Chicago Construction News staff writer
Crews have completed the final concrete pour at 400 Lake Shore Drive, where crews have completed the final concrete pour, marking the full build-out of the tower’s primary structural frame.
The project, led by Related Midwest, is advancing into its next phase, with work beginning on the upper crown—an architectural and structural feature that will define the building’s profile along Chicago’s lakefront.
Designed by David Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the high-rise is part of a larger two-tower development rising on the former Chicago Spire site at the mouth of the Chicago River.
The north tower currently under construction is expected to rise more than 70 storeys and include hundreds of residential units, along with ground-level retail and public space improvements. A second, shorter tower is planned as part of the broader build-out.
Construction partners include LR Contracting and BOWA Construction.
The development has presented unique engineering challenges due to existing site conditions, including a deep excavation left from the cancelled Spire project. Crews undertook extensive foundation and stabilization work before vertical construction could proceed.
With the structural frame now complete, work will shift toward enclosure, façade installation and interior build-out. The crown structure is also expected to take shape in the coming months.
The project is one of the most prominent high-rise developments currently underway in Chicago and is expected to contribute to ongoing intensification along the downtown lakefront when completed later this decade.
