Start 13: One South Dearborn Office Center
Cost: $200 million

An anchor tenant's decision to look for new space is the reason One South Dearborn Office Center in Chicago is being constructed.

The 40-story, 1-million-sq.-ft. office tower, featuring a structural steel frame, reinforced concrete core and glass curtain wall cladding, is expected to be open by the end of 2005, said Raymond Clark, president of Chicago-based DeStefano and Partners, whose predecessor firm, DeStefano Keating Partners Ltd., is the architect of record.

Law firm Sidley Austin Brown & Wood was approached by developer Hines, which had learned the law firm was considering terminating their present lease.

Designs for a new building were prepared, the law firm found them suitable, and that was the driver that led to the project getting off the ground. Sidley is expected to fill half the building.

Building Needed Fast

The biggest challenge is the fast track schedule, Clark reported.

The initial discussions between potential anchor tenant, developer and design team occurred in January 2003. By mid-March, the developer had a letter of intent, and the design team was proceeding at full speed with building designs. A general contractor bid was issued on Aug. 1, and by September, the general contractor had been selected. October saw the issuance of the foundation permit.

The general contractor started in December, foundations started that month, and structural steel erection is expected to begin before June.

The complete construction of the office center is expected to take 24 to 26 months. "For a 1-million-sq.-ft., 40-story building in the central business district of Chicago, that's a very fast schedule," Clark said.

One interesting aspect of One South Dearborn is that the building features a very limited basement level. Only the core descends significantly below grade, because the elevator pits have to extend that far.

"The lack of a basement is a concession to the tight time frame," Clark added.

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