CHICAGO | Boom rundown - everything over 12 floors. v5

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by BVictor1

Had I known about this a few days ago, I might have attempted to go to this... I'm sure it was interesting with all the NiMBY'S in the west loop.

^ "was"?

The meeting isn't till Nov 28th

[BVictor1]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

^ "was"?

The meeting isn't till Nov 28th

Shit, you're right. Ha... Guess I can go and put my 2cents in after all

[denizen467]

Originally Posted by harryc

And they're using these toothpicks instead of caissons?

This actually works??

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by denizen467

And they're using these toothpicks instead of caissons?

This actually works??

Of course it works. Many Chicago landmarks are built with similar foundations, and lots of those are heavy masonry buildings.

They're gonna do this over the entire site, ending up with hundreds of these pilings. If they did it with caissons, there would only be 20-30 caissons drilled. Since the number of pilings is greater, each one carries less weight and doesn't need to be as beefy. You can either lie on a bed of hundreds of nails or stand on stilts; same principle.

A piling foundation is better in unstable soil. One failed nail is no big deal, but you're screwed if one of your stilts fails.

[jet cm]

Originally Posted by harryc

The pit, for the core mat. The odd cement blocks were where the central shaft is now

Sorry can't help with what the blocks were for.

Not sure what this is - - an alternative to building the entire mat out of re-bar ?

The channel lattice is just to hold up the top load of rebar. I saw similar setups in Japan but this is my first time to see this in Chicago. My current job had two ten foot thick mats and the standees we used were kind of shaky. I commented to our ironworkers that I'd feel more comfortable with something like your picture but we got the pours made with no problems.

I continue to be amazed by your interesting pics and hope you can keep it up for a long time.

[denizen467]

Originally Posted by ardecila

Of course it works. Many Chicago landmarks are built with similar foundations, and lots of those are heavy masonry buildings.

They're gonna do this over the entire site, ending up with hundreds of these pilings. If they did it with caissons, there would only be 20-30 caissons drilled. Since the number of pilings is greater, each one carries less weight and doesn't need to be as beefy. You can either lie on a bed of hundreds of nails or stand on stilts; same principle.

A piling foundation is better in unstable soil. One failed nail is no big deal, but you're screwed if one of your stilts fails.

That works if the nails are assured of being vertical and have enough lateral support that they don't start tipping/bending over as time goes by. If the soil is unstable, sounds like you're screwed with the nails too.
Also, Chicago's heavy masonry buildings were not residential buildings having 1000 people living in them; the attention to be paid to longevity/safety in this situation in 2007 is going to be greater.
So I assume these go very, very far down, and will be inserted throughout the footprint of the building?

[SamInTheLoop]

Originally Posted by denizen467

And they're using these toothpicks instead of caissons?

This actually works??

Anybody know how total many piles/how long each is for the 235 Van Buren foundation? It must be an incredible number, with the density shown in the photo. Also, I would assume that there's a decent chance this building could be the largest in the city to have a pile foundation....anyone know for sure?

[Jaroslaw]

Sky55 has a pile foundation, and I think it's a taller building (and the Columbus has one too). There were not nearly as many piles at Sky55, something like four per equivalent caisson location. That central porcupine rectangle at Van Buren is probably for the elevator core.

[harryc]

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

Anybody know how total many piles/how long each is for the 235 Van Buren foundation? It must be an incredible number, with the density shown in the photo. Also, I would assume that there's a decent chance this building could be the largest in the city to have a pile foundation....anyone know for sure?

Oct 26

[kayosthery]

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

Anybody know how total many piles/how long each is for the 235 Van Buren foundation? It must be an incredible number, with the density shown in the photo. Also, I would assume that there's a decent chance this building could be the largest in the city to have a pile foundation....anyone know for sure?

The high-rise planned for Roosevelt Collection will be 40 storeys and will sit on a pile foundation. The parking, retail, and low-rise loft areas of RC sit on over 2,700 piles.

[Dan in Chicago]

Updates:

Printers Corner is finished, with a height of 204'. Getting the final height was just a matter of visually scaling the chimney on the west side over a 202'-7" parapet; I had already seen the blueprints. 204 should be correct within 3 or 4 inches.

Also the Dwight Building and Pure are topped out.

[Dr. Taco]

afternoon 11/23/07

353 N. Clark

render (revealed a long time ago, I think)




"hey gang, lets go see what Bill is up to"

[Chicago Shawn]

600 North Lakeshore Drive 11-23-2007





Park View West 11-23-2007

[spyguy]

http://www.suntimes.com/business/roeder/665566,CST-NWS-lakeshore25.article

New neighborhood bursts onto scene
DOWNTOWN BOOM | Lakeshore East plans 4,950 homes

November 24, 2007
BY DAVID ROEDER

Tall building could draw ire

The developers are talking a trade with the city: Surrendering one of the development sites for the school, probably along Columbus Drive south of the Aqua. In exchange, the city would grant zoning authority for buildings a little taller than a current maximum of about 70 stories near Lake Shore Drive.

Loewenberg and Carlins won't discuss specifics, but the danger is that anything extremely tall could overwhelm the neighborhood sense they've carefully built around the park. Also, the same buyers they're signing up could become the political force opposing taller buildings.

[Dr. Taco]

^
"That's definitely upscale, but well under what Donald Trump's riverfront tower or the proposed 150-story Chicago Spire are trying to get."

psh. get over it, suntimes

[BVictor1]

Originally Posted by spyguy

http://www.suntimes.com/business/roeder/665566,CST-NWS-lakeshore25.article

New neighborhood bursts onto scene
DOWNTOWN BOOM | Lakeshore East plans 4,950 homes

November 24, 2007
BY DAVID ROEDER

Tall building could draw ire

The developers are talking a trade with the city: Surrendering one of the development sites for the school, probably along Columbus Drive south of the Aqua. In exchange, the city would grant zoning authority for buildings a little taller than a current maximum of about 70 stories near Lake Shore Drive.

Loewenberg and Carlins won't discuss specifics, but the danger is that anything extremely tall could overwhelm the neighborhood sense they've carefully built around the park. Also, the same buyers they're signing up could become the political force opposing taller buildings.

I could live with taller buildings along LSD and Wacker. Screw the bastards who conplain. It's the fucking city, get over it or get the hell out!!!

[wrab]

Originally Posted by spyguy

http://www.suntimes.com/business/roeder/665566,CST-NWS-lakeshore25.article


New neighborhood bursts onto scene
DOWNTOWN BOOM | Lakeshore East plans 4,950 homes

November 24, 2007
BY DAVID ROEDER

Tall building could draw ire

.....(T)he danger is that anything extremely tall could overwhelm the neighborhood sense they've carefully built around the park. Also, the same buyers they're signing up could become the political force opposing taller buildings.

Roeder is being a bit silly here, considering the scale of what's been built or is in construction - I mean, you're already just an ant at the bottom of a quarry pit - not at all an unpleasant sensation - but please, "overwhelm"? A more likely scenario is that some residents will seek to protect their views from any new encroachments. I do wish that Roeder would apply a little critical discretion before regurgitating some of this nonsense... but perhaps an upwards height revision explains the LSE's delay in releasing the final designs for the next (AQ) tower.

[honte]

^ Yeah, I am convinced he's gearing up for a second career as a gossip columnist once he retires to Tempe.

But, good news buried in this latest column. If CS is out of the ground by the time they are ready to start pushing for this, there should be little argument left about context. I am sure the city will see the value in having balance across the river from CS and (hopefully) W=A.

Hopefully the residents will follow SOAR's lead - negotiate for better architecture and better planning, not the usual tit-for-tat fighting that just dumbs down good proposals.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by honte

Hopefully the residents will follow SOAR's lead - negotiate for better architecture and better planning, not the usual tit-for-tat fighting that just dumbs down good proposals.

It seems like LSE is composed of many people who are new to the city - empty-nesters, suburbanites, etc. SOAR, it seems to me, is led by Streeterville's "old guard" - the people who have lived in the area for 15-30 years, know the inevitability of development in the city, and have seen situations where uninformed community opposition led to a horrible building. It's a similar dichotomy in South Loop, where smaller groups like PDNA represent newer city-dwellers in new developments and SLN represents older developments further inland.

That's not to say that there aren't a few older buildings in LSE - hopefully those long-time (and presumably wiser) residents will take the lead in any community group that forms.

[Jaroslaw]

Lousy pics...

The school was supposed to have been done three or four years ago... the park option has been ditched years ago, the newer plan was putting it in a corner between the Shoreham and the Lancaster.

"an award-winning site plan by the Chicago architectural firm Skidmore Owings & Merrill." Good that Roeder read the developer's propaganda.

"In a city where most any development plan draws detractors, Lakeshore East has evolved with little controversy." As did Central Station and the Left Bank towers. Planned neighborhoods with few neighbors around whose views will be destroyed are usually like that.

"The elevated road deck stops before it reaches Lake Shore Drive, so drivers on the road see a blank wall. The gap would be filled with future high-rises." Who cares what the drivers see. What do people see from the riverwalk? The concrete parking bases of the Regatta and the one E of it, and these are there for good.. Do your homework, Roderer.