Project Description

Chicago's Best Selling Condominium

Sited alongside the Harms Woods Forest Preserve just north of Chicago, Optima Old Orchard Woods is a mixed-use multifamily development that offers a dramatic setting with unobstructed views of textured planes of treetops west toward the horizon. These Woods preserved for Chicago in the early 20th century through the efforts of Daniel Burnham and others, is a focal point of the project. The Chicago skyline to the south, less than 20 miles away, is also prevalent, illustrating Frank Lloyd Wright's observation that the best location for a high-rise tower was not in the city, but beyond where such views can be observed. To the east the blue glimmer of Lake Michigan presents itself from upper floors. The project contains 650 condominiums, 5 indoor recreational facilities, street front commercial and enclosed parking for all uses. Amenities include a 2 story pool room with twin spas, sundeck, fitness center, tennis court, and two story party room with catering kitchen. One, two, three and four bedroom condominium residences that overlook hundreds of acres of forest and the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan beyond. State-of-the-art baths and kitchen, stainless steel appliances, gas cooktops, designer cabinets, granite countertops, window treatments, and wood and stone flooring, the sophistication of Optima Old Orchard homes are unsurpassed.

Architecture

Award winning architecture

The building is composed of 3 interlocking towers, built in separate phases. Each 20 stories tall sheathed in glass and aluminum, the geometry stands in harmonious contrast to the natural landscape, merging nature and man-made design in this urban setting. Strategically connected at multiple locations, the tower masses feature immense openings in the building façade, up to nine stories tall, framing striking vistas through thebuilding while creating bridged residences offering views in two or more opposing directions. These voids serve to lighten the building's mass and provide an ever-changing, highly sculptural profile, allowing glimpses of the underlying volumes that create the whole from inside and out. The Chicago Tribune has said of the project: "Near the Old Orchard shopping center in Skokie, you'll (drive) by one of the most exhilarating new high-rises to emerge from the Chicago area's current building boom."

The skin is discerningly detailed with recessed balconies, layered horizontal red sun-shades and vertical aluminum fins at the residential levels with translucent glass channels at the parking levels, providing varying texture and patterns of shade and shadow to the façade. The shades, fins and panels further aid in reducing energy consumption in the building.

The towers outline a grand-scaled entry courtyard which faces the Woods. An elevated sundeck spans the width of the entrance, which contains brick-paved drives encircling a center fountain. From the courtyard, residents and guests pass through 2 story lobbies finished in shot blast, white marble walls with honed black terrazzo floors.

Green roof gardens are located at 8 different floor levels. These gardens reduce storm water run-off and lower the ambient temperature, aided further in these respects by the entry fountain and 3 onsite water features.