Yea that would be great...also some really nice central fountain/water element could be nice as well...I feel Chicago has a weak fountain game in its small to medium downtown parks

i would agree that, on the surface, it does seem a bit overly cautious to go through the trouble of asking the city for more floors in the case of strong leasing activity and to then only ask for one additional floor.

but i don't have access to their pro forma, so what do i know...........

Anyone know why they are trenching the perimeter of the site like this?

Would be a huge plus for the area especially a fountain. Not to jump pages but stay on the topic, I think they dropped the fountain in front of WPS that I think would have been awesome. Also, has that Santiago sculpture in front of Riverpoint ever been built or has it been cancelled? It's been awhile since I've been in that area.

This article has all the details on the Caltrava: https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/20...er-point-delay

If you don't feel like reading the gist is it was supposed to be installed in August but production got bumped cuz the company fabricating it had to remake faulty fuel tanks they had made for NASA which took priority over civilian projects. Hines now has to wait until spring because it's too difficult to install in the winter.

Damn those sleeves are huge. Looking at the old post office webcam I'm seeing some sort of step system along the south side of the site, unless I'm just seeing things. What is this for?

To keep out the French? :haha:

https://media.socastsrm.com/wordpres...lot-castle.jpg

My lazy, un-researched assumption was that it was for the pedway.

I believe the connection to union station was at least being maintained.

I'm hoping it's for the Pedway, but the floor plans in the PD filing don't seem to show a Pedway connection running east-west on Van Buren.

The plans DO show a path that zigzags through the garage and the underground mechanical rooms, but that's a pretty terrible Pedway connection that manages to be even worse than the Orange Line connection at Midway.

That's no use. Lots of us still can swim and climb stuff. ;)

Based upon the basement drawings, I do not believe that the trench is part of the permanent building construction. There is only one concrete basement wall and only one layer of sheet pile walls shown.

The pedway is an open walkway passing through the parking garage similar to the Millennium and Grant Park South garages from the point where it enters the site mid-block on the Canal side to where it exits to street at the corner of Van Buren and Clinton.

^ Which sucks! This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a link to the Blue Line (or half of a link) and have a developer pay for it.

But yeah, it does look like this is a temporary construction. Maybe there are some utilities under the site that need relocated around the perimeter.

Excellent mindset, adecila. A missed opportunity.

February 28, 2020

A win is a win! :banger:

3 feet? Seriously? That's not even one meter.

March 5



Positioning the Tremie pipe - used in deep shafts to prevent the concrete from mixing with the slurry on the way down. The concrete is heavier so it displaces the slurry up the caisson from the bottom.

Are we looking at early april to start going upward?

What is that SE corner ramp going to? Any chance connector for the pedway?

I really hope there's some sort of connection to the blue line, which in effect would connect Union Station to the CTA.

^ this was discussed on previous pages.

I noticed there is an I bean laid across the caisson today. Are they trying to pull out one of the caisson sleeve now?

With a big blue frame ? and the mother of all block and tackle ? that is the pulling frame which was on site last week.

Otherwise they use some pretty hefty beams to hold the rebar cage in place during the pour.

March 11, 2020

^Great set, Solar. Thank you for getting out there and risking it all for SSP!

Looks like the caisson work is done. :cheers:

March 13

Chicago | BMO Tower by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

Chicago | BMO Tower by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

Chicago | BMO Tower by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

Chicago | BMO Tower by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

Chicago | BMO Tower by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

Chicago | BMO Tower by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

Looking at webcam. What is all the gravel for that just got dumped off for?

March 23

Chicago | BMOTower by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

Chicago | BMOTower by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

Starting the pit - the corrugated tube is the sump.
Chicago | BMOTower by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

The west edge of the pit.
Chicago | BMOTower by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

Is this project abnormally slow for some reason Im unaware of? The comparable tower on Wacker started drilling on May 30th and pouring the mat on Aug 17th 2018. They started drilling here on Dec 28th and arent that close on April 15th.

Seems more like an archaeological dig than tower construction.

From looking at the work - it is the archelogical aspect ;-) That 12'+ trench around the South and East perimeter is criss-crossed by more than one utility run, the nasty liquid filled ones - most likely in vintage cast iron.

Last I checked they were making good progress on excavating out the area for the mat, note 110 N Wacker did little to no excavation.

Understood and that makes sense. Thanks for the info

3-4 months is not slow at all, especially considering how large this project is.

Global pandemic? Sure work is still commencing but I have to assume they're working with a limited crew at the very least.

April 19

Chicago | BMO Tower by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

Chicago | BMO Tower by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

Full building permit was issued yesterday

Chicago plan commission presentation!

https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/...20_s_canal.pdf

^its a bit too squat for a 1.5 million sq foot building..they need to stretch out those setback a bit more...should be closer to 800ft you would think atleast

May 1

Chicago | BMO Tower by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

Assembling the climbing form walls
Chicago | BMO Tower by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

Chicago | BMO Tower by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr


Ready for the (a ?) mat
Chicago | BMO Tower by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

Chicago | BMO Tower by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

Nubs for tieing into the mat - not extender/couplers like at One Chicago.
Chicago | BMO Tower by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr


Chicago | BMO Tower by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

May 7

Le Flood.

via https://app.oxblue.com/open/clarkcon...erconstruction

05.16.2020

https://i.imgur.com/342RRYG.png

05.18.2020

https://i.imgur.com/yWZu8I3.png

Perhaps. I'm more disappointed by the blank wall at street-level along Clinton.

May 20

From the webcam looks like the crane is going through the middle of the building. I imagine the mat pour in about two weeks?

More like next week for a mat pour

Mat Pour starts this morning.

^Well that escalated quickly.

Mat pour happening now. Not very big. Construction guy told me about 2,100 cu yd.

05/27/2020

https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/ng/ser...625832/enhance

https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/ng/ser...625838/enhance

https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/ng/ser...625829/enhance

Donesies.

via https://app.oxblue.com/open/clarkcon...erconstruction

https://i.imgur.com/RL632CS.png

I'm surprised they are comfortable pouring with substantial rain 12-24 hours expected afterwards. I also have no expertise in this realm. So the concrete just cures really fast?

https://i.imgur.com/l3UJKGO.png