The Langham Hotel | Goettsch Partners

The Langham, Chicago resides on floors 2-12C in the former IBM building in the heart of Chicago. The building, situated on the plaza overlooking the River, is the last office building designed by famed German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, known as one of the masters of the Modern Movement. A rectangular prism of bronze-tinted aluminum and bronze glass resting on columns, it is a classic example of a modern skyscraper. Commissioned in 1966, the building was overseen by van der Rohe until his death in 1969. It opened in 1971 and was given landmark status in 2008.

The Langham, Chicago is the first hotel in the world to reside in a Mies van der Rohe designed building. As the only Mies building to feature double-paned glass, now called thermopanes, it was on the forefront of the “green” movement.

Given the building’s iconic status, the conversion of 13 of its floors into a luxury hotel involved the work of a group of architects and designers: Dirk Lohan, Goettsch Partners, Richmond International. Notable is the involvement of Chicago-based architect Dirk Lohan of Lohan Anderson. The grandson of Mies van der Rohe, Lohan worked on the IBM building in the mid to late 1960’s with his grandfather. Today Lohan has taken the historic ground-floor lobby level and fashioned the space into a hotel reception area, mindful not to disrupt its original travertine walls and granite floors. Also the sofas featured within this space are patterned after an original piece that Mies designed for his daughter in the late 1940s which was never commercially produced but remained in the family.

Chicago Architect Goettsch Partners and London-based interior designer Richmond International, worked to create a space that marries the traditional aesthetics of the Langham brand within a Mies van der Rohe designed building. Focusing on clean lines, quality materials and precise details, The Langham, Chicago is a light and airy environment where the Chicago River and city’s dynamic skyscrapers serve as the background.

The marriage between fine art, architecture and interiors is prevalent throughout the project. More than 140 artists, inspired by Mies van der Rohe and the Bauhaus School, are showcased in the various hotel’s areas.