CHICAGO | Highrise Projects & Construction, v7

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Uhhh, usually large retail spaces are divisible. Those are mere renderings, they have no idea who is occupying the retail space and what their footprints will be.

Budget wise, it’s nothing to create a new door and build out non-structural partitions between retail spaces

Exactly. Basing the number of doors on a rendering for retail is kind of weird. The 2 story retail extension at State and Chestnut had no doors on State St - and now it has 2, because of divisible retail space and 2 businesses setting up shop there.

[10023]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Uhhh, usually large retail spaces are divisible. Those are mere renderings, they have no idea who is occupying the retail space and what their footprints will be.

Budget wise, it’s nothing to create a new door and build out non-structural partitions between retail spaces

They can add doors but they can’t add the visual architectural elements to break up the façade at ground level.

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by 10023

They can add doors but they can’t add the visual architectural elements to break up the façade at ground level.

Why the hell would they?

They don't even know who the retail tenants are and what their space needs would be

[spyguy]

We don't even know if there is retail space...from what I remember seeing a year ago, the entire ground floor was occupied by building amenities/lobbies.

[LouisVanDerWright]

Also Jane Jacobs isn't arbitrer of all things urban. Just because her observations on how old world/prewar streetscapes function were revolutionary at the time she made them doesn't mean that they represent the only desirable or acceptable urban environment. Jane Jacobs is great when you are talking about neighborhood fabric but more or less useless when you are talking about 21st century high-rise design.

Why would a giant block long building facing what is essentially a freeway onramp have tiny little retail bays along the street? Any retail at all in this location would be a plus, but this never was and will never be Greenwich Village. It would be absurd to build as if it is.

[harryc]

May 30

[i_am_hydrogen]

^Barf.

[RedCorsair87]

It's truly a testament to how boring Eleven40 is when you look at that second to last photo and the first thing you say is, "Look at how beautiful those brick buildings are."

What a waste.

[10023]

Yet another horrific base.

Chicago needs to protect all of its old buildings, whether they have historic or architectural significance or not, until they find a way to ban developers from erecting blank concrete walls.

Ban above ground parking garages, even if it kills the majority of projects. Bad development is worse than no development.

[harryc]

May 30

[the urban politician]

145 S Wells has secured construction financing:

https://chicagoconstructionnews.com/...-office-tower/

[KWillChicago]

I'm pretty bummed Homewood Suites didn't keep those bay-windows on the top couple floors. I know alot of people here weren't fans of them if I remeber correctly.

[Kumdogmillionaire]

Lol, those bay windows were straight out of 1986. Tacky and gross. The building is still garbage with or without them so, not like it mattered in the end

[KWillChicago]

Lol. ^ At least it would have been a bland hunk of junk with "some" character with them.

[Bombardier]

^^Agree garbage with or without. I think this is my least liked building in Chicago right now... Just bad.

[the urban politician]

Crains just had an article a few days ago discussing how more companies, several based in the coasts, are snatching up properties on the south and west sides, due to the higher yields.

[LouisVanDerWright]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Crains just had an article a few days ago discussing how more companies, several based in the coasts, are snatching up properties on the south and west sides, due to the higher yields.

Yup, it's a questionable investment strategy as they are going to get smashed if yields rise back to more normal levels elsewhere, but it's great for the preservation of the historic stock in those areas in the meantime.

[Jibba]

Originally Posted by KWillChicago

Lol. ^ At least it would have been a bland hunk of junk with "some" character with them.

It would have been a fun (possibly inadvertent) resurrection of an 80s-style abstraction, which would have been great--the prefect counterpoint to a monotonous sea of curtain wall.

I happen to like such things, where established techniques are carried through into new building methods and materials. It creates a compound presentation that's evocative in mixed ways (not always in harmony, but evocative nonetheless). Ontario Place employs this very heavy-handedly, but it's so flagrantly kitsch that it's charming. I can't help but love it.

[SolarWind]

June 4, 2018

[SolarWind]

June 4, 2018