'the 78' will extend the chicago loop with a vast riverside neighborhood

plans have been unveiled for ‘the 78’ — a major new development dubbed chicago’s ‘next great neighborhood’. masterplanned by SOM, the vast scheme will host contributions from other established architecture firms, notably 3XN, HWKN, and AS+GG.

developed by related midwest, the chicago office of related companies, ‘the 78’ serves as an extension of the chicago loop and seeks to provide year-round activity. SOM’s masterplan includes residential, commercial, institutional, cultural, and recreational programming, including half a mile of developed water-adjacent land that will expand the city’s existing riverwalk. conceived as an extension of the city’s central business district, the new destination will connect to the downtown core via the new wells-wentworth connector and to the entire city via bike-friendly streets and proximity to all major transit lines.

danish firm 3XN is involved in the project
image by ICON (also main image)

in october, plans were presented for an interdisciplinary public-private research facility that will form part of the development. known as the discovery partners institute (DPI), the venue is the first step in the development of the illinois innovation network (IIN), which will connect businesses, public sector partners and research universities to focus on the study of computing and big data, food and agriculture, and health and wellness.

the development has been masterplanned by SOM
image by DBOX

‘leveraging related’s extensive experience in international placemaking, the 78 will be a transformative downtown neighborhood designed to respond to the rapidly changing demands of future generations, making it the ideal location for a dynamic institute like DPI,’ explains curt bailey, president of related midwest. the size of the $1.2 billion USD innovation center — which will be operated by the university of illinois — is yet to be determined, with more information on the development set to be announced in the coming months.

AS+GG (adrian smith + gordon gill architecture) is contributing towards the vast scheme
image by ICON