CHICAGO | Boom rundown - everything over 12 floors. v5

[observer]

on glass:

even if you had very small sections of glass, and your outer light of glass was 3/8" thick....you would still not get a perfect reflection in a curtain wall condition because each section of glass, relative to the next would be in a slightly different plane....thus, over the length of any given composition, you would have a collective distortion of reflection. You will get less 'oil canning' on each section of glass with thicker glass, and it will look a lot better than the regular 1/4" outer light crap they put up everyhwhere...but it still won't look perfect. Folks will sometimes pay for really thick glass at nicer retail storefronts...but I think that's about it.

[Alliance]

Originally Posted by Nowhereman1280

^^^ My point is that, though it would be possible to make glass perfectly reflective, its completely impractical which is why NO ONE does it. Show me one building in the city that has large glass windows that are even close to perfectly reflective. No the art institute expansion doesn't count because its clearly distortive from at least some angles, all depending on how you look at it and the windows are small panes.

Granted I agree with you that some glass is really cheap and could probably be much better and at least a little less distortive. Trump is in that category to some extent, but I don't think its all that bad seeing as how the Mies masterpiece right next to it is just as loopy except less reflective and noticeable.

You keep forgetting that I never asked for a friggen mirror and have repeatedly said so. Can you please try to remember this time?

I asked for quality (thats both connotatively and denotatively different from perfection), glass that doesn't look like it would be better suited for a funhouse than a building. Glass that minimises "oil canning" as it is apparently called.

[Tom In Chicago]

^Please stop. . . we're all pretty tired of your whining. . . unless you have something constructive to contribute it's useless to keep ranting on as you do. . .

[BVictor1]

That is a unique tower crane over there at 155 N. Wacker. I've never seen exhaust pipes on one before. I believe that the majority of them are electric powered.

[honte]

Originally Posted by Alliance

Glass that minimises "oil canning" as it is apparently called.

That's what it's called when sheet metal deforms / puckers due to being thin, as you can see in some places on the (obviously highly experimental) Inland Steel building. Some designers like it and others hate it.

I have never heard it applied to glass before; I think observer was borrowing the term.

I agree with Tom - let's conclude the glass debate. There is nothing anyone can do about it, save thoroughly researching and specifying different glazing, and then trying as you might to convince the developers.

[modkris]

If no one will say it, I guess I will. Alliance, please SHUT UP!

[denizen467]

Well, maybe the folks interested in debating it could just start a thread on this rather universal topic.

[Jaroslaw]

1 N Wacker had gasoline (diesel I assume?) cranes, I recall the crane lifting barrels of fuel for itself, but I don't have any memory of how it was actually done. Some kind of extended ramp in front of the bend of the lifting arm, I think.

And I assume that the motor output is electricity anyway, can't get smooth precise movement otherwise.

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by Tom In Chicago

^Please stop. . . we're all pretty tired of your whining. . . unless you have something constructive to contribute it's useless to keep ranting on as you do. . .

Originally Posted by denizen467

Well, maybe the folks interested in debating it could just start a thread on this rather universal topic.

^ Thank you both!

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by denizen467

Well, maybe the folks interested in debating it could just start a thread on this rather universal topic.

absolutely!

why are people so afraid to start new discussion threads in the buildings and architecture forum about some of these more general architectural issues like the quality of glass used on highrise buildings? why does everything under the sun always get dumped into this thread? this thread is for news and construction updates about chicago's highrise developments. if you just want to endlessly rant about something that you've been endlessly ranting about on this forum since the moment you joined it, then go start a new thread about it and you can rant to yourself to your heart's content.

that is the end of this discussion here. let's move forward.

[harryc]

Originally Posted by Jaroslaw

1 N Wacker had gasoline (diesel I assume?) cranes, I recall the crane lifting barrels of fuel for itself, but I don't have any memory of how it was actually done. Some kind of extended ramp in front of the bend of the lifting arm, I think.

And I assume that the motor output is electricity anyway, can't get smooth precise movement otherwise.

They appear to be driven by a transmission and fluid pressure, I see no indication of a generator or electric motors.

The images at http://picasaweb.google.com/harry.r.carmichael/155NWackerCrane are "zoomable" and provide some detail of the crane being delivered.

[emathias]

Has there been any discussion at all about what will be built on the extreme NE corner of the Lakeshore East community - directly east of the Chandler?

Is there any chance the City would require that parcel to have a super-tall to help create a "gateway" to the river if the Spire actually gets constructed to it's current projected height? Kinda like Hong Kong's Two IFC and International Commerce Centre.

[a chicago bearcat]

Originally Posted by emathias

Has there been any discussion at all about what will be built on the extreme NE corner of the Lakeshore East community - directly east of the Chandler?

Is there any chance the City would require that parcel to have a super-tall to help create a "gateway" to the river if the Spire actually gets constructed to it's current projected height? Kinda like Hong Kong's Two IFC and International Commerce Centre.

well according to the most recent news, they are replacing the 600-800 ft tower south of aqua with the school, in order to preserve greenspace

so if you look at the masterplan which called for a 550+ tower at the rivver and LSD, then if they shifted all the FAR lost with the elimination of the south of aqua tower to LSD and Wacker, we could see a sears tower height building

but I don't think that building is going to be proposed for a good 3 years.
Let them build Arquitectonicas tower, build the school, finish the park homes and aqua, then get two of the rentals in that northeast area built, and then they'll propose a 1500+ tower

that's my guess, because at such a prime location, river and lake guaranteed unobstructed views, they would make more money on condominiums than apartments, and at the end of this decade we will just be filling up the existing proposed luxury condos

that will be the ideal time to propose an adrian smith designed zero energy tower or maybe john ronan or doug garofalo tower, who knows

[Eventually...Chicago]

^^^ I agree, lets get the proposals we have on the books right now built. Especially in areas like the south loop, the urban environment needs a bit of time to catch up with all the building. Once buildings become fully occupied and the retail around it catches up, new extraordinary projects are sure to follow.

The nice thing about chicago, though, we have no shortage of open sites for development!

[Alliance]

Well, Carley said we're looking at another 18 months for Waldorf to start. I can't imagine we'd even see a proposal for LSD&Wacker until Arqui is sold an U/C

[cbotnyse]

Originally Posted by emathias

Has there been any discussion at all about what will be built on the extreme NE corner of the Lakeshore East community - directly east of the Chandler?

Is there any chance the City would require that parcel to have a super-tall to help create a "gateway" to the river if the Spire actually gets constructed to it's current projected height? Kinda like Hong Kong's Two IFC and International Commerce Centre.

In this shot on emporis it lists 5 proposed buildings for the site. I dont know how up to date or accurate that is however. http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/zo/?id=100200

[2PRUROCKS!]

http://www.chicagorealestatedaily.co...ws.pl?id=27504


River North condo project gets loan for first tower

By Alby Gallun

(Crain’s) — The developers of a two-tower, 385-unit condominium project next to the Scottish Rite Cathedral in River North have secured a $135-million loan to finance the construction of the first tower.

Enterprise Cos. and Mesirow Financial Real Estate, both of Chicago, plan to break ground Jan. 21 on the Walton on the Park development, says Enterprise Chairman Ron Shipka Sr. Chicago-based Corus Bank N.A. has agreed to provide the construction loan, and investors, including Enterprise and Mesirow, are kicking in about $50 million in equity, he says.

Buyers have signed contracts for 85, or about 43%, of the 198 units in the 39-story south tower, at State Street and Delaware Place. Mr. Shipka expects the groundbreaking to provide a marketing boost, showing potential buyers that the project is real.

“On the 21st, as soon as we start digging, we’re going to have a blip in sales,” he says.

Yet many developers are having a much harder time financing condo projects these days amid a sluggish downtown market. Downtown developers will sell about 4,000 condos this year, down 31% from 2006, according to Appraisal Research Counselors, a Chicago-based real estate consulting firm.

[Jaroslaw]

<< That link doesn't work for me. Here is the full one:

http://www.chicagorealestatedaily.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=27504

The news is amazingly good. My outlook on the Chicago market has just done a 180...

[Alliance]

Good new. I'm diggin that project.

[Sir Isaac Newton]

That also seems promising in that if Walton on the Park was able to get a construction loan after only selling 43% of the units in one tower (and not even beginning to sell units in the other tower) then X/O's chances of securing a loan should be fairly good as well.