Studio Gang’s 82-story Aqua Tower is among Chicago’s most important tall buildings of the last ten years. The tower’s urban context helped determine its undulating surface, resulting in unique concrete balconies designed to contribute a graphic wave pattern to the building’s façade, while controlling solar exposure and allowing for expansive views of the city and Lake Michigan. Inspired by the flow of wind, water, and topography, the Aqua Tower’s facade was designed and fabricated with a combination of digital and analogue techniques to create mass-produced, yet custom-made, forms. Aqua Tower fuses Studio Gang’s rigorous research process with a dedication to strong architectural imagery.

— Entry, Essential Guide, 2013, p. 90.