CHICAGO | Boom rundown - everything over 12 floors. v5

[observer]

I don't care how tall it is, but it should be the most slender building in Chicago ....a 1 to 10 slenderness ratio at a minimum...1 to 12 or 1 to 14 would be better ($$$$$$$$)....it should appear impossibly thin. In case anyone doesn't know already...the spire project is around a 1 to 10 ratio....this project should be more slender than that.

[Rocket1]

^^^^
I've always been a fan of the Williams Tower in Houston.

And something similar to that building, complete with an observation deck and revolving beacon up top, might work nicely.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by observer

I don't care how tall it is, but it should be the most slender building in Chicago ....a 1 to 10 slenderness ratio at a minimum...1 to 12 or 1 to 14 would be better ($$$$$$$$)....it should appear impossibly thin. In case anyone doesn't know already...the spire project is around a 1 to 10 ratio....this project should be more slender than that.

actually, i think wolf point would be better served by a beefier, more muscular broad shouldered skyscraper than by some impossibly thin needle. the site is 4 acres, a 1,500 building with a 1 to 14 ratio would look wimpy and stupid on such a large piece of real estate.

my dream of all dreams for wolf point revolve around stealing the USX tower from pittsburgh and making it half again as tall. yeah, a 1,200 ft. black triangular monolith with an exo-skeleton sounds absolutely perfect for the site.

[VivaLFuego]

Originally Posted by wrabbit

Mixed use for Wolf Point. Whatever the Kennedys build there, the views should be staggering. I get goosebumps just thinking about them.

I think that above 8-900ft, the views would not be substantially different than Sears Tower. Your immediate neighbors would be different, but the cityscape/landscape at large would be similar. Just pointing that, for discussions relavent to thins like an observation deck (and access to the site is relatively poor, as noted: it has the MerchMart Brown Line stop a block and a half away, but vehicle access especially is difficult especially since it would be sharing that access with the Apparel Center.

[Chicago Shawn]

^ Don't forgett about the private drive from Kinzie Street to the north. I think vehicular access is fine. There is enough for the tennants, but secluded enough to create a security buffer for all the people still scared shitless over potential terrorism. Plus, the Carrorll Avenue corridor is just a 1/2block north of the site. A major building could justify an additional stop where the transit way crosses the North Branch.

I envison a 3000 foot mixed use tower standing on three enormous structral legs laid out in traingular form. The mixed use floors would then be grouped acording to programing and strung like a bridge between the three legs serving as 3 cores for stairs, elevators, utilities and virtical structure. What I envison would be somewhat of a hybrid between Foster's HSBC in Hong Kong and CommerzBank HQ in Frankfort Germany, and then extruded up to 3000 feet tall with multiple indoor and outdoor sky gardens and lobbies staggered at different heights between groupings of floors.

[alex1]

interesting news about Wolfe Point. would be interesting to see what Z. Hadid could do with a tall building in Chicago. Besides her, I'd like to see the commission go to an emerging architect. What could Garafalo do with something tall?

[Cbautz]

I think textures are in. I'm not big on overly sculptural objects. I'd like to see a renzo piano type hi-rise of 50 to 60 stories with a soft curve and a nice environmental glass curtain wall. It would have to be brilliantly lit at night like a glowing latern.

[Chitown]

Originally Posted by X-fib

This is Chicago's premier location in my opinion. I am just supprised that the Kennedy family has waited this long!

Really? Why? That's what land speculators do: hold valuable land from use in hopes of getting more money out of would-be users of the land.

[museumparktom]

Right on the money. The Kennedy's know what there doing. Put this in play just as the last few river front locations are being proposed.

[bnk]

Originally Posted by trvlr70

What does everyone envision at the site?

I'd like to see an iconic building along the lines of SF's Transamerica Pyramid designed by Foster. Or, perhaps perfectly cylindrical.

[APPRAISER]

I like the idea of a tall 1,000' building that curves as the rivers turns north, or a series of buildings that compliment each other and the site all ranging in different heights.

[Chicago Shawn]

I added the entire New City complex at North and Clybourn to Emporis. Most of you would be interested in Building A (Emporis Building ID bu>299650), which will be a flatiron style wedge shape tower at Clybourn and Halsted, standing in at 25 stories and 289'-0". The other buildings are mid-rises ranging in height at 11 stories 143'-3", 10 stories 138'-0" and then a 5 story parking structure. All of that will be located north of an extension of Eastman Street through the south end of the site, and an extension of North Burling Street from the Cabrini redevelopment area. Two other buildings; 5 stories and 4 stories will be built along the new section of Eastman Street which will link into a stub of old Ogden Avenue before exiting out onto Clyborn Avenue. All of the buildings north of Eastman have multiple levels of retial with condos above, all residential parking is placed underground. The commercial parking will be in a 5 story garage along the new Eastman Street.

The heights are roof heights and may grow a little if parapets extend beyond those heights. The total unit count stands at 494 units, 396 market rate, 49 Affordable, and 49 Low-Income. Total retail space will stand in at a whopping 366,964 square feet. In the center of the complex is a very large public plaza. There is also an allocation of space at Halsted and Clybourn for a potential future entrance to the subway station.

All in all, a very nice development that will greatly assist North and Clybourn's upgrade from a suburbanized mistake into a truley urban shopping district. This project combined with SoNo and the new Brittish School gives me great expectations of how this area will evolve over the next few years.

[Chicago Shawn]

The Element Hotel at 8201 W. Higgins Road will be 172'-8" TO THE ROOF. That does not include parapets that rise above the elevation tag provided in the PD aplication, but it should give you guys a ball park figure for the height of this building.

[VivaLFuego]

Originally Posted by Chicago Shawn

I added the entire New City complex at North and Clybourn to Emporis. Most of you would be interested in Building A (Emporis Building ID bu>299650), which will be a flatiron style wedge shape tower at Clybourn and Halsted, standing in at 25 stories and 289'-0". The other buildings are mid-rises ranging in height at 11 stories 143'-3", 10 stories 138'-0" and then a 5 story parking structure. All of that will be located north of an extension of Eastman Street through the south end of the site, and an extension of North Burling Street from the Cabrini redevelopment area. Two other buildings; 5 stories and 4 stories will be built along the new section of Eastman Street which will link into a stub of old Ogden Avenue before exiting out onto Clyborn Avenue. All of the buildings north of Eastman have multiple levels of retial with condos above, all residential parking is placed underground. The commercial parking will be in a 5 story garage along the new Eastman Street.

The heights are roof heights and may grow a little if parapets extend beyond those heights. The total unit count stands at 494 units, 396 market rate, 49 Affordable, and 49 Low-Income. Total retail space will stand in at a whopping 366,964 square feet. In the center of the complex is a very large public plaza. There is also an allocation of space at Halsted and Clybourn for a potential future entrance to the subway station.

All in all, a very nice development that will greatly assist North and Clybourn's upgrade from a suburbanized mistake into a truley urban shopping district. This project combined with SoNo and the new Brittish School gives me great expectations of how this area will evolve over the next few years.

Sounds like a very well-planned project, thanks for these extra details. The area south of North Avenue is largely a clean slate development-wise, that hasn't already been mucked up with strip malls. In addition to this and SoNo, there's also the new Whole Foods along Kingsbury, and a few other vacant sites that hopefully will see some decent density. And that's not even getting into the redevelopment of the Green highrises farther down the road; that area alone probably has room for over 1,000 housing units at a reasonable density, or possibly many more if the city gets ambitious and uses the current relative lack of neighborhood activists to their advantage.

[Chicago Shawn]

Originally Posted by VivaLFuego

Sounds like a very well-planned project, thanks for these extra details. The area south of North Avenue is largely a clean slate development-wise, that hasn't already been mucked up with strip malls. In addition to this and SoNo, there's also the new Whole Foods along Kingsbury, and a few other vacant sites that hopefully will see some decent density. And that's not even getting into the redevelopment of the Green highrises farther down the road; that area alone probably has room for over 1,000 housing units at a reasonable density, or possibly many more if the city gets ambitious and uses the current relative lack of neighborhood activists to their advantage.

Well the one major downside to redeveloping the former CHA sites is that the max density is capped by federal law. This is why the stuff on Divison consists of midrises and 3 flats, but the adjacent sites outside of the CHA boundries have 20+ story high-rises proposed. The redevelopment for sure will add new density, but do not expect anything too substational. What I really love is that the New City complex and SoNo is setting the precident for more high-rises to easily creep up this way while the immediate neighborhood is still rather NIMBY free due to the industrial uses.

[TransitEngr]

noticed on my walk home from the office this evening.... soil testing.... @ Washington just west of Wells.

can't remember the name of this site, you guys know what I'm talking about

[Latoso]

Originally Posted by Chicago Shawn

I envison a 3000 foot mixed use tower standing on three enormous structral legs laid out in traingular form. The mixed use floors would then be grouped acording to programing and strung like a bridge between the three legs serving as 3 cores for stairs, elevators, utilities and virtical structure. What I envison would be somewhat of a hybrid between Foster's HSBC in Hong Kong and CommerzBank HQ in Frankfort Germany, and then extruded up to 3000 feet tall with multiple indoor and outdoor sky gardens and lobbies staggered at different heights between groupings of floors.

Exactly! That's what I'm talking about. Anyone who proposes anything less than 2500 feet for this site deserves to be shot. This site is way to prominent for just another good building, it is meant for greatness. Bring on the world-wide design competition for a new Mega-tall in Chicago.

[forumly_chgoman]

Originally Posted by Chicago Shawn

I added the entire New City complex at North and Clybourn to Emporis. Most of you would be interested in Building A (Emporis Building ID bu>299650), which will be a flatiron style wedge shape tower at Clybourn and Halsted, standing in at 25 stories and 289'-0". The other buildings are mid-rises ranging in height at 11 stories 143'-3", 10 stories 138'-0" and then a 5 story parking structure. All of that will be located north of an extension of Eastman Street through the south end of the site, and an extension of North Burling Street from the Cabrini redevelopment area. Two other buildings; 5 stories and 4 stories will be built along the new section of Eastman Street which will link into a stub of old Ogden Avenue before exiting out onto Clyborn Avenue. All of the buildings north of Eastman have multiple levels of retial with condos above, all residential parking is placed underground. The commercial parking will be in a 5 story garage along the new Eastman Street.

The heights are roof heights and may grow a little if parapets extend beyond those heights. The total unit count stands at 494 units, 396 market rate, 49 Affordable, and 49 Low-Income. Total retail space will stand in at a whopping 366,964 square feet. In the center of the complex is a very large public plaza. There is also an allocation of space at Halsted and Clybourn for a potential future entrance to the subway station.

All in all, a very nice development that will greatly assist North and Clybourn's upgrade from a suburbanized mistake into a truley urban shopping district. This project combined with SoNo and the new Brittish School gives me great expectations of how this area will evolve over the next few years.

Thanks

can you provide a direct hyperlink I am having trouble finding it

[a chicago bearcat]

close to the merchandsie mart for transit, water taxis at it's base
mixed use would probably be the BEST choice

along the water taxi's along the river and underneath the site running along the old proposed riverfront busway route underground could both serve a hotel in an efficient and specialized way, eliminating much of the traffic two and from the hotel along the street grid from destination to destination in the city

then split the rest of the building into half mixed use and half office, so that the traffic to and from equals out along both conventional and alternate transit routes to the site

I really think that this is a site so unrestricted by the typical grid of the city that it could take the monolith steely talks of, with a torquing of floors to relate to the currents at work at the point.

triangulat could be too literal, but a rectangular floor plan would just be ignoring context

not in terms of building, but it's importance visually to the city as a whole

[DANTHEDISCOMAN]

Soil testing at Wit site this morning. (did they not already do this though?)