CHICAGO | The Elysian | 686 FT / 209 M | 60 FLOORS | COM - Page 80

wrab · #**1581** Posted **Aug 20, 2009, 4:58 AM**

CGII · #**1582** Posted **Aug 20, 2009, 5:03 AM**

Urns?! Oh dear...

trvlr70 · #**1583** Posted **Aug 20, 2009, 1:32 PM**

Don't panic everybody. Chicago's air pollution and weather will "burnish" this one too and give it a nice patina of age. Hell, it only took the Standard Oil Building about a decade to fail.

CGII · #**1584** Posted **Aug 20, 2009, 3:45 PM**

Well concrete doesn't really burnish like limestone or brick so much as get dirty...

TorancisOMP · #**1585** Posted **Aug 20, 2009, 5:09 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by trvlr70

will "burnish" this one too and give it a nice patina of age.

Oh yeah, it would be fantastic to the eyes. Love this building.

The Pimp · #**1586** Posted **Aug 21, 2009, 1:35 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TorancisOMP

Oh yeah, it would be fantastic to the eyes. Love this building.

Me too....

Nowhereman1280 · #**1587** Posted **Aug 21, 2009, 4:40 AM**

^^^ I hope you guys are being sarcastic...

Quote:

Originally Posted by CGII

Well concrete doesn't really burnish like limestone or brick so much as get dirty...

And crack... Just look at the other LaGranges in river north, they are all cracking all over now and one of them is already being forced to undergo a complete grinding and grouting even though its not even ten years old. Granted thats poured concrete, but still, this is going to wear out quickly. Certainly isn't going to age like a well constructed modernist box does, barely changing in appearance for 40 or 50 years with little to no maintenance.

On a side note, I am amazed every time I look at buildings like Inland Steel and IBM and see how they still look fresh and crisp and hardly weathered at all. I think Inland Steel is the prime example of durable modern designs (probably because its made out of extremely durable materials like stainless steel). Walked buy it earlier tonight and something about the lighting made me not recognize it at first glance and I thought someone had snuck the construction of a new tower by use somehow before I realized it was just the good old Inland Steel building, looking as new as the day it was built...

wrab · #**1588** Posted **Aug 26, 2009, 1:37 AM**

8/25

Rizzo · #**1589** Posted **Aug 26, 2009, 4:04 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by CGII

Well concrete doesn't really burnish like limestone or brick so much as get dirty...

The dirt will just streak on it. It doesn't have the same texture as higher quality materials. I've got a couple photos to show of this same exact exterior except with many years more of age. I'll have to dig them up.

VivaLFuego · #**1590** Posted **Aug 26, 2009, 4:05 PM**

What would long term maintenance on this facade consist of? Since it's precast panels, would it just be powerwashing, as opposed to the normal concrete maintenance of patching and painting? Would a high quality precast (which this qualifies as, I think) age "better" or more "gracefully" than simple painted concrete?

I'll defer to the architecture and construction folks here, particularly interested to hear experts (e.g. ColoPrecaster) opinions.

Brian. · #**1591** Posted **Aug 26, 2009, 5:27 PM**

You are right about the washing being the only normal maintenance required for these panels. I actually could only see a need for that at street level anyway. The caulking in the panel joints will also need to be monitored. This building will have far less maintenance then a glass structure which requires constant cleaning.

observer · #**1592** Posted **Aug 26, 2009, 6:46 PM**

I cannot get over how ugly the tower is...I keeping coming back to this thread hoping to see a photo that somehow makes it look better. It is awful. It looks as though all the time, money, and thought was spend on base and entry courtyard and everything 50' and over was done over a weekend by an intern.

Matthew · #**1593** Posted **Aug 26, 2009, 11:13 PM**

I think it would look great if someone spent more time on the crown. I still like this building. It is interesting to see the difference changing the crown can make. I would also replace the cheap suburban big box home store light fixtures along the base.

The photo posted by Wrabbit above was used to create this image:

photoLith · #**1594** Posted **Aug 27, 2009, 2:32 AM**

^^^
Much much better

CGII · #**1595** Posted **Aug 27, 2009, 4:29 AM**

I'll match and raise you a dollar:

Neuman · #**1596** Posted **Aug 30, 2009, 12:37 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrabbit

8/25

When do they install the tassel to complete the Fez???

Surrealplaces · #**1597** Posted **Aug 31, 2009, 9:34 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neuman

When do they install the tassel to complete the Fez???

I was thinking the same thing lol!

spyguy · #**1598** Posted **Sep 2, 2009, 7:58 PM**

http://midwest.construction.com/features/archive/2009/0909_F2_RoofMountedDamper.asp

Liquid Assets: Roof-Mounted Damper Stifles Sway
in the Windy City.
By Paula Widholm

Chicago’s newest hotel/condo tower houses one of the nation’s first tuned liquid dampers, a system to ensure stillness inside when gale winds whip around outside.

george · #**1599** Posted **Sep 4, 2009, 7:31 PM**

^Thanks for that info, spyguy, interesting.^

Zapatan · #**1600** Posted **Sep 4, 2009, 8:04 PM**

This is gonna look great in that location. More company for Big John.