CHICAGO | General Developments

[rlw777]

Let's hope 'The Universe' finds itself a new home somewhere in Chicago.

Calder's 'Universe' sculpture not part of Willis Tower renovation plans - Chicago Tribune

Renderings of the renovated skyscraper, presented Tuesday, did not show "The Universe" in the renovation's redesigned lobby. It is unclear where the sculpture will go when it is removed from the Willis lobby.

New York-based Blackstone, the tower's owners, do not own "The Universe," so it's not part of their development plan, a spokeswoman for the firm said Wednesday.

The work is owned by previous owners of the tower

[LouisVanDerWright]

As long as they don't get rid of the Calder mobile, I'm good with it.

[Rocket49]

Originally Posted by sentinel

What appeals to me most about the Sears/Willis design is the fact that it's turning a previously sterile exterior into a lively, dynamic, and varied space with lots of different areas for engagement, and also while making it literally, much greener and inviting...

I certainly wouldn't mind engaging in a bit of lively and dynamic action with some of the women in the design representations

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by r18tdi

Looks like the design has been updated into something slightly more sophisticated than a plain jane box.


via Curbed

Originally Posted by sentinel

That looks great!

Agreed, I like it!

[J_M_Tungsten]

^I wonder if the used some of Harry's stock photos

And as long as the DO get rid of the "Stratton Oakmont" looking globe outside, I'm good with that. The entire design looks great to me. The area and building need it.

[Skyguy_7]

Originally Posted by Rocket49

I certainly wouldn't mind engaging in a bit of lively and dynamic action with some of the women in the design representations

Haha! Lotta honeys. I've been wondering how they go about finding these models we see in the renderings. It would be cool to see yourself in the Wanda penthouse before any billionaire buyer.

[SamInTheLoop]

I'm with most here - I like this overall. I do understand completely how it does rubs against the 'purity'/monolithic nature of the tower's design......I think that if this is executed with detail and quality, the aesthetics of the addition will be nice, and the improvement to the vibrancy of the area at street-level could be very impressive, and important for super-charging the SW Loop area (which is ripe for a super-charging....it just may be that it needed a catalyst to kick things off - and this could indeed be it!)....

[the urban politician]

If this is indeed going to be a $500 million investment I'm sure it will be very nice.
Wow this is really going to be transformative

[Mr Roboto]

$500 million? Thats gotta be more than the original construction cost of the building (not adjusted for inflation but still).

[the urban politician]

The sources are saying $500 million

This is truly transformative on the level of the Block 37 mall or some of the Mag Mile malls (maybe a bit smaller). Whether or not you like urban malls (I'm mixed), this will really have quite an impact on this immediate area and, with the right retail mix, probably kick off a lot more development in the SW corner of the Loop.

[moorhosj]

Haven't seen this posted here, according to the Sun Times, this site will include a factory that will be producing the homes. Also mentions there were 13 bidders.

“They did their due diligence, and they’ve got all of their ducks in a row. They’re gonna be building a manufacturing [plant] on the property where they’re going to be building modular homes. They’ve done it in Barcelona and Argentina. It’s a new, innovative product that’s never been here before,” Garza said.

“They can do things a lot faster because of the technology they use. South Works is gonna be used as a prototype to, hopefully, build these houses all over the Midwest.”

[Notyrview]

Originally Posted by sentinel

What appeals to me most about the Sears/Willis design is the fact that it's turning a previously sterile exterior into a lively, dynamic, and varied space with lots of different areas for engagement, and also while making it literally, much greener and inviting...at the same time still respecting the existing exterior facade, which makes me happy when I see this:

Because it shows that Gensler is not desecrating the original building design - proposing to turn the entire existing base into part of the interior courtyard is pretty clever and allows for so much more space to be built around the entire perimeter, as shown in the renderings.

I agree it complements the building quite well. And the base is so gigantic that you never really take it all in anyway. This is good and a necessary jolt of energy. If Trump doesn't veto funding for Union Station rehab, the area will be transformed.

[KWILLSKYLINE]

A bunch of new photos and article on curbed about the Sears project.

[LaSalle.St.Station]

500 million would build a pretty nice tower on Wolf Point. I'm not seeing 500 million worth of changes here, unless they're updating the mechanicals and wiring throughout the tower.

[pilsenarch]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

As long as they don't get rid of the Calder mobile, I'm good with it.

The Calder is a masterpiece and unfortunately, the renderings show it removed!

[Via Chicago]

^
thats exactly the kind of thing i was petitioning for in this thread a couple weeks ago. everyone said it wasnt feasible here because of the need for basement foundations, but it sounds like they use pylons. would code have to be changed to allow for that?

[TimeAgain]

Originally Posted by moorhosj

Haven't seen this posted here, according to the Sun Times, this site will include a factory that will be producing the homes. Also mentions there were 13 bidders.

This is exactly what's needed in this area. I really hope this isn't a decade off.

[Mr Downtown]

One of the problems at South Works is that the ground is almost entirely slag, with just a thin layer of topsoil (mostly silt dredged from Lake Peoria, I think) on top. So having to dig basements would be a deal killer.

[sentinel]

Originally Posted by LaSalle.St.Station

500 million would build a pretty nice tower on Wolf Point. I'm not seeing 500 million worth of changes here, unless they're updating the mechanicals and wiring throughout the tower.

Presumably yes. It may be somewhat difficult to decipher from the renderings, but they're essentially proposing a new construction mall around the perimeter of the existing building base. That will include structural, MEP, fire protection, and how any and all of those concerns tie into the existing building. Depending on how many additional square feet of space is being added (at least 100,000 sq ft...maybe...?), 500 million may not be that far off...especially if they are also doing extensive work on the existing tower too, but I have not read anything so far that indicates any work being done to the tower itself

[TimeAgain]

$500 million sounds like a number someone just threw out there.