The Urban Convention Center is situated in the Loop area of downtown Chicago. Sporting 500 rooms, a 900 person convention center, two restaurants, leasable space on the street, offices, a bar, a roof-top lounge, gym and rooftop pool.
The building is realistically designed and constructed to pass code, efficiently use space and maintain a reasonable budget. The hotel further supports itself with retail space along Van Buren, a busy business corridor, and a high class restaurant along Congress Parkway, a major street. The convention center is equipped to host banquets, weddings, lecture, business meetings and more with catering services.
The design divides the program into two towers joined with a horizontal service and circulation bar. The tall tower is the hotel tower, containing over 500 rooms with a roof-top pool, bar, and exercise space for guests. The shorter tower contains offices and retail space along the busy and noisy street with the elevated railway running next to the business area (rather than next to the hotel rooms). The towers provide wonderful views along the streets and out to Lake Michigan.
