CHICAGO | General Developments - Page 553

sentinel · #**11041** Posted **Oct 18, 2010, 9:39 PM**

Designs for the University of Chicago Physical Sciences/Molecular Engineering Building (PS/ME) that will replace the Research Institutes building:

http://psd.uchicago.edu/about/building/
PDF with designs
http://psd.uchicago.edu/about/buildi...esentation.pdf

the urban politician · #**11042** Posted **Oct 18, 2010, 9:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by lawfin

Shops and Lofts at 47 To Break Ground in Spring
http://chicago.curbed.com/archives/2...-in-spring.php
Monday, October 18, 2010, by Mark Boyer
2

^ Until I see a sentence that contains the words "financing secured" I will go ahead and withhold my excitement.

Rizzo · #**11043** Posted **Oct 18, 2010, 11:40 PM**

I'm kind of underwhelmed by the designs for the science building.

ardecila · #**11044** Posted **Oct 19, 2010, 4:11 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Anyhow, regardless of design opportunities that are missed, this development does a lot for this area.

Thoughts:

1) Promotes transit use by sending a clear message: iPhones are hip and cool, and so is the subway. I couldn't think of a better way to convey that to a generation
2) Encourages retail development nearby, hopefully giving a jolt to the New City project ("I want to be located near the Apple Store!")
3) Raises property values, perhaps ultimately leading to the redevelopment of those strip malls into more space-intense structures

Sure, we could have gotten a better design. But hats off to Apple for doing something in Chicago that no local company has stepped up to do in perhaps decades

Recent photos of the station interior. The white tile on the walls is very similar to the original 1940s tile in the station. The operable transom windows are also a nice touch, and the ceiling is pretty sexy.

Down below, there are some light boxes that Apple installed. I'm pretty sure these are for Apple-designed ads, but wouldn't it be cool if they just stayed there, as glowing objects? The white tile up above continues down the escalators and hallways until it meets the tile at platform level - no scuzzy old plaster walls. The muted rust color of the new floor epoxy also has a very 1940s look to it.

flickr/zolk

emathias · #**11045** Posted **Oct 19, 2010, 4:33 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Anyhow, regardless of design opportunities that are missed, this development does a lot for this area.

...

Sure, we could have gotten a better design. But hats off to Apple for doing something in Chicago that no local company has stepped up to do in perhaps decades

I agree, however I really think Apple should have thought bigger and done something like what Barcelona has in Drassanes:

Tuija Seipell, The Cool Hunter

Or Liceu:

Forestbiker, via Flickr

J_M_Tungsten · #**11046** Posted **Oct 19, 2010, 12:16 PM**

Whats different with the redline stop? Just painted the wall and new floors?

spyguy · #**11047** Posted **Oct 19, 2010, 3:46 PM**

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2...=Google+Reader

Park district approves $150 million bond for harbors
October 13, 2010 10:49 PM

The Chicago Park District on Wednesday approved a $150 million revenue bond to pay for the improvement and expansion of Chicago's nine boat harbors and the construction of the Gateway Harbor, south of Navy Pier, and the 31st Street Harbor.

wrab · #**11048** Posted **Oct 19, 2010, 4:42 PM**

^ Not bad. Chicago has a staggering number of boat slips.

Tom In Chicago · #**11049** Posted **Oct 19, 2010, 5:14 PM**

That's going to be great. . . although a traffic jam for tourist boats. . .

. . .

J_M_Tungsten · #**11050** Posted **Oct 19, 2010, 5:45 PM**

I believe the police station at 1412 S. Blue Island is now underway.

A 2 story, 44,000 sq. ft. masonry prototype. This facility will include 250 surface parking spaces. The facilities are located on a 4.0 acre site.

The new facility is five times the size of the facility it is replacing. The new facility includes features such as a community room, a secured viewing and line up room, a separate entrance (Sallyport) for arrested personnel, a video arraignment room, a telecommunication room, a fitness room, a video wall roll call room, security monitoring system, and a quiet room.

LEED Features: This project is designed to achieve the goal of LEED "Gold" Certification and includes a turbine generator waste heat recovery system, green roof over 50%, roof and paving selected to reduce heat island effects, environmentally friendly and recycled material usage, and a sophisticated building energy management system.

From www.pbcchicago.com

Rizzo · #**11051** Posted **Oct 19, 2010, 6:20 PM**

Looking at the Clyborn station, I'm okay with the flat color painted in the actual tunnel portion. It's clean and neutral. I don't like how those metal acoustic panels in the stations in the loop have gotten dirty and damaged to the point where maintenance won't make them any better. They also haven't been very accommodating when new utilities are installed. You'll see some are missing, exposing the brackets behind. The whole system is not very flexible, and I wonder whether they are really doing all that much to reduce noise.

At first they were nice, but now look very unattractive. It would be great to see them gone, the tunnels painted a flat grayish beige using acoustical paints, and perhaps even some lighting directed at them. Maintenance would be simple....close a station track for one hour, once every couple of years repaint with big rollers, and you are done.

In my opinion.....

Existing Metal Panels:
Visually unattractive
Reduce sound in only part of the tunnel
Difficult to refinish, requires service down time that could take hours
Require unfastening
Not flexible to new utility installation

Acoustical Paint
Neutral and unobtrusive
Covers all tunnel surfaces for reducing sound
Can be repainted every few years, little service down time
New paint applied by rolling
Utilities installed over top...can be painted to match.

Baronvonellis · #**11052** Posted **Oct 19, 2010, 6:49 PM**

Acoustical paint doesn't do anything as far as sound absorption. Certainly wont absorb sound coming from a subway train. You need mass and or an airspace to absorb sound. Unless they paint a layer 1 inch thick or more.

Busy Bee · #**11053** Posted **Oct 19, 2010, 7:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by emathias

No doubt this looks cool, but I don't know if the Star Destroyer look is right for a Chicago subway station.

the urban politician · #**11054** Posted **Oct 19, 2010, 9:35 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by spyguy

construction of the Gateway Harbor, south of Navy Pier, and the 31st Street Harbor.

^ Looking at these images, am I correct in seeing what appears to be restaurant/bar, etc space in the new Gateway Harbor?

If that is so, one can bring up legitimate concern that such venues could cannibalize business at Navy Pier, especially since they are in such close proximity.

Rizzo · #**11055** Posted **Oct 19, 2010, 11:06 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baronvonellis

Acoustical paint doesn't do anything as far as sound absorption. Certainly wont absorb sound coming from a subway train. You need mass and or an airspace to absorb sound. Unless they paint a layer 1 inch thick or more.

Hmm, I was under the impression there were heavy-bodied paints with impregnated hollow particles and resins that allowed the paint itself to be the sound insulating layer.

ardecila · #**11056** Posted **Oct 19, 2010, 11:20 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by the urban politician

^ Looking at these images, am I correct in seeing what appears to be restaurant/bar, etc space in the new Gateway Harbor?

If that is so, one can bring up legitimate concern that such venues could cannibalize business at Navy Pier, especially since they are in such close proximity.

As far as I know, it's just ONE restaurant space. The pavilion further down is for harbor offices, registration, etc.

I don't think one more restaurant is gonna cannibalize business at Navy Pier, where the only fine dining is Riva.

emathias · #**11057** Posted **Oct 20, 2010, 12:22 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

No doubt this looks cool, but I don't know if the Star Destroyer look is right for a Chicago subway station.

It's just an example showing what can be done with a station. That station wasn't originally built to look like that, a third party came in and remodeled it to look that way. Chicago's wouldn't have to be so divergent, but even something simple like the second one at Liceu would be easy and create a nice look.

sentinel · #**11058** Posted **Oct 20, 2010, 12:32 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hayward

I'm kind of underwhelmed by the designs for the science building.

Those Options (A-C) were just massing models from a preliminary design meeting, March 2010 - Per the project time-line, a final design presentation for the new building wasn't presented until last week, with final design development/renderings and budgetary approval not coming out until the first half of November, IF 'early' time-line milestones are achieved. My point being, I'm sure a more detailed & sophisticated building will come out of the preliminary development as indicated in the PDF presentation.

EarlyBuyer · #**11059** Posted **Oct 20, 2010, 12:58 AM**

TUP: the marina expansions is exciting news, thanks for posting the article and renderings.

the urban politician · #**11060** Posted **Oct 20, 2010, 1:04 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by EarlyBuyer

TUP: the marina expansions is exciting news, thanks for posting the article and renderings.

^ I just quoted Spyguy. He posted the article and renderings.

In this boring-as-hell recession, any time I see a thread that has been bumped by Spyguy, I know I can look forward to some sort of juicy update