
in steel.
• Thanks to the new construction method, it was possible for Kahn to
design constructions which could resist the strong windforces more
effectively by having the forces absorbed by all three dimensions of
the building.
• The diagonals are connected to the exterior columns, making it
possible for the forces to be carried over from the braces to the
columns and back.
• The innovative construction also resulted in a 50% decrease of
required steel compared to skyscrapers built with interior columns.

20. ELEVATORS
With the nation's fastest elevators, you'll arrive at the Observatory in 39
seconds. The maximum elevator speed is 549 m/min!

21. THE AMENITIES
• The 95th floor has long been home to a restaurant.
• While patrons dine, they can look out at Chicago and Lake Michigan.
•TheHancockCenter'sobservationdeck facilities(called the Hancock Observatory) compete wi
th theWillis Tower's Sky deckacross town.
• The Hancock Center is in a commercial district, whilethe WillisTower is in the financial
district.
• The Hancock Center 94th floor observation deckdisplaysexhibits about the city of Chicago.
• The 44th-floor sky lobby features America's highestindoor swimming pool
• The first forty-one floors are office, parking, andcommercial; the remaining upper floors
arecondominiums, an observatory, a restaurant & bar, andbroadcast facilities.
• The skyscraper ... rises from 40,000 square feet at
thebase to 18,000 square feet at the summit

22. APARTMENT
It includes 48 stories of apartments (with a total of 711
apartments).
LIVING ROOM
PLAN OF APARTMENT

23. KITCHEN
BATHROOM BED ROOM

24. As an alternative to balconies, about one-third of the residential units
have "sky terraces" - a sort of tiled sunroom separated from living
spaces by glass doors.

25. • America's highest indoor swimming pool is located on the 44th
floor near the skylobby. The pool itself is carved out of the
mechanical floor below.
• The parking garage is accessed through a detached spiral ramp at
the southeast corner; the double helix makes 3 loops each way
between ground level and the garage.
• The semicircular sunken plaza on the west side is a public oasis
with seasonal plantings and a 12-foot waterfall.
• It includes 48 stories of apartments (with a total of 711
apartments), 29 stories offices, shops, a hotel, a swimming pool,
an ice rink, restaurant and on top of the 344 meters (1127 ft) tall
building radio and television facilities.
• On top it offers services like its own post office and a refuse
collection.
• The apartments are located at the top of the tower. Some of
them are so high that the inhabitants sometimes have to call the
doorkeeper to ask what the weather's like down on the ground, as
the apartments are sometimes above the clouds!

26. The observatory has the only open-air viewing deck in Chicago. They say
fast-talking politicians gave the city its nickname, but up here, you might
think otherwise.
CHICAGO- The Windy City
THE OBSERVATORY

27. The observation floor features the highest balcony in America, a screened-in area called the
"Skywalk".

30. Criticism
At the beginning of the project, it was controversial mostly because of the location of this
massive tower, near the much smaller and more gentle buildings on Michigan Avenue. After its
completion, most of the criticism dwindled, but much like with the Sears Tower, the plaza at the
entrance was considered very user- unfriendly, being afflicted by heavy gales and loud traffic
noise from Michigan Avenue. It was redesigned in 1995 and now includes a 3,5 meters high
fountain to muffle the noise and a recirculation of office and shopping traffic.
THE JOHN HANCOCK CENTER THE SEARS TOWER
CRITICISM- A striking similarity!

31. THANK YOU!