CHICAGO | One Bennett Park | 837 FT | 68 FLOORS

[WhatTheHeck5205]

Originally Posted by Ned.B

If they were aiming for historic, the color is a little too light and red. Looking at the historic colors on buildings like LondonHouse, 333 N Michigan, Union Station, The National, etc, the prevailing window colors were really dark black-browns, or medium colored gray-browns.

But they don'y really bother me here, as they are better than if they had either been white or black like in the LaGrange towers. You could also look at it that if the color looks a little dated now, it probably won't in about 20 more years when most people have forgotten the color trends of the 80s and 90s.

I agree, it’s really not bad and will look better once it’s cleaned after the building is completed. Overall, I don’t understand the hate that’s been lobbed at this tower by some people on this forum. I mean sure, it’s PoMo, and PoMo is never going to be as authentic or high-quality as genuine pre-WWII architecture, but so far this tower (and Stern’s work in general) is much better in both design and construction quality/materials than anything LaGrange has put up. Once this thing is done it’ll look like it’s been there for 80 years, just like Stern’s recent towers along Central Park.

[donnie]

Originally Posted by PhyllisJerry71

I agree, it’s really not bad and will look better once it’s cleaned after the building is completed. Overall, I don’t understand the hate that’s been lobbed at this tower by some people on this forum. I mean sure, it’s PoMo, and PoMo is never going to be as authentic or high-quality as genuine pre-WWII architecture, but so far this tower (and Stern’s work in general) is much better in both design and construction quality/materials than anything LaGrange has put up. Once this thing is done it’ll look like it’s been there for 80 years, just like Stern’s recent towers along Central Park.

I for one think it's a beautiful building that will only be appreciated more with time!

[HomrQT]

Originally Posted by PhyllisJerry71

I agree, it’s really not bad and will look better once it’s cleaned after the building is completed. Overall, I don’t understand the hate that’s been lobbed at this tower by some people on this forum. I mean sure, it’s PoMo, and PoMo is never going to be as authentic or high-quality as genuine pre-WWII architecture, but so far this tower (and Stern’s work in general) is much better in both design and construction quality/materials than anything LaGrange has put up. Once this thing is done it’ll look like it’s been there for 80 years, just like Stern’s recent towers along Central Park.

I'm a fan of this building but don't oversell it. It won't look like an 80 year old building. It will look like an ok pomo representation of art deco and let's leave it at that.

[maru2501]

getting down to crunch time. The top may make or break

[Joe Zekas]

A night view from Axis apartments by YoChicago, on Flickr

[donnie]

I was saying top off by Xmas and people were ready to stone me to death!

What say you now?

[WhatTheHeck5205]

Originally Posted by HomrQT

I'm a fan of this building but don't oversell it. It won't look like an 80 year old building. It will look like an ok pomo representation of art deco and let's leave it at that.

My bad, I didn’t mean to overhype it. What I meant was, while those of us who are familiar with architecture know it isn’t an authentic 1920s/30s tower, I think it’s a good enough representation of one that the average layman, especially seeing it from far away as part of the skyline, might not realize at first that it’s a newer building.

And donnie, idk about being topped out by Christmas, because these last few floors are the most complicated part of the building. My money’s on it being a few days after, but who knows, maybe they’ll surprise us.

[Rooster slayer]

Originally Posted by Joe Zekas

A night view from Axis apartments by YoChicago, on Flickr

Nice pic joe you can really see the white LED lights taking over the city...I will miss the warm orange sodium vapor lights. I suspect the LED will improve over time and get away from the sterile white. Topped before 2018?

[KWillChicago]

I like it, but the crown would look so much better with an extra 10 floors.

[bnk]

Originally Posted by Rooster slayer

Nice pic joe you can really see the white LED lights taking over the city...I will miss the warm orange sodium vapor lights. I suspect the LED will improve over time and get away from the sterile white. Topped before 2018?

Are you saying Chicagoland one day will not be an orange glow from space?

How long will it take to take and replace all of the sodium lights in your timeframe ?

[The Pimp]

Originally Posted by donnie

I was saying top off by Xmas and people were ready to stone me to death!

What say you now?

Are you friends with Jarta??? Lol!

[The North One]

This is turning out better than I thought it would

[Notyrview]

I think the city's getting near the point where 900 ft is the new 800 in terms of making a real dent in the skyline.

[Rooster slayer]

Originally Posted by bnk

Are you saying Chicagoland one day will not be an orange glow from space?

How long will it take to take and replace all of the sodium lights in your timeframe ?

Yes sadly at some point.
https://chicago.curbed.com/2016/4/18...-light-project
I think they already awarded a vendor for the project

[vandelay]

Definitely one of the most significant urban projects is the smart lighting project. 270,000 street lights replaced with LEDs. Incredible. When it starts happening expect major paranoid blowback from the population about insomnia and glare. I thought the lights on Lake Shore Drive were CMH though.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Ned.B

If they were aiming for historic, the color is a little too light and red. Looking at the historic colors on buildings like LondonHouse, 333 N Michigan, Union Station, The National, etc, the prevailing window colors were really dark black-browns, or medium colored gray-browns.

But they don'y really bother me here, as they are better than if they had either been white or black like in the LaGrange towers. You could also look at it that if the color looks a little dated now, it probably won't in about 20 more years when most people have forgotten the color trends of the 80s and 90s.

I'm just glad they used a dark color instead of a white, as LaGrange did on a few highrises. The problem with dark-colored windows is thermal expansion. The frames absorb a ton of sunlight and expand, creating problems with seals and weatherproofing. Even on small vinyl-window projects, I've been quoted 30-40% more for dark colors vs. light ones, because the window has to be engineered differently. That's a shame, because white vinyl windows look like shit on most historic buildings.

At any rate, these window systems on OBP are probably aluminum extrusions, "painted" using a proprietary coating technology like Kynar. Those only come in certain colors.

[donnie]

Originally Posted by Rooster slayer

Nice pic joe you can really see the white LED lights taking over the city...I will miss the warm orange sodium vapor lights. I suspect the LED will improve over time and get away from the sterile white. Topped before 2018?

That's a lot of light coming from the Blue Shield building no?

[LouisVanDerWright]

Originally Posted by ardecila

At any rate, these window systems on OBP are probably aluminum extrusions, "painted" using a proprietary coating technology like Kynar. Those only come in certain colors.

I always buy brown windows for at least the street facing portions of my rehabs. You are right that white vinyl looks like shit. Also, many older windows are too big to make a single double hung vinyl for, I often find that aluminum is cheaper because they would have to have a nasty transom if you did Vinyl.

Originally Posted by vandelay

Definitely one of the most significant urban projects is the smart lighting project. 270,000 street lights replaced with LEDs. Incredible. When it starts happening expect major paranoid blowback from the population about insomnia and glare. I thought the lights on Lake Shore Drive were CMH though.

It's already in full swing, I've seen several crews which usually consist of a cherry picker truck pulling a huge wagon full of old heads.

[SolarWind]

Chicago Smart Lighting Program Installation Map

http://chicagosmartlighting-chicago.opendata.arcgis.com/pages/installation-map

[KWillChicago]

I wonder if their going to change all of lower and lower-lower wacker as well? I imagine they will but it would look pretty trippy if its all white light and then just a random strip of orange running along the river.