Inland Steel Building

Identification

Map

Structure in general

Usage

Facts

• This headquarters building was the first major structure in the Chicago Loop in more than twenty years.
• A wire sculpture by Richard Lippold titled "Radiant I" is the centerpiece of the lobby. The artwork spans a shallow reflecting pool.
• The office floors are supported entirely by 7 columns on the east and west sides. These are set outside the building's perimeter, so the office spaces are completely open across the whole floor.
• Like the columns, the 25-story service core (holding elevators and utilities) is set outside the main building envelope.
• Designated as an architectural landmark in 1999.
• The building occupies sixty-six percent of its site, with the attached service tower on the east side leaving room for loading areas and a small plaza.
• The structural steel framing includes sixty-foot girders spanning the office floors and supporting the beams and steel decking.
• The facade consists of stainless steel and dual glazed green tinted windows with a vertical accentuation.
• The steel piling foundation is an unusual exception for Chicago skyscrapers, which normally use concrete caissons.
• The design was started by Walter Netsch of SOM, and carried out by his colleague Bruce Graham.