CHICAGO | Highrise Projects & Construction, v7

[SamInTheLoop]

Such a shame the V-Enn.

With the rental performance of the West Loop, my guess is it was completely unnecessary to hit an acceptable rate of return. It will juice the project's returns further, of course, but don't let anyone tell you this VE was financially necessary without showing you the proof - this was more likely a poster child project for not needing to do this type of aesthetic-busting to hit a hurdle rate.

[rgarri4]

Originally Posted by spyguy

I think you mean "West End on Fulton." It never looked particularly great to me from the beginning, and it's pretty far west, so I'm mostly indifferent on the real life outcome.



Yes, but Mr. Mann is long gone. So who knows what will happen and when. I do sort of get nostalgic for this design:

this area could have looked completely different.
From my 3d model:

[gebs]

^^ I never knew River East Center was supposed to have a twin.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

So Bentham still hasn't re-started?
...

I don't have any info on what's going on with their permits. Someone else on here who seemed to work for the city mentioned that the city had gone back-and-forth with them several times in an attempt to get permits issued. It does seem like a pretty awful mistake to not get your permits in order before reaching the stage they're needed - someone probably lost their job over that either by being fired or (hopefully not) because it made the project un-viable.

At any rate, I do walk by there nearly every morning, and for the past couple of weeks there have been a few workers on site doing ... something. Nothing major, but they're there. At first I was worried that maybe someone was stealing things, but then I saw a couple guys with actually construction gear on going to breakfast from the site. So unless they're just working to secure the site, it must still be active and just waiting for permits to do whatever major steps they have next.

[Randomguy34]

Goose Island could go from zero residents to thousands, under ambitious plan by Canadian developer to build as many as 2,500 apartments

Chicago’s gritty Goose Island hasn’t had residents in decades, but a Canadian developer wants to change that — in a big way.

Vancouver-based Onni Group is exploring plans to build 2,100 to 2,500 apartments on the southern tip of the traditionally industrial island, a riverfront development that could have more units than the massive Presidential Towers complex downtown.

The preliminary Goose Island plan also calls for office, hotel and retail space along the Chicago River, Onni Group spokesman Duncan Wlodarczak said. By comparison, Presidential Towers — whose four 50-story towers were built along the Kennedy Expressway in the 1980s — has a combined 2,346 units.

The plan could include constructing a pedestrian bridge connecting Onni Group’s 8-acre site on Halsted Street across the North Branch Canal to the huge office building at 600 W. Chicago Ave., he confirmed. Onni is working with the city to determine a connection point for the bridge, Wlodarczak said.
....
John Bosca, president emeritus of the Neighbors of River West, said his group wants to see Onni’s design maintain a buffer zone between new buildings and longtime industrial operations nearby such as a Prairie Material concrete plant on the river.

Aside from addressing that concern, Bosca said he doesn’t expect objections to a dense residential development.

“That particular piece was held out for residential” zoning, Bosca said. “We’re not going to go back and reinvent the wheel here.”

http://www.chicagotribune.com/column...lle-story.html

[gebs]

If anyone can pull something off like this quickly, it's Onni. They are on a TEAR lately. Anyone who hasn't been to Wells & Division in 3 years should go check out the new city they've built there with reckless abandon. It's impressive.

[Steely Dan]

Off topic posts moved to the general discussions thread: https://forum.skyscraperpage.com/sho...08431&page=106

[BVictor1]

Originally Posted by Randomguy34

Goose Island could go from zero residents to thousands, under ambitious plan by Canadian developer to build as many as 2,500 apartments

http://www.chicagotribune.com/column...lle-story.html

Seeing as this neighborhood group really has no objection, I see this getting approved with little issue.

Though I wonder if people in 600 W. Chicago are gonna bitch?

Also, this is double the units mentioned in a Crain's article 2 years ago.

Back then it was 1,000 and now we could potetially get 2,500.

These things are going to soar.

[Toasty Joe]

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

Concrete frame, huh? Had not been expecting it for this one. Normally (without actually seeing blueprints/inside info etc) I'd assume that this is just for parking floors, with a transition to composite/steel frame above garage levels, but if not mistaken all the parking is below ground for this one....

Fulton East is also concrete....as is 145 S Wells (and I could be missing one or two in Fulton Market).....so a smattering of concrete framed office buildings late in this cycle

hey everyone new here but may have something to do with the an abundance of concrete from digging the deep tunnel:

"Vulcan Materials, the country’s largest vendor of crushed rock, is digging millions of cubic yards of limestone out of the ground. That aggregate winds up in the concrete that abets Chicago’s downtown building boom."

https://slate.com/business/2019/01/c...nary-tale.html

[marothisu]

New construction permit was issued yesterday for a new 20 story high rise at 1125 W Van Buren - 200 apartments and ground floor retail. This is right that semi-new Related residential building and across from Target. This is right around the corner from the Racine Blue Line stop.

Image Source: https://www.antunovich.com/projects/...25-w-van-buren

[Skyguy_7]

I'm hearing rumblings that this project is moving forward. Should break ground early summer. The design has been refined from what was originally proposed. I know you guys don't like Lagrange's mansard roofs, but I have to say overall, it's not terrible-looking.

One interesting thing is the design is on the Lagrange website but construction drawings say Papageorge Haymes.

[Handro]

Originally Posted by marothisu

New construction permit was issued yesterday for a new 20 story high rise at 1125 W Van Buren - 200 apartments and ground floor retail. This is right that semi-new Related residential building and across from Target. This is right around the corner from the Racine Blue Line stop.

Image Source: https://www.antunovich.com/projects/...25-w-van-buren

Wasn't there another building being developed simultaneously by the same group? Does anyone have info on that one?

Love all the development on both sides of the Eisenhower to Ashland!

[bhawk66]

Originally Posted by Skyguy_7

I'm hearing rumblings that this project is moving forward. Should break ground early summer. The design has been refined from what was originally proposed. I know you guys don't like Lagrange's mansard roofs, but I have to say overall, it's not terrible-looking.

Those guys can speak for themselves. I like Lagrange's buildings and his mansard roofs. I'm glad they're there at the top of the skyline. I honestly don't get the hate.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Skyguy_7

One interesting thing is the design is on the Lagrange website but construction drawings say Papageorge Haymes.

Lagrange doesn't do "production" anymore, his shop is basically just a design consultancy since the 2008 recession. Various other large and mid-sized firms have been the Architect of Record on his designs, including VOA and P/H. Even my firm was set to team up with him on a hotel interiors project.

It continues to mystify me why he has so much cachet. I guess because nobody else is really working in that traditional space (for large-scale projects) except Bob Stern, and Lagrange is probably cheaper.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by ardecila

It continues to mystify me why he has so much cachet. I guess because nobody else is really working in that traditional space (for large-scale projects) except Bob Stern, and Lagrange is probably cheaper.

and an order of magnitude more terrible.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by bhawk66

Those guys can speak for themselves. I like Lagrange's buildings and his mansard roofs. I'm glad they're there at the top of the skyline. I honestly don't get the hate.

I don't hate his work, either. I would personally prefer more aggressively contemporary and progressive architecture, but I get why some developers prefer more traditional-looking architecture. Note I said "traditional-looking," since there's nothing traditional about making a highrise ape Haussmannian design elements. Paris is perhaps my favorite European city, not least of which because of its Haussmann avenues and architecture. But we don't live in 19th-century Paris, we live in 21st-century Chicago and just as Haussmann's buildings were contemporary then, we should have contemporary design today. If the City actively encouraged well-designed, contemporary buildings that mostly followed a "form follows function" ethos, then it seems like maybe in 150 years future SkyscraperPage.com forumers could fondly admire those buildings the way many people admire Paris' 150-year-old buildings today. But LaGrange's buildings aren't going to be part of that future fanbase.

[ChiHi]

Originally Posted by bhawk66

Those guys can speak for themselves. I like Lagrange's buildings and his mansard roofs. I'm glad they're there at the top of the skyline. I honestly don't get the hate.

My only real issue with this project is why the hell you go with that style in the South Loop. If you put it somewhere in the Gold Coast or northern part of Streeterville it may work out but the South Loop is predominantly glass or brick econoboxes (aside from a couple Central Station towers). As a South Loop resident I'll take the density but the design makes little to no sense. I also thought this was supposed to be small units geared to students. Not really a design that seems to attract the younger crowd.

[chicagodeckerdude]

Originally Posted by ChiHi

My only real issue with this project is why the hell you go with that style in the South Loop. If you put it somewhere in the Gold Coast or northern part of Streeterville it may work out but the South Loop is predominantly glass or brick econoboxes (aside from a couple Central Station towers). As a South Loop resident I'll take the density but the design makes little to no sense. I also thought this was supposed to be small units geared to students. Not really a design that seems to attract the younger crowd.

I like a wide mix of styles when I go through a neighborhood. Rather than a monotonous feel to everything.

[gebs]

The South Loop is a mostly homogenous collection of contemporary glass towers with some exceptions. That's precisely why I think a project like this would be a great addition, even if it feels slightly out of place.

Then I remember the Blackstone Hotel:



This building fits perfectly within the South Loop (even if it's a little north to be South). I'm sure Lagrange would blush at the comparison, but it bears some resemblance to his French revivalist style.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by gebs

The South Loop is a mostly homogenous collection of contemporary glass towers with some exceptions. That's precisely why I think a project like this would be a great addition, even if it feels slightly out of place.

Yeah - I agree. Most of the newer architecture in South Loop is not that great either with a few exceptions. Not to mention that there are many smaller high rises in various parts of South Loop that are not glass architecture anyway. Depends on where you put this but I personally find the newer architecture of South Loop pretty boring.