CHICAGO | Highrise Projects & Construction, v7

[BonoboZill4]

Originally Posted by sentinel

So many questions..

Who/what is MWXX? Is that the client? Is this a spec building design?

Is there a developer/client? What is the overall height? Any proposed delivery estimates yet?

This look oddly similar in terms of the strange, differently designed, overlapping masses that bkL designed for parcel 'O' at Lakeshore East. The overall massing at both the lower area along the highway, and the tallest portion perpendicular to that, just seems so broad and foreboding. It doesn't feel like a welcoming design; it's just a choppy, ham-fisted amalgam of parts that would seemingly work better alone than as the assemblage shown in the renders.

I'm thinking that MWXX is just placeholder letters to show where a name might go? Some google searches for anything that might have that acronym is pulling up zilch.

The tower looks kind of like some Stantec buildings too... I like the orange and love the density, but the stacked box look is getting near played levels of usage.

[AlpacaObsessor]

Originally Posted by IronWright

Why does nearly every project have to have a combination of a podium, park or plaza that fills out the entire space? Three skyscrapers could be built on that lot with the footprint of that podium. This is probably roughly Wolf Point's total area. Two more towers could have been built on the park space at One Bennett Park as well. The density Chicago is losing with this trend is unbelievable and the voids they create keep Chicago from ever feeling overwhelming.

Areas where there could have been a canyon offer sweeping views off into the distance. Here's a sad example:

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8918655,...qoDUgNPd_pECDBTriy0gQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

It doesn't help that anything over 300 feet and over like 350 units requires getting through the Alderman. Including a park/plaza component makes it a hell of a lot easier to make that happen.

Also if I'm not mistaken doesn't FAR have a lot to do with podiums? By limiting the square footage on the lower floors you can use that square footage to build higher. Though that's not to say that there are still plenty of developers that have been able to negotiate extra FAR for their projects but still somehow manage to incorporate podiums into them as well (usually for amenity decks).

[SamInTheLoop]

duplicate

[SamInTheLoop]

Originally Posted by BuildThemTaller

Of all the locations where that mix could work, the West Loop is one of the few. It's so close to Union Station and the Kennedy and the rest of the West Loop office boom. Being on the east side of the Kennedy, hardly any local residents will kick up much of a fuss about the height or density. Build it!

No. Nothing even to do with demand mix based on location. From a building program standpoint, the market here has shown a marked preference for office to be stand-alone. Likely to not change in near future.

[harryc]

Feb 6











Feb 15

[KWillChicago]

Damn union west is flying fast.

[kolchak]

Originally Posted by BonoboZill4

Gems II:

Great update (and all around!) I wish they hadn’t used white in the facade. its jarring. Great pic btw

[rgarri4]

Although I agree that most podium designs look lazy, I disagree that every block needs to be wall to wall density. From the street level its nice to be able to see views of the city through the small gaps caused by plazas, parks and even ugly podiums. A good skyline needs to breath a little or else you cant see anything. A majority of the skyline in places like Manhattan and Chinese cities cant really be enjoyed unless you're outside looking at it from a distance or from up above. But from ground level you cant see anything but the but the 3 maybe 4 buildings right next to you. Too much density Isn't always that great looking.

[LouisVanDerWright]

Originally Posted by kolchak

Great update (and all around!) I wish they hadn’t used white in the facade. its jarring. Great pic btw

White? The lightest color is powder blue...

[LouisVanDerWright]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

for sure!

but this feels a lot more like either an in-house design exercise or an older development plan that fizzled.

Yeah but spyguy rarely posts stuff that's "vision" status. I believe he is in some sort of planning department with the city... Almost every else he posts seems to be in the early stages of permitting or zoning approval.

[pilsenarch]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

for sure!

but this feels a lot more like either an in-house design exercise or an older development plan that fizzled.

That's right, Steely... exactly this unfortunately...

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

Yeah but spyguy rarely posts stuff that's "vision" status. I believe he is in some sort of planning department with the city... Almost every else he posts seems to be in the early stages of permitting or zoning approval.

well, when you follow the link to the bKL website, it says the project was designed between 2014-2018.

the fact that it's now showing up on their website, instead of via a developer press release, leads me to believe that it was a development that died on the vine and bKL can now use the imagery they created for their own marketing purposes.

i could certainly be wrong (and that would be great!), but that's just my read of the situation given the limited info on hand.

[SamInTheLoop]

^ Also, I think Pilsenarch is confirming that it is not a live design....

[BonoboZill4]

Originally Posted by kolchak

Great update (and all around!) I wish they hadn’t used white in the facade. its jarring. Great pic btw

There is no white on the facade. Might just be my camera making it look that way, but it is a light blue

[The Best Forumer]

Originally Posted by sentinel

So many questions..

Who/what is MWXX? Is that the client? Is this a spec building design?

Is there a developer/client? What is the overall height? Any proposed delivery estimates yet?

This look oddly similar in terms of the strange, differently designed, overlapping masses that bkL designed for parcel 'O' at Lakeshore East. The overall massing at both the lower area along the highway, and the tallest portion perpendicular to that, just seems so broad and foreboding. It feels like a welcoming design; it's just a choppy, ham-fisted amalgam of parts that would seemingly work better alone than as the assemblage shown in the renders.

I dont like it as much as you do... it looks like a bunch of lego blox thrown together by some 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 who was bored at work.

[sentinel]

Originally Posted by The Best Forumer

I dont like it as much as you do... it looks like a bunch of lego blox thrown together by some 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 who was bored at work.

Um, what?

I don't like it and I agree with much of what you state above; apparently that was not clear in my original post. Somehow.

I will be more than happy if it is proven to be a design that went nowhere. It's a mess.

[aaron38]

Regardless of whether that proposal is live or dead, it shows that there is real interest in those remaining surface lots. That lot is two blocks from Ogilvie, four blocks from Union Station, four blocks from Clinton El stop. It will get developed, its only a matter of time.

[marothisu]

Demo permit issued for the 3 buildings at Orleans & Grand - aka the future site of the 30-something story 350 something unit building that was Clark & Barlow

[KWillChicago]

Got any renderings?^

Nevermind i remember what it is.

[maru2501]

soil tester at 9whatever hundred N Wells