Chicago’s top architects are helping reshape the city skyline, and over the course of the past year have worked on projects with an estimated cost of some $2 billion.
The 10 firms were involved in some of the biggest projects underway right now along with smaller projects in all corners of the city.
Among them are the 94-story Vista Tower, which is going up along Wacker Drive on the riverfront and will be one of the city’s tallest when it’s done, and the second tower on Wolf Point, the mixed-use development that is helping to transform the area around the confluence of the Chicago River’s three branches.
Also making the list are firms helping to remake the neighborhood around the south end of Grant Park, with projects including the 792-unit NEMA Chicago apartment tower, the 479-unit Essex on the Park apartment tower and the Homewood Hilton tower on 11th Street.
The rankings were compiled using data from city building permits, with values calculated based on the estimated costs listed in those permit applications. This ranking covers the period from May 1, 2017 to April 30, 2018.
1. Pappageorge Haymes Partners | $444 million
Of the firm’s 11 projects on the list, the new apartment tower at 313 West Wolf Point Plaza accounts for the lion’s share of its work, at $400 million. The firm also was doing $25 million of work on the Norweta Row apartment/condo project at 2611 North Hermitage Avenue in Lincoln Park.
2. Rafael Vinoly Architects | $290 million
The firm made the list by virtue of its one project in the city. That was the NEMA Chicago tower in the South Loop, formerly known as One Grant Park.
3. Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture | $237 million
Of the firm’s seven projects, one accounts for $160 million in work. That project is the 479-unit Essex on the Park apartment tower at 808 South Michigan Avenue. Much farther north, Hartshorne is overseeing $45 million in work on the Eight Eleven Uptown tower at the corner of Clarendon and Montrose avenues.
4. bKL Architecture | $205 million
Two of the firm’s five projects account for most of its work: $100 million for Vista Tower, 363 East Wacker Drive and $52 million for the Renelle on the River condo building at, 403 North Wabash Avenue,.
5. FitzGerald Associates Architecture | $172 million
Though it has seven projects on the list, none comes close to the $143 million for the 500-foot-tall One South Halsted apartment tower at 727 West Madison Street.
6. SCB | $162 million
Its four projects are dominated by the 47-story apartment tower in the works at 1326 South Michigan Avenue at $119 million.
7. Ghafari Associates | $162 million
The firm designed several projects at O’Hare International Airport worth $162 million as part of the airport’s modernization program.
8. SOM | $147 million
Some $133 million of the firm’s total comes from two towers going up as part of the Lincoln Common development at Fullerton and Lincoln avenues, on the site of the old Children’s Memorial Hospital.
9. Hanna Architects | $105 million
The firm is the most prolific of any on the list, with 72 projects all over the city, including residential, office, retail and mixed-use buildings.
10. Lothan Van Hook Destefano Architecture | $75 million
The firm’s lone project is S.B. Yen’s Homewood Hilton tower at 59 East 11th Street.