Lumina from last week (digging fast):

http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/a...psce7a5d5b.jpg

http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps7be1bdd2.jpg

http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps23397c28.jpg

Here's what Curbed had to say about Lumina today:

http://sf.curbed.com/archives/2013/1..._more.php#more

Currently: Excavation of the massive site covering over half a SoMa block is moving along. Support walls along the perimeter are up, clearing the way to excavate the remainder of the site and begin prep for foundation pouring, which will still be a while off. Don't expect to see this one rise above the ground until early-to-mid 2014, while the sales office will open in summer 2014.

Interesting photos at link. From my perch, it appears they are nearly 3 floors deep and mostly dug out at that point. With a matte pour, then they are really only ~2 floors deep, but I would think for garage purposes they will want to dig out one more floor so that they really end up with 3 subterranean parking levels. This would also explain the 43 and 38 story figures, as the math on heights doesn't add up that these towers are 43 and 38 stories above ground. More like 40 and 35 with 3 below-ground parking levels. I suspect cranes will be up by year end.

Lumina - the hole is 2 floors deep and largely cleared - will they go 3 floors deep or are we within ~1-2 months of crane installation and matte pour?

Pictures taken 10/13/2013

http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps84c1942e.jpg

http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps0ec36707.jpg

http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/a...psa2ac6b99.jpg

Look who came by Lumina!

http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps0842c8cd.jpg

Is Bigge going to set up some tower cranes fairly soon? The hole is DEEP now.

Bringing my comment over from the rundown thread:

There will be five (!) levels of underground parking going 45' deep, so this is going to be an impressive excavation:

http://i.imgur.com/iD34uoZ.png

From the photos it looks like they must be close to that 45' depth

They are @ the 45' depth. The rebar for the mid-rise foundation @ Main & Folsom is pretty well complete & the final dirt is being removed from the opposit side of the lot

^^^I have a great view from my office looking down Beale and I can say with confidence that cranes are coming soon. There has been a big Bigge hydraulic crane out there doing something serious (looks like lifting down pile drivers or caisson rigs and other equipment, or maybe stuff that will support the base for the crane).

I'm pretty high up (~400 ft) and I can't even see the bottom of the hole.

Nice! Hopefully, someone can snap a shot of that and get this moved to the Construction forum.

Under Construction
 

Support walls
 

Rookie question for the forum... I have always wondered on these big building projects, do they eventually pull the support walls out? Or just leave them in the ground permanently? Seems like it would be very difficult to remove support walls once the permanent walls are in place.

Thanks SFBuilding! I added it to the "move to construction" thread. And welcome to the forum. I like the building you live in too. I think your new neighbor will complement it well.

COncrete pour going on right now in NW quadrant of hole.

Progress - 11/30. This was the only active construction site that I saw over the weekend. They've still got a lot of foundation left, some dirt left to dig out, and multiple cranes to put up.

http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps18c34a42.jpg

http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps2db1f1b8.jpg

simms- love your pics, and the effort. Always thrilling to see these updates!

1st highrise foundation getting ready for rebar. They'll be gettn' out of the dirt business soon.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3681/1...398dd2f4_b.jpg

1st foundation poured & tower crane about to go up tomorrow

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3743/1...de62657d_c.jpg

Nice update. You also caught a glimpse of the action at Block 6/7 across Folsom.

1st tower foundation poured last Fri/Sat & all the dirt has been excavated. Looking to pick up speed now.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5550/1...8e978d3d_c.jpg

They are pouring the first layer of the SW quadrant foundation right now (the last corner of dirt remaining where the other "mid-rise" will go). After today there will be no more dirt remaining in this hole.