CHICAGO | Rush University Medical Center | 14 FLOORS | COM - Page 5

the urban politician · #81 Posted **Jun 19, 2009, 3:51 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by J_M_Tungsten

OK getting back to Rush... Again.

This is another useless park created just south of the outpatient ambulatory building. In my mind, a perfect place for a small strip of retail (stand alone Dunkin Donuts, or maybe a Chipotle or Jimmy John's combo). Anything would have been better on this plot of land for advancing a more community friendly area than a dead park on the opposite end of the Rush campus. Who is going to go a block down just to sit at a park for a 10 minutes just to walk back to work! Absolutely useless, but I guess this goes to show that IMD land will always be that, and they would rather have a park than useful retail

June 11

^ Turns out that this isn't just a park, but it's a green roof for a subterranean loading area.

J_M_Tungsten · #82 Posted **Jun 19, 2009, 3:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by the urban politician

^ Turns out that this isn't just a park, but it's a green roof for a subterranean loading area.

Well kinda. The underground loading area goes from the east end of the new power plant building to where the soil changes from light to dark by the ventilation areas. Everything east of that to the road is just regular ground and could have been developed. I think it will look ok, and I'm sure the Greek church across the street will probably appreciate the park being there more than a Jimmy Johns or chipotle!

E.D. Keyville · #83 Posted **Jun 19, 2009, 4:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by J_M_Tungsten

June 18

early renderings of the roof top and ground level landscaping

Average floor plan

New entrance rendering (Sorry pic of a pic)

Test facade to see how well the new siding stands up to Chicago's summers and winters.

More of the building

So thats what that little strip of the sample of the the new structure is outside of the atrium building, I thought it was just to give everyone a realistic example of how it will look.

E.D. Keyville · #84 Posted **Jun 21, 2009, 7:23 AM**

The elevator shaft is now closer to the bottom of the cranes cabins.

new floor added (check out the green on top of the new ambulatory building to the right)...

view from the bridge...

if you look close, you can see that they are starting to build one of the stairwells on the bottom left of the building. I will take a better picture using my real camera instead of my phone tomorrow for a better view.

the urban politician · #85 Posted **Jun 21, 2009, 2:47 PM**

^ Wow, that thing is going to have a massive presence when completed. It will completely transform and dominate that streetscape. I look forward to seeing how it turns out in person

E.D. Keyville · #86 Posted **Jun 21, 2009, 4:48 PM**

I agree, it is already looking massive and it only has 3.5 floors. I can't wait to see it completed, this building will change the view of that whole streetscape.

E.D. Keyville · #87 Posted **Jun 22, 2009, 6:23 AM**

Here are pix of the stairwell.

and more pix of the building...

brian_b · #88 Posted **Jun 22, 2009, 5:41 PM**

It looks like the shape of the floors is quite a bit more functional than I had imagined. An excellent use of architecture!

J_M_Tungsten · #89 Posted **Jun 22, 2009, 6:08 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by J_M_Tungsten

June 18
Average floor plan

Exactly my thoughts Brian. Initially I wasn't a big fan of the design, but the more I saw of it and after I viewed the floor plans and saw the functionality of the design, and how every inch seems to be utilized to its fullest, I definitely changed my mind. This is a very well thought out building, inside and out, which has been work over and over again (from the numerous renderings I have seen). A great blend of design and function in my eyes!

J_M_Tungsten · #90 Posted **Jun 22, 2009, 6:09 PM**

And thanks E for all your updates, much appreciated!

Nowhereman1280 · #91 Posted **Jun 22, 2009, 6:35 PM**

I have to agree that the layouts show a surprising amount of efficiency. Are those nursing stations in the inner triangles? If so that would be a really effective way of putting the nurses within eye shot of all of their patients rooms. That and the use of the curved ends for lounges and conference rooms makes for excellent design!

J_M_Tungsten · #92 Posted **Jun 22, 2009, 6:41 PM**

Exactly right with the nursing station Nowhereman. The Northeast corner of the upper floors will have some great views of the downtown area as well, not that sick patients will care too much about that, but I will.

chrisvfr800i · #93 Posted **Jun 24, 2009, 8:38 PM**

A couple of interesting tidbits on this project:

The Rush Atrium Addition will be the first in chicago application of a "Vibration-Dampening" concrete admixture in floor slabs at levels 3 4 5. This product is supposed to reduce the normal vibration a structural steel building generates due to people walking across floors. We'll see! The areas where this stuff goes are under ER areas. Makes sense.

This building is also one of the first to feature an AGV, or "Automatically Guided Vehicles" system, that transports waste and soiled linens in automated bins from every floor to the basement, then through a tunnel below Harrison street to some far off & unknown handling facility. One of the three cells of the core wall is dedicated to this feature.

Cool stuff.

Side note: Has anyone noticed the garage directly south of this project is in terrible structural shape? I've noticed several PT beams with external bracing, and for some reason, the upper levels seem to be blocked off. Maybe a new garage is part of the Rush Transformation Project??

jc5680 · #94 Posted **Jun 26, 2009, 1:20 AM**

Steel is moving quick…

6.25

whyhuhwhy · #95 Posted **Jun 26, 2009, 3:29 AM**

Amazing shots. Anyone know how many stories we are up to right now with the concrete core?

J_M_Tungsten · #96 Posted **Jun 26, 2009, 7:02 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by whyhuhwhy

Amazing shots. Anyone know how many stories we are up to right now with the concrete core?

I counted ten.

Great shot again JC, I am sooo envious of that view!

J_M_Tungsten · #97 Posted **Jun 27, 2009, 5:53 AM**

jcchii · #98 Posted **Jun 28, 2009, 2:35 AM**

definitely a presence on the eisenhower

J_M_Tungsten · #99 Posted **Jul 2, 2009, 11:22 PM**

Article from the Rush University Facilty Upgrades page:

What was once a massive hole in the ground at the northwest corner of Ashland Avenue and Harrison Street is now beginning to resemble an actual structure…a structure that will become Rush's new hospital facility, the East Tower. The 14-floor, 806,000-square-foot building is the centerpiece of the Rush Transformation and is scheduled for completion in 2012.

Back in January, two massive cranes arrived at the site to begin erecting the East Tower's steel structure and placing materials on the upper levels of the building. Expected to take a little more than a year to complete, this phase should be finished in February 2010. The cranes currently stand at 222 feet and are attached to the base of the building. However, over the next week and a half, the cranes will jump to 287 feet, which is the highest they'll jump during construction. A freestanding crane not tied into a building can go as high as 300 feet.

Because of the safety issues involved with crane operation, city officials come out once a week to inspect each crane. The crane operators are licensed by the city and have undergone special training in order to operate the machines. Every day, the operators climb a ladder to the cab with a safety cage protecting them on the way up. On their way up, there are many landings with safety railings for them to stop and rest upon. They never climb more than 15 feet or so in one shot. If the weather is bad, which usually means high winds or stormy conditions, the operators are not allowed to go up.

According to John Heinrich, the project coordinator with Power Jacobs, once the cranes are finished, construction will move to the interior with the installation of windows and other facets of the building's enclosure. "Construction on the East Tower is really beginning to take shape - the progress can be seen every day, which makes this phase very exciting," says Heinrich.

For more information on the Rush Transformation log on to www.rush.edu/transformation.

J_M_Tungsten · #**100** Posted **Jul 3, 2009, 8:04 AM**

Rush University Campus