CHICAGO | St. Regis Chicago (Vista) | 1,191 FT | 101 FLOORS - Page 280

Rooster slayer · #1 Posted **Oct 1, 2019, 11:38 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

The program of a building is not an element of it's form, it IS the function. If the building calls for 1.2 million SF to be built on this skinny of a lot with a street going through the middle of it, that's going to dominate the entire design. Yes, they could have made a shorter building with no blow thru, they also could have built two single family homes on each corner facing the park and not have even needed elevators... Are elevators now also "function following form"?

I thought the blow through was an after thought is all. It followed. The design or shell of the building was determined and thankfully kept, but the blow through was later determined necessary. They lost some high priced units with that, I don't think it was part of the program.

LouisVanDerWright · #2 Posted **Oct 2, 2019, 1:35 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rooster slayer

I thought the blow through was an after thought is all. It followed. The design or shell of the building was determined and thankfully kept, but the blow through was later determined necessary. They lost some high priced units with that, I don't think it was part of the program.

Actually I'm pretty sure they didn't actually lose any SF and just increased the height of the building slightly. I think that accounts for the descrepancy between the 1150ish number we had originally heard and the final height just below 1,200 we wound up with. There was an engineering article posted a while ago that discussed how the blow thru wasn't in the original design until wind testing determined that they had to do something to resist the sway of such a narrow, slab like, structure. The same article also discussed the interesting unique linked double core of this building which has also been used as slight against this design. Turns out that unique sheer wall configuration was also a result of the massing of the structure and need to locate the core on either side of the street and not because of the frustums as was hypothosized by the anti-Gang contingent here on SSP.

Basically the conclusion of the article was that all the fancy cores, sheer walls, and dampering has nothing to do with the frustum form and everything to do with the extremely narrow, slab like, massing of the building which is basically outside of the architects control given the site constraints and the height of the building.

BonoboZill4 · #3 Posted **Sep 29, 2019, 3:20 AM**

Going to be uploading some great shots I got today tomorrow after visiting a family friend in the Legacy. I was lucky the weather cleared up later in the day!

Rooster slayer · #4 Posted **Sep 29, 2019, 1:31 PM**

Great pics solar...Love that 3rd one in.

the urban politician · #5 Posted **Sep 29, 2019, 3:09 PM**

What a striking tower.

Do you guys think this will ever become iconic the way JHC and Aon are? (I’m guessing a strong “no!” but just thought I’d ask)

BonoboZill4 · #6 Posted **Sep 29, 2019, 4:01 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by the urban politician

What a striking tower.

Do you guys think this will ever become iconic the way JHC and Aon are? (I’m guessing a strong “no!” but just thought I’d ask)

It'll 100% surpass the Aon once they bastardize it with the glass elevator and ruin its crown for the observatory. Even if they didn't do that, I could see tourists seeing it as more iconic than the Aon.

As for JHC, nah. JHC is routinely listed as one of the 5 most beautiful skyscrapers in the world. Vista's great, but might not even crack the top 100

glowrock · #7 Posted **Oct 1, 2019, 2:35 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BonoboZill4

It'll 100% surpass the Aon once they bastardize it with the glass elevator and ruin its crown for the observatory. Even if they didn't do that, I could see tourists seeing it as more iconic than the Aon.

As for JHC, nah. JHC is routinely listed as one of the 5 most beautiful skyscrapers in the world. Vista's great, but might not even crack the top 100

I disagree with you wholeheartedly on the whole observation level/exterior glass elevator on AON issue, but I definitely agree with you concerning JHC and Vista's place on the beautiful skyscrapers issue.

Of course, perhaps the reason I'm actually fond of the AON changes is because I'm not a huge fan of the tower to begin with architecturally, I absolutely love exterior glass elevators and I'm looking forward to the amazing views in literally all directions from the observation level! Haha

Aaron (Glowrock)

The Pimp · #8 Posted **Sep 30, 2019, 2:15 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by the urban politician

What a striking tower.

Do you guys think this will ever become iconic the way JHC and Aon are? (I’m guessing a strong “no!” but just thought I’d ask)

Why not?

bnk · #9 Posted **Oct 1, 2019, 11:56 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by the urban politician

What a striking tower.

Do you guys think this will ever become iconic the way JHC and Aon are? (I’m guessing a strong “no!” but just thought I’d ask)

I say no. Nowhere near the Sears or the JHC at all.

Even the Aon [Standard Oil stood the test of time]

Its going to have to be a decade before we can discuss this topic again IMO.

Its simply tall because of the last stacking. Its missing the mass and functionality streetwise for me at least.

Dylan Dude · #10 Posted **Oct 2, 2019, 8:04 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by the urban politician

What a striking tower.

Do you guys think this will ever become iconic the way JHC and Aon are? (I’m guessing a strong “no!” but just thought I’d ask)

Why didn't you include Trump Tower? I think Trump Tower looks the best out of all 4 of Chicago's 1,100-1,200 footers

LouisVanDerWright · #11 Posted **Oct 2, 2019, 1:20 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dylan Dude

Why didn't you include Trump Tower? I think Trump Tower looks the best out of all 4 of Chicago's 1,100-1,200 footers

No, the Hancock is hands down the best supertall in Chicago. It's a radical, revolutionary building that set the bar for the Modern era of supertall construction. Pretty much everything since then has followed in it's mould.

It's also aesthetically perfect and philosophically pure from a design perspective. It's the perfect incarnation of structural expression and form follows function.

All you have to observe in a debate of Trump vs Hancock is that the JHC was so perfect that no one could find a better way to elevate cars into a podium (which is also seamlessly and perfectly handled unlike Trump) in the 40 years between the two. The JHC helix ramp was so perfect in 1969 that the Trump just copy and pasted it in 2009...

Skyguy_7 · #12 Posted **Oct 2, 2019, 2:07 PM**

^ That is a great point. SOM had to look no further their own 40 year old design. Though I see it more as TT helix inspired by JHC, than copy/paste of course.

Skyguy_7 · #13 Posted **Oct 2, 2019, 2:13 PM**

Regarding Vista’s “dark band” mechanical floors; it looks to me like that’s just black painted plywood and not the final louvers. Come to think of it, and without scrolling through a million [great] photos, I don’t recall seeing a single louver yet. Perhaps they’re having as much trouble with the louvers as they were with the glass system.

jc5680 · #14 Posted **Oct 2, 2019, 4:19 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skyguy_7

Regarding Vista’s “dark band” mechanical floors; it looks to me like that’s just black painted plywood and not the final louvers. Come to think of it, and without scrolling through a million [great] photos, I don’t recall seeing a single louver yet. Perhaps they’re having as much trouble with the louvers as they were with the glass system.

I made a similar(hopeful) observation a few comments back—there are a number of good close up photos that show the black panels sitting recessed in the frames; and they all look to be solid. In particular, the awkwardness of the top segments where only half of the sides of two frustums have the panels, it looks much more likely to me that there is at the very least some sort of finishing detail missing. Best cast scenario is a louver system that has some tonal coherence with the window wall.

BonoboZill4 · #15 Posted **Sep 30, 2019, 12:33 AM**

All taken within a three hour window of each other... I know some are repetitive angles, but I was having fun with the chance at getting the pictures.