CHICAGO | Riverline | 8 Towers | 600FT - 500FT(X2) - 380FT(X2) - 242FT(X2) - 300FT~

[ithakas]

Things are definitely moving!


Monday, December 16


This morning (Saturday, December 21)

[BVictor1]

A few days late, but...

12.20.24

[pullmanman]

From Chicago Cityscape on Bluesky, taken this morning.

[BVictor1]

12.23.24










12.24.24

[pullmanman]

Undated update from BuildingUpChicago on twitter. Shows some of the equipment in the previous photos from a higher angle. He says it’s caisson equipment (which sounds right but not the person to confirm)

[ithakas]

January 9, 2025

[pullmanman]

Some close ups of work from today per BuildingUpChicago on twitter. Also, people there corrected and said it’s piles, not caissons.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by pullmanman

Some close ups of work from today per BuildingUpChicago on twitter. Also, people there corrected and said it’s piles, not caissons.

Yeah, steel driven piles are usually cheaper than drilled caissons but they create a lot of noise and vibration, and working hours are limited so downtown builders tend to avoid them. CMK tends to use piles on their projects more than other developers.


Also, I believe this is the first major building to ever be built on land that was once part of the South Branch. The "dirt" that was dumped into the old river channel is very poor soil even by Chicago standards. Basically just actual garbage. So the foundation design for 1010 S Wells may be a bit unusual as a result... depending if there is a basement level or not, you may see them dig up the old seawall.

[SamInTheLoop]

Originally Posted by ardecila

Yeah, steel driven piles are usually cheaper than drilled caissons but they create a lot of noise and vibration, and working hours are limited so downtown builders tend to avoid them. CMK tends to use piles on their projects more than other developers.


Also, I believe this is the first major building to ever be built on land that was once part of the South Branch. The "dirt" that was dumped into the old river channel is very poor soil even by Chicago standards. Basically just actual garbage. So the foundation design for 1010 S Wells may be a bit unusual as a result... depending if there is a basement level or not, you may see them dig up the old seawall.

This is also the part of downtown - South Loop in general but specifically the closer you get to the river - that seems to use steel piles much more frequently than elsewhere. We've seen with a number of developers in addition to CMK. I think the particular soil conditions here are a major factor in the decision....IIRC it might have been Mr D that explained this in a bit of detail some years back.

[pullmanman]

Here’s Mr Downtown’s post on South Loop soil and steel piles, found with the search function. Good memory!

Quote below:

Yes, nearly all the South Loop buildings between Clark and the river have used friction piles, for a combination of reasons (AIUI): loose silty soil where the river wandered over the centuries, and cheaper. For the Roosevelt Collection, Walsh drove more than 40 miles of pilings, which they think is a record. I was surprised when the on-site engineer told me CMK's 14th & Wabash pilings were driven to limestone at -97. I'm guessing the spec was "driven to refusal," which they thought might occur at a lesser depth.

One exception was 1000 S. Clark, which used micropiles, making its neighbors much much happier. The second question South Loop residents ask about any new building is "will you be driving 'pylons' and giving us all headaches for months and causing cracks in our buildings?"

RIP Dennis but his contributions here live on.

[BVictor1]

02.07.25

[tusken raider]

its gonna look nice to see some more construction downtown this summer

[BVictor1]

03.03.25

[Randomguy34]

There is a pending permit for a building at 910 S Wells. Looks like this will be across the street from 1010 S Wells, which is under-construction

[ithakas]

Interesting! Though wouldn't 910 S. Wells be on the same side of Wells, on the parking lot right next to River City? (Ie. on the other side of the non-existent Taylor Street bridge.)

Wondering if this is the Riverline tower closest to River City...

[pianowizard]

The title for this thread seems severely outdated as the under-construction building is only 231 ft, shorter than any of the heights listed in the title. Also, CTBUH shows that only two other buildings are being proposed in this complex, with heights of 348 ft and 223 ft.

Can someone update the title so it better reflects the latest development?

[Jstange059]

Originally Posted by ithakas

Interesting! Though wouldn't 910 S. Wells be on the same side of Wells, on the parking lot right next to River City? (Ie. on the other side of the non-existent Taylor Street bridge.)

Wondering if this is the Riverline tower closest to River City...

I think you’re correct, I’m guessing it would be across the future Taylor Street, south of River City

[Klippenstein]

Originally Posted by pianowizard

The title for this thread seems severely outdated as the under-construction building is only 231 ft, shorter than any of the heights listed in the title. Also, CTBUH shows that only two other buildings are being proposed in this complex, with heights of 348 ft and 223 ft.

Can someone update the title so it better reflects the latest development?

This thread encompasses 2 projects that used to be 2 phases, but were split. So if you look at the past posts you'll see the buildings and plans that are similar to the heights listed.

[Randomguy34]

Originally Posted by Jstange059

I think you’re correct, I’m guessing it would be across the future Taylor Street, south of River City

Correct, I looked at the PD and 910 S Wells appears to be Building F. It will be 348 ft, 30 stories, and 437 units.




https://gisapps.chicago.gov/gisimages/zoning_pds/PD225.pdf

[2PRUROCKS!]

Is anything actively under construction here? I went by the site on Monday and didn't see the progress I was expecting.