CHICAGO | 300 North LaSalle | 785 FT / 239 M | 60 FLOORS

[Taft]

Originally Posted by denizen467

Postcard shot, baby.

Also, one possible basic idea behind 300's design seems to become apparent in this view - match the brawniness of MM, but in a shiny, high-tech, high-rise form.

I'm still withholding judgment until they put the topper on (and hopefully make the fins more prominent ), but I would agree with you at this point that brawny is a good term. It's tall, but it has wide shoulders.

We'll see...

Taft

[jjk1103]

....out of curiosity, why take the crane down if there is still steel (at the top) that still needed to be put in place ?

[panel]

someone have new photos?

[jc5680]

Originally Posted by panel

someone have new photos?

From 9.16
Not a whole lot is different

[Taft]

On the train into the loop this morning (brown line), I noticed the more pronounced fins on the upper portion of the North side of this building. This picture by cityofblindinglights illustrates it well:

Originally Posted by cityofblindinglights

Now the interesting bit to me is that as the train got nearer to the building, the effect became less pronounced to the point where the upper fins--clearly whiter and more "bold" than the lower parts--looked exactly like the lower parts of the building.

I am very anxiously awaiting the final pieces of decorative finish of this building. For me, the top and what they do (or don't do) with the fins on the rest of the building could make or break this building for me. Don't get me wrong: I think it'll end up a nice enough building either way. But this final stage could make this thing go from good to great, IMO.

Taft

[cityofblindinglights]

These photos are from this evening and then later at night. Note the fins becoming more pronounced with a new row of glass...


a little crooked...




there was some sort of fireworks display tonight...

[NYC4Life]

Sick freakin shots!

[SolarWind]

Nice shots, cityofblindinglights!

[SolarWind]

September 18, 2008

[nicopico]

cityofblindinglights: WOW! That's amazing.

[jc5680]

9.19

Another angle of the ornament on the north side of the building... strangely though I don't think the south side has the same look.

[photoLith]

Originally Posted by cityofblindinglights

Holy Crap thats one of the better pictures ive seen on here. Great job man.

[denizen467]

Originally Posted by jc5680

So the markets tank, and Hines decides to paint the fins onto the building rather than actually buying and installing them?
I hope that is not what's happening.

[honte]

Originally Posted by denizen467

So the markets tank, and Hines decides to paint the fins onto the building rather than actually buying and installing them?
I hope that is not what's happening.

I doubt it's paint... looks like flat sections of stainless where there used to be glass. But I agree it's just one more disappointment and for me the final stake in the coffin.

I said very long ago that I think this building is nothing more than a very large version of the typical mediocre office building, and that position has firmed up as it's neared completion. I don't talk about it here because I don't like to stir up dirt needlessly, and I know a lot of you guys are still excited about this building, but honestly I think all of the excitement in the design of this building has been stripped away, layer by layer. The product we're getting is confused, boring, cheapened, graceless, and, unfortunately, too huge probably ever to be rectified. It's disappointing that probably the best office development opportunity in Chicago for the last 10 years amounted to something completely unremarkable from an architectural standpoint.

Who's to blame is a very hard thing to identify, but it looks like the typical value engineering job to me.

[Fabb]

That's partially true.
In the end, the fact that it's a cheapened version of the original project may end up being a good thing. A simplified design may have a timeless beauty precisely because it's less seductive.
Time will tell.

[Alliance]

Well, lets hope the fins are still on the southside.

I totally diagree with Fabb. Fins are a timeless classic and perfect for the building. They were already minimalist. No change in the facade depth is simply unacceptable.

..but, it would be really cool if those were lanterns and not fins.

[SolarWind]

September 19, 2008

[Dr. Taco]

based on the page one rendering, I'm hoping they have a lot more detailing to go up there and just haven't gotten to it. If the building has been VE'ed, I still like it enough at this point to not care. It looks like a well-made building, with a pleasing colored glass, and a big presence. I'm not gonna be greedy

[ardecila]

It's only creative lighting in the rendering that brings out a lot of detail and relief in the crown. There never was anything huge or grand in the design, so there's been no VE.

Of course, creative lighting could also accomplish the same effect in real-life. The job of an architectural lighting professional is, I think, often forgotten - it's a crucial part of skyscraper design.

[honte]

^ I doubt it. You can see the changes just from phase 1 to phase 2 on the first page, and there are further "refinements" to the design that got built that work against the design.

There's no question that the building that got built lacks the punch of the renders. There are many reasons for this... we can only speculate who caused them. If it's the architect, then I like the project even less. If they can only produce a building that looks decent when it's lit during a very specific time of day, that's pretty sad.

I adore architectural lighting, but night renders are many times a sign of bad things to come, for exactly this reason.