190 South Lasalle Lobby With Amphitheater

190 South Lasalle Lobby With Amphitheater
© Kendall Mccaugherty Ristau

190 South Lasalle Lobby With Amphitheater

Norman Kelley

ARCHITECTS
Norman Kelley

ACOUSTICS
Walters-storyk Design Group

PROJECT ARCHITECT
Karmona

MEP
Kent Consulting Engineers

PRINCIPALS
Thomas Kelley, Carrie Norman

SOUND SCENOGRAPHY
Idee Und Klang

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
Klein And Hoffman

ARCHITECTURAL ASSISTANT
William Stauffer

MEDIA ARCHITECT
Iart

EXPEDITER
Burnham Nationwide

AV CONSULTANTS
Global Service Technicians

GENERAL CONTRACTOR
Power Construction Company

MILLWORK
Huber

PHOTOGRAPHS
Kendall Mccaugherty Ristau

AREA
100 m²

YEAR
2022

LOCATION
Chicago, United States

CATEGORY
Office Buildings

Text description provided by architect.

Architectural firm Norman Kelley completed a renovation to the lobby at 190 South La Salle Street, a 41-story office building owned by Beacon Capital Partners.

190 South Lasalle Lobby With Amphitheater
© Kendall Mccaugherty Ristau
190 South Lasalle Lobby With Amphitheater
© Kendall Mccaugherty Ristau

Located in Chicago’s Central Loop, the building was originally designed by John Burgee Architects with Philip Johnson in 1987.

The postmodern lobby—which includes a 50-foot-tall, vaulted gold leaf ceiling—was carefully altered with the addition of new security desks, turnstiles, seating areas, a café, and an amphitheater that comes to life through a permanent immersive audio experience.

The semicircular amphitheater measures 12 feet in height, 27 feet in diameter, and replaces a marble security desk in the north apse of the lobby. 

190 South Lasalle Lobby With Amphitheater
© Kendall Mccaugherty Ristau
190 South Lasalle Lobby With Amphitheater
© Kendall Mccaugherty Ristau
190 South Lasalle Lobby With Amphitheater
© Kendall Mccaugherty Ristau

In contrast to Anthony Caro’s originally commissioned bronze sculpture, Chicago Fugue, located on the south apse of the lobby, the brass and marble amphitheater is a responsive instrument that uses real-time data inputs, like weather and time of day, to compose an ever-changing sonic environment.

The immersive audio experience, designed in collaboration with iart, a studio for media architectures, and sound scenographer, Idee und Klang, is cued by 81 light sensors and 3 motion sensors located behind perforated brass riser panels.

Once the amphitheater senses one’s presence, a musical score comprising 15 instruments, 4 tempos, and 7 keys and scales plays across 8 of the nearest 91 speakers.

190 South Lasalle Lobby With Amphitheater
© Kendall Mccaugherty Ristau
190 South Lasalle Lobby With Amphitheater
© Kendall Mccaugherty Ristau
190 South Lasalle Lobby With Amphitheater
© Kendall Mccaugherty Ristau

Like an aural diptych, the lobby presents two musical sculptures: one figurative, the other literal, to welcome you back to work.


190 South Lasalle Lobby With Amphitheater
© Kendall Mccaugherty Ristau
190 South Lasalle Lobby With Amphitheater
© Kendall Mccaugherty Ristau
190 South Lasalle Lobby With Amphitheater
© Kendall Mccaugherty Ristau


190 South Lasalle Lobby With Amphitheater
190 South Lasalle Lobby With Amphitheater


190 South Lasalle Lobby With Amphitheater
190 South Lasalle Lobby With Amphitheater
190 South Lasalle Lobby With Amphitheater
190 South Lasalle Lobby With Amphitheater


190 South Lasalle Lobby With Amphitheater
190 South Lasalle Lobby With Amphitheater
190 South Lasalle Lobby With Amphitheater


190 South Lasalle Lobby With Amphitheater