Mondial — Architects








	The has been selected as one of the top new residential construction projects in Chicago by the New Home Magazine. Click here to download this article.		*Excerpt from the New Homes* Magazine, Winter 2008 - 2009 edition:** Every year, New Homes takes a step back and surveys the new construction and conversion landscape to determine which projects represent the cream of the housing crop. We’ve singled out six projects, ranging from a townhouse development on the Northwest Side to a super-luxury high-rise near the Gold Coast, as our favorites from 2008. This time around, we chose to focus solely on projects where construction has already begun, and where homes are either ready for occupancy or on pace to delivering in 2009.

			BEST HIGH-RISE (LESS THAN 20 STORIES): MONDIAL In a neighborhood of townhouses and industrial lofts, Mondial, the new 15-story high-rise at 900 W. Huron St. has an arresting presence. Since most of the nearby buildings have fewer than 10 stories, its size certainly works in its favor, especially when it comes to the views. Beginning with a 36-foot wide by 96- foot tall entranceway off Huron Street that leads residents to glass-backed elevators, Mondial has a taste for the dramatic. Architect and developer Jack Berger says his initial design, which was rejected by the city, called for a 30-story tower, but he is pleased with the shorter building. “Most of the designs you see are very deep, because that way you can get the most number of units on the perimeter,” Berger says. “We did just the opposite. Here, everything we did was linear, so that all the light was on the exterior wall.” Unlike many of Chicago’s new residential high-rises that are heavy on glass, the exterior of the modernist building will be a fairly even mix of glass and cement, with two-tone gray cement walls, aluminum thermo-break windows and balconies that will be fitted with Sterling Dula glass railings. Mondial was topped off in early September and is moving towards first deliveries by the end of 2008. When complete, the building will comprise 142 one- to four-bedroom condos that are priced from the $230s to the $990s.