CHICAGO | Boom rundown - everything over 12 floors. v5 - Page 223

EarlyBuyer · #**4441** Posted **Nov 18, 2007, 6:32 PM**

Photo's taken by EarlyBuyer 11/18/07

Busy Bee · #**4442** Posted **Nov 18, 2007, 6:49 PM**

I know this is WAY off topic in relation to Aqua, but this has been on my mind for awhile. I've noticed that the LSE inner ring drive (South Water, Park Dr., Benton....) has an issue at it's corners with inside and outside radii not being engineered correctly. This is a common problem in electronic illustration software when the curve is assumed to begin at the same point perpendicular with the line (street) when in fact it doesn't. This picture also shows the mistake of taking the inside radius and increasing it proportionally for the outside edge without increasing the radius to mirror the inside radius. The sidewalk seems to be done correctly, but the street wasn't so lucky. This may seem unimportant, but from above a graceful street it does not make. Does this post qualify as most picky opinion posted in some time?

left of center · #**4443** Posted **Nov 18, 2007, 7:00 PM**

Another interesting point is that it seems there wont be any crosswalks at the bends of harbor drive (i believe that is the name of this ring road surrounding the Lakeshore East park). Assuming that the parkhomes will face a sidewalk of some sort, how are people supposed to safely cross the street to the park without jaywalking? Granted, the traffic on this ring road will never be that bad to actually necessitate some sort of designated street crossing area, but it just seems wierd that there is no crosswalks, and that the sidewalk around the park just curves, and doesnt continue straight from both directions to meet the missing crosswalks.

Just an observation.

Busy Bee · #**4444** Posted **Nov 18, 2007, 7:31 PM**

^Agreed. Strangely un-urban.

honte · #**4445** Posted **Nov 18, 2007, 7:48 PM**

^^^

Hey EarlyBuyer, thanks for the pics.

You may not be aware that there is a Chicago General Developments thread. That is the preferred place to post information or photos of things under 12 stories, I believe. Since we don't have a LakeShore East thread, however, and since the development is mostly high-rises, Steely may disagree with me.

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=105764&page=105

EarlyBuyer · #**4446** Posted **Nov 18, 2007, 7:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by honte

^^^

Hey EarlyBuyer, thanks for the pics.

You may not be aware that there is a Chicago General Developments thread. That is the preferred place to post information or photos of things under 12 stories, I believe. Since we don't have a LakeShore East thread, however, and since the development is mostly high-rises, Steely may disagree with me.

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=105764&page=105

Thanks honte for the heads up. I'll start posting the Parkhomes photo's over there instead.

ardecila · #**4447** Posted **Nov 18, 2007, 8:53 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by left of center

Another interesting point is that it seems there wont be any crosswalks at the bends of harbor drive (i believe that is the name of this ring road surrounding the Lakeshore East park). Assuming that the parkhomes will face a sidewalk of some sort, how are people supposed to safely cross the street to the park without jaywalking? Granted, the traffic on this ring road will never be that bad to actually necessitate some sort of designated street crossing area, but it just seems wierd that there is no crosswalks, and that the sidewalk around the park just curves, and doesnt continue straight from both directions to meet the missing crosswalks.

Just an observation.

Won't there be crosswalks here?

bnk · #**4448** Posted **Nov 18, 2007, 9:19 PM**

edit

Ch.G, Ch.G · #**4449** Posted **Nov 18, 2007, 10:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by honte

I think everyone who thought this project had potential was seduced by the power of hand drawing. Old-fashioned buildings look better when they're drawn by hand because the technique brings out subtleties that would have existed in the days of cut stone and hand craftsmanship.

Now that you're seeing the real render of a building like this in the 21st century, you can get a better understanding of what it's really going to look like. But other than the loss of some balconies (which people are actually complaining about???), and making the top ultra-tacky, not much has changed.

My prediction for this building is the same as it was before: 100% POS. And to think, we are giving up four authentic historic buildings to make a fake one.

Four historic buildings?! Does it reveal something about my character that I react more viscerally to this than cyclones in Bangladesh or intra-African ethnic conflict? What a loss.

I'm a big fan of retro-modernism but I'm not even convinced that's the aesthetic they're going for. Some vertical detailing, metal cladding and a cleaned-up crown could go a long way here... On a positive note, it doesn't have that disjointed tower-podium effect of the first rendering.

On, and honte, you're dead-on about hand-drawn renderings. Watercolors, too! They always make glass look whimsically polychromatic.

sentinel · #**4450** Posted **Nov 18, 2007, 11:17 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ardecila

Won't there be crosswalks here?

Yes there will be - the crosswalks will line up directly with the sidewalk along the townhomes; the townhomes will be fronting the park, but with garage access from the back, which will be the same as the Aqua garage; above the townhomes there will be an office level, and then directly above that the ballroom space, which is part of the new Fairmont hotel.

EarlyBuyer · #**4451** Posted **Nov 18, 2007, 11:25 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by sentinel

Yes there will be - the crosswalks will line up directly with the sidewalk along the townhomes; the townhomes will be fronting the park, but with garage access from the back, which will be the same as the Aqua garage; above the townhomes there will be an office level, and then directly above that the ballroom space, which is part of the new Fairmont hotel.

sentinel, any renderings (interior) or diagrams that you can share with us on the Aqua thread?

denizen467 · #**4452** Posted **Nov 19, 2007, 12:17 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by sentinel

Yes there will be - the crosswalks will line up directly with the sidewalk along the townhomes; the townhomes will be fronting the park, but with garage access from the back, which will be the same as the Aqua garage; above the townhomes there will be an office level, and then directly above that the ballroom space, which is part of the new Fairmont hotel.

The townhomes in the photo are on the eastern half of LSE, not near the Aqua site.

I would think they want to lessen the number of crosswalks for traffic efficiency - I would be a little surprised if they followed through and actually established crosswalks every 30 yards in a place like this.

denizen467 · #**4453** Posted **Nov 19, 2007, 12:23 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

I know this is WAY off topic in relation to Aqua, but this has been on my mind for awhile. I've noticed that the LSE inner ring drive (South Water, Park Dr., Benton....) has an issue at it's corners with inside and outside radii not being engineered correctly. This is a common problem in electronic illustration software when the curve is assumed to begin at the same point perpendicular with the line (street) when in fact it doesn't. This picture also shows the mistake of taking the inside radius and increasing it proportionally for the outside edge without increasing the radius to mirror the inside radius. The sidewalk seems to be done correctly, but the street wasn't so lucky. This may seem unimportant, but from above a graceful street it does not make. Does this post qualify as most picky opinion posted in some time?

There's always room in this forum for picky opinions.

From a purely aesthetic standpoint I think what you're saying makes sense, but is it possible that this was intentional from a traffic flow (including anticipating parked/waiting cars) point of view? One can see just how carefully LSE was planned, and the City seems generally to be on top of street building/layout/signage/etc., so basic geometry bloopers would seem kind of unlikely in this setting.

Dr. Taco · #**4454** Posted **Nov 19, 2007, 12:32 AM**

^ to be honest, busybee, while it was a very astute observation (and I like how you gave a probable cause for the mistake (if it was a mistake...)), I probably wouldn't have noticed it if you hadn't pointed it out. I mean, now its bugging me

Mr Downtown · #**4455** Posted **Nov 19, 2007, 4:35 AM**

I think it's intentional; probably a standard road geometry detail in the design software. Trucks, particularly, need additional room in curves.

simcityaustin · #**4456** Posted **Nov 19, 2007, 5:31 AM**

Took a trip to Chicago to visit some friends, go to the parade/fireworks, and of course take some construction pics. I'll post the few that don't have their own thread here.

Taken 11/17

MoMo

Lookis like a facadectomy near the Sears Tower?

Fireworks! Gotta appreciate the cold weather the construction workers will be working in very soon!