I'm not saying the designs are finalized, but the massing is pretty much locked in which is all that matters when it comes to the efficiency of one program over another. They agreed to preserve certain view lines and that means they can't just make the south towe fatter to accommodate office more efficently or anything like that.

I heard from someone at Hines today that they expect delivery on the South Tower in 2020/2021. His words were they didn't want to start too soon to River Point so they did not compete with each other. Also, he mentioned he was told that the renderings are not placeholders and should stay the same with only minor design changes.

^ thanks for the update! :tup:

Delivery as in following through with their plans, or completion?

in the development world, "delivery" usually refers to completion, as in delivery of the product (condos, apartments, office space, etc.) to the marketplace.

if they hold to that timeline, shovels would most likely go in the ground sometime in 2018.

Well, I'm still praying they change... the Pelli designs remind me of something built in, like, Minneapolis in the '90s...

Since WPW is now in the "completed" section, here's that plus the remainder of the site:
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1668/...55097253_b.jpg20160123-_DSF9523 by Jeffrey Wang, on Flickr

I've almost completely missed the floorplate size differential between s and e towers in my previous multiple attempts to explain why office in the s tower is unlikely. But, this is even a more compelling reason probably.

The e tower is perfectly suited for a single use office tower...right massing, right floorplate, right height, situated right within the overall wp footprint....on and on.....while the s tower works better as a resi/hotel combo.........

How about the East Tower? West Tower turned out to be a stunner!

Sam, what you're saying makes sense, as far as the South tower being resi/hotel, but what do you make of Hines' concern about this tower "competing" with River Point, which would imply it's going to be at least partially office.

Imagine, office within the first 700' and then hotel after the setback above. Dear Tower Gods, just this one time, please let hotel on the upper-floors be profitable.

I wanted to see what Wolf Point looked like from my shot in the River Point page (looking west down the river). Height may not be perfect, but the yet to be built Wolf Point buildings will make a dramatic impact on that view.
http://i592.photobucket.com/albums/t...575A803207.jpg

Looks cool! Should be quite a bit taller though ;)

I thought the new design had a spire, also it's a bit taller than that, should look a lot bigger than River Point. Still cool to see the potential future view

Just walked by on my way to lunch and saw a soil testing rig working the east side of the site.

Looking at that photo and seeing the gap between river point and wolf point south, I can only imagine how valuable that parking lot across the street on canal from river point now is. The value must have skyrocketed since all of this was announced, I think they could not have imagined in their wildest dreams that nothing would block their view east down the river...WOW

Yeah, wasn't the River Point hotel tower originally supposed to block that view?

Originally yes....but then it was scrapped by the alderman if my memory is correct and Gibsons is now going into a small two story structure on the site....Jackpot.

Walked by on my way to the Brown Line at Merchandise Mart this evening after work. The soil testing rig was positioned on the south side of the lot. It was a little muddy, but it looked like it was busy on the east side, too. Might this mean both towers could go up at the same time?

^^^ It probably just means they wanted to save money by doing the soil testing simultaneously. I can't see them building both at once if only because the option of having an enormous staging area when building a 1,000' is a huge plus. Either way it's exciting that they are moving on soil testing, usually indicates forward momentum for a project.

No one got pictures of the soil testing rigs? I'd love to have seen where they were drilling.