Lincoln Yards

Lincoln Yards
  • Client Sterling Bay
  • Region North America
  • Location Chicago, Illinois, United States

SOM’s masterplan for vacant industrial land along the Chicago River’s North Branch will transform it into a dynamic and easily accessible mixed-use district.

Project Facts
  • Design Finish Year 2020
  • Size Site Area: 55 acres Building Gross Area: 15,000,000 square feet
  • Sustainability Certifications LEED ND Silver, ND, Silver, Array
  • Collaborators
    Field Operations NelsonNygaard Consulting Associates V3 Companies, Ltd. Omni Ecosystems Kenig, Lindgren, O'Hara, Aboona, Inc./Kloa Inc. Wordsearch
Project Facts
  • Design Finish Year 2020
  • Size Site Area: 55 acres Building Gross Area: 15,000,000 square feet
  • Sustainability Certifications LEED ND Silver, ND, Silver, Array
  • Collaborators
    Field Operations NelsonNygaard Consulting Associates V3 Companies, Ltd. Omni Ecosystems Kenig, Lindgren, O'Hara, Aboona, Inc./Kloa Inc. Wordsearch

Meeting a city’s changing needs

The Lincoln Yards development is a major component of the North Branch Framework Plan, which aims to connect two of the city’s most vibrant neighborhoods – Lincoln Park and Bucktown – through a 55 acre-site along the Chicago River’s North Branch. The development is led by developer Sterling Bay, with a master plan by SOM and CBT.

© SOM

The project is designed to meet the changing needs of Chicago’s business community and hospitality industry, featuring contemporary workplaces flanked by a diverse offering of restaurant, retail, and outdoor amenities.

Lincoln Yards celebrates the site’s industrial past by combining historic elements, such as trussed steel bridges, with contemporary buildings and amenities, including a soaring, glass-enclosed transit center, expansive public plazas, and green space. Closing existing gaps in the Chicago Riverwalk, the project will create continuous public access between the city’s North and South Side neighborhoods.

In designing the master plan, we looked at how the spaces we create are designed for people, and how the connections to transit, to adjacent neighborhoods, and to the river make this an inclusive place for all Chicagoans.


Building better connections

A new multimodal transit center will make the most of the project’s location, where Chicago’s transit and interstate highway networks intersect. The transit center will include a relocated Metra rail station, shuttle service to nearby Chicago Transit Authority stations, new water taxi stops, Divvy bike share stations, and an extension of the city’s 606 pedestrian and bike trail. Infrastructure improvements will streamline access to the site, especially from downtown and from nearby airports, and reduce congestion in nearby neighborhoods. Incorporating advanced sustainable infrastructure, Lincoln Yards is targeting LEED Neighborhood Development certification.

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