Jeanne Gang, the principal designer of the much-covered and internationally praised Aqua Tower in Chicago, will arrive in Finland for the first time to talk about her design philosophy. Gang is one of the first American women architects to design a skyscraper. Located in Millennium Park in Chicago, Aqua Tower (http://www.studiogang.net/work/2004/aqua) is an interesting building in more ways than one: it differs from the traditional skyscraper in its outward appearance and design, which is driven by environmental sustainability. The striking shapes of the balconies are motivated by the need to minimise the wind forces exerted on the 82-storey building, and this also makes the balconies safe.

The 2011 Alvar Aalto Meeting on Modern Architecture will focus on high-rise buildings: their history, structural solutions, and environmental and social effects.

Read more from the press release (PDF)

Aqua Tower, Studio Gang. Photo: Steve Hall (c) Hedrich Blessing