It looks like a Minecraft building, in a good way

The massing from NEMA reminds me of old school art deco buildings, in that it has the ability to make the building look larger or "grander" than it actually is.

https://i.imgur.com/LqlSoxa.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/y8KrTG0.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/n3vA2V5.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/Eh7bDSe.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/Y60EWLs.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/s3Bht74.jpg?1

Some actual images from inside NEMA from Curbed today:

Curbed's first look inside NEMA

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AZ3r...__CoWork.0.jpg

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/byK9...r_Lap_Pool.jpg

Too much focus on the fitness amenities, but so far, I'm a fan of it. Makes me wish (a) they were instead condos and (b) I could afford to live in them if they were. If they ever de-convert, this building is my #1 place I'd want to call home.

My guess is they are going for a super young crowd, targeting the 25-40 group with those types of amenities. NEMA is a San Fran brand in the sense of inspiration, right? Logical approach in that case to mimic their approach to getting young people to fork over 40% of their paychecks on aesthetics. Looks to be working too

I Live in the building and it's actually more of a 30-40 crowd that I've seen so far in the building. Not many people that I've seen that I say are in their 20s.
Also, I snap some photos this weekend and post but most of the amenities aren't done yet. Dog park & pet spa, golf simulator, game room, etc all aren't open yet. Its basically just the fitness center, co-working space and pool deck that is open.

These are my jealous faces: :slob::hell:

yeah I'd be shocked to see too many people in their 20s in a building like this - new, high end, etc.

I'd expect to see that age group in a ramshackle walk up in ravenswood paying $850 per person per month.

It was a rough estimate lol

https://i.imgur.com/oVbbXlK.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/9ZqbFIO.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/fh5sjE4.jpg?1

Some South Loop shots of NEMA from earlier this week:

https://i.imgur.com/aefmWwxh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/5i6Lshrh.jpg

From Palmisano Park:

https://i.imgur.com/r7Xz8lB.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/JVhXmEC.jpg?1

By the way, there's a chicken sandwich place right by Archer/Halsted a block away from the park... everyone should go to it... amazing sandwich and fries. Best spicy chicken sandwich I've had in my life!

Name?

Here ya go!

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Bi...!4d-87.6467311

From today 8/12/2019 on top of Traders Parking Garage in the Loop.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...94f0d64b_b.jpg[/url]

July 31, 2019

Yeah Im ready for its taller twin now.


I never liked the idea of the [ twin towers ] to begin with but his one has certainly been hitting it totally out of the park!

Fantastic shot, solar!

This building is so freaking Chicago that it already kinda seems like it's always been there.

Such a natural fit. Mr. Vinoly, the southwall is forever in your debt.

This is hands down Rafael Vinoly's best high rise work in the U.S. In terms of context, like Steely noted, it's hard to beat. Up there with his Walkie Talkie tower in London and Mahler 4 in Amsterdam (which Bjark-Ingels appropriated for The Spiral in NY's Hudson Yards).

gotta love it

it even helps its neighbors be more acceptable design-wise (sorta)

by drawing attention away from them, yes, NEMA improves the entire south wall.

It is.

And - man did the southwall, and Chicago, ever dodge a bullet when P/H was taken out of the equation for the Indiana-Michigan parcel?! Remember those tacky, gimmicky towers they drew up for the previous owner? At least Musuem Park 3 was an actual design (where NEMA now stands), and 4 if I recall may have been just a placeholder/massing concept......but 3 was trash.

Looks fantastic. One of my favorite buildings here in a long time. One of the only buildings I can think of where the balconies make it better rather than worse (Aqua and Marina City are also in that club).

Are those ugly black squares on the south face going to remain? In the video on NEMA's website it shows those areas as glass.

Yes, they will remain

^ Those black squares are louvers.

What I would have done is given up some space in the mechanical room and inset the louvers by 10 feet or so, giving the appearance of additional balcony space on that floor, and thus somewhat hiding the louvers.

https://i.imgur.com/CZEztx9.jpg?1

Cool cloud

https://i.imgur.com/PJnhsfS.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/KbP1hZ8.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/yUgn8jo.jpg?1

Aug 6

Chicago |NEMA by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

Aug 16

Chicago |NEMA by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

Aug 17

Chicago |NEMA by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

From #TallShipWindy
Chicago |NEMA by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

I love that last shot so much Harry!

Shots from today:

https://i.imgur.com/iw1JHH4.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/tamC1CA.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/EMF0nob.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/yxxXHwk.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/hGIJgJW.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/0SICZkO.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/W7CWXqx.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/uF5SmUQ.jpg?1

Thought I had gotten that damn speckle off... Maybe next time lol

August 25, 2019
 

Great angle! Hell of an addition to the south wall :yes:

Glad to see the giant NEMA has been removed from the amenity floor. I wonder if it was to block views of construction so that the dramatic wall-to-ceiling lights could be unveiled in grand fashion.

Are they finished painting this thing? The vertical white lines seem to vary quite a bit. Maybe just the angle??

No, there are definitely spots that need to be painted still

Thanks, yea, thought so. Especially the south face.

I spent last weekend at a townhouse a block from this building (a family member ran the triathlon).

Passed by this building maybe a dozen times, and there were furniture moving trucks idling every single time. Building definitely getting tons of move-ins. I thought about visiting the lobby and rental office, but was carting around a toddler who wanted the playground.

Neighborhood is hard to characterize. You have these gigantic megatowers on Roosevelt, but a block away it's super-quiet residential, with no passing cars, even.

I really love this building, for most people it just seemed to sneak in there, I hear a lot about Vista and this one is totally off the radar.

Any word at all on the the sister building? I would love if they tear into that one quick, but I assumed there will be a few years between them? AKA next cycle if ever.

That neighborhood is the product of some intense NIMBYism, it was probably an accomplishment alone that some highrises even got built east of Michigan Avenue. Everybody there wants townhouses and small condo buildings, etc.

Ultimately, over the course of decades, waves of construction will continue to canyonize Michigan Ave through E. State St, but the neighborhoods east of that will forever remain quiet and residential

Not really, Central Station is a deliberate product of a 1990s urban planning strategy to mix towers with townhomes. Developers liked it because they could diversify their product offerings and keep building different phases even as the demand for rentals, condos, and townhouses fluctuated at different times. The NIMBYism only came after the homes were built, since homeowners always and everywhere are NIMBYs.

The market's a little different now, a lot of near-downtown land is too expensive to build townhomes (except in small quantities as liner units on parking garages) and there's not much demand from Millennials for townhouses or other for-sale products compared to Gen X before them, for various complicated reasons. So the megadevelopments we're seeing now are more highrise and midrise focused, since that's more efficient for the rentals and office space that's in demand.

Does anyone know when they are going to start planting the random trees on every other setback?

Heh you were probably two blocks from my apartment then (I live at Michigan and Roosevelt). East of Michigan is an island of quiet, at least until you get closer to McCormick place.

^Thus the howls of protest regarding One Central.

Aug 28

https://i.imgur.com/Dg7vIp4h.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/ZFJtYc8.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/slJNVNM.jpg?1

Check your settings kids...

https://i.imgur.com/Snv3H3S.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/bjqqMHH.jpg?1

Aug 26

From the Adler Planetarium


From the Roosevelt sta.


Aug 27

#TallShipWindy

Most excellent shots, Harry. The last one made my laptop sputter.

What an amazing cycle. Ferris Bueller would need two days off.

Hahaha, that got me to chuckle.

Seriously though, that last shot is really crisp! :cheers:

September 6, 2019 from Maggie Daley Park
 

September 7, 2019 from the Signature Room