A rendering of a rooftop patio atop 333 W Wacker in Chicago

333 West Wacker Rendering Project

I always enjoy working on photo projects to create renderings. There’s something thrilling about helping developers, architects, and the public envision what future spaces might look like set against a real backdrop of Chicago. For this project, Steelblue tasked me with shooting backdrops of the skyline for renderings they created of 333 West Wacker — which, thanks to Hines and Beacon Capital Partners – is undergoing extensive renovation.

Rooftop Rendering

My favorite rendering features the rooftop amenity deck – the blog’s feature image. The Steelblue team wanted to capture the feel of an after-work crowd. In order to do so, we planned for an evening shoot to create the “magic hour” vibe.

In the below triptych, you can see the progression from rendering to background. Including the to reference frame taken from the roof that helped Steelblue position the skyline. I photographed the actual background from the edge of the building to ensure a free and clear view of the skyline for flexibility.

1) Rendering 2) Actual skyline background 3) Background placement reference photo from future rooftop area.

Interior Rendering

In addition to this exterior rendering, we also did a “big view” interior rendering. This one features the corner of an interior amenity floor. Steelblue wanted a morning look to showcase how sunlight spilled into the space. We identified 8:45am +/- 10 minutes as the best time of day to ensure the the sun would fall on the cityscape in the same direction as the foreground rendering.

Here’s another progression triptych detailing the rendering, the background, and the interior reference photo. The daytime background image was also shot from the building’s rooftop for a clean and clear view of the skyline. Since the amenity space is on the top floor, the change in height between the roof and the interior space below did not negatively affect the perspective.