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With Chicago's MILA residential development now topped off at 444 feet / 135 metres and almost fully clad at the intersection of N Michigan Avenue (MI) and Lake Street (LA), SkyriseCities City Ambassador harryc was guided on an exclusive tour of the 41-storey, bKL Architecture-designed development earlier this week.
As the City of Chicago forbids parking garages from facing Michigan Avenue, the building's above grade parking garage will be concealed from view by retail spaces, as well as an artistic lighting display fronting Michigan Avenue. Below, we are shown a view of MILA's Lake Street retail frontage in its current state.
Aside from basic utilities like plumbing and electrical, MILA's retail spaces are being left unfinished, giving tenants the opportunity to customize interior layouts and decoration to their liking.
On the lower levels of the building, finishing is well underway for the interiors of some of the 402 studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom rental units contained in the building.
Further up the tower, spaces are in a much rawer state. In one of the suites where drywall has yet to be installed, features like heat pumps and laundry exhausts are still visible. Individual suites' heat pumps will interact with a large HVAC unit on the roof, while 50% of laundry exhaust will be vented over an adjacent alley and the other 50% from the roof.
Residents of the completed development will enjoy amenities including a podium-top outdoor space featuring a grilling area and a dog run.
Another amenity space will offer an outdoor pool and sundeck at the top of the tower, allowing residents of all floors to share the panoramic city views generally reserved for residents of upper floors.
Even on an overcast day, the views from the building's upper levels are quite spectacular. A selection of notable Chicago landmarks are visible, including the Illinois Center, the Trump Tower, Marina City, the Carbon and Carbide Building, and the Jewelers' Building.
Developed by The John Buck Company in partnership with Partners Group and Becker Ventures, MILA is scheduled for completion in 2016.
Additional information and renderings can be found in our Database page for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the project's dedicated Forum thread, or leave a comment at the bottom of this page.
