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Rainier Square: A faster way to build tall

I came across this article and was amazed at how quick this tower went up.

Quote:

The thought of constructing a tower core without rebar would cause many builders to scoff.

But the project team behind a 58-story tower under construction in Seattle is working to prove that there may be a better, faster way to build tall.

Seattle-based engineering firm Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA) has pioneered a new type of high-rise building core that utilizes a concrete-filled composite plate shear wall system called SpeedCore. The system was used for the first time on Rainier Square, an 850-foot-tall mixed-use tower being built by general contractor Lease Crutcher Lewis.

The building was designed by NBBJ for Seattle-based developer Wright Runstad & Company.

Because the concept was utilized for the first time on such a high-profile project, there are a lot of eyes on the work being done....

The SpeedCore concept was actually borrowed from methodology used around the world to construct nuclear power stations, Morgen said.

“The loading is entirely different with blast and projectile,” he said. “You have thick walls for out-of-plane loading, while for tall buildings we’re using the same concept in a completely different manner. Extrapolating it to Rainier Square was the first real world application when it comes to high rises.”

So how does it work?

Because concrete in a building core is normally poured days or even weeks before structural steel is erected on the same level, the leading core method leads to completion of the building core long before the rest of the building catches up.

By contrast, erection of a SpeedCore structure begins with prefabricated panels consisting of two structural steel plates held in place with cross-connecting tie rods. After erection, the panels are filled with concrete, which is poured from the bottom of the panel. The resulting sandwich provides strength and stability along with significant on-site time savings.

It does away with the need for curing time entirely by eliminating the need for a leading core. Also, it eliminates the need for formwork, installation of rebar, embedded plates, sleeves and block-outs.

“In SpeedCore you could do two floors in one week,” Morgen said. “Now, what you’re doing is trading prefab time offsite to achieve that; that does have lead time associated with it.”

And now the involved firms know the concept works as intended.

The Rainier Square project topped out after just 10 months, achieving a construction rate of roughly 1.35 floors per week. The system has shorted the timeline of the project, which is slated for completion in March 2020, from 40 months to 31 months.

Full article (behind pay wall)

This has a great impact on the skyline. Looks like the glass is topped out.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5d65d3a0_h.jpg
DSC03469 by aroubin - thanks for 1 MILLION views!, on Flickr

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris08876 (Post 8710637)

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...be783364_k.jpg
Seattle Ferry View by Andreas Neumann, on Flickr

What a shot

^ Looks almost as tall as the Columbia Center.

Gotta love Seattle's skyline.

A few days old, but here is a photo I took of it while stuck out in West Seattle.

https://i.ibb.co/Nrtk7mt/IMG-0941.jpg

It's definitely cool.

Edit: Sorry for the low resolution.

^ Still a great shot. Gotta love this building and it's effect on the skyline. Now if we could only get a 700-800-footer in the Denny Triangle area, it would give you a three-peak skyline from that vantage point.

I always thought that Seattle needed a tower south of the Columbia Center, but I get that there are flight-based restrictions to that.

This is easily one of my favorite skyscrapers rising in the US right now, good for Seattle :yes:

Is it all office or partly residences?

That is such a great skyline and setting.

A picture I took of the skyline yesterday.

https://i.ibb.co/BshLgdv/IMG-0946.jpg

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zapatan (Post 8905912)

This is easily one of my favorite skyscrapers rising in the US right now

It seems to be the second tallest skyscraper under construction outside NYC and Chicago, beating Austin's 6 X Guadalupe by 1 foot.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zapatan (Post 8905912)

Is it all office or partly residences?

According to https://www.ctbuh.org/news/seattle82...quare-tops-out , it "features offices, retail spaces, and residential units".

Quote:

Originally Posted by colemonkee (Post 8905255)

Gotta love this building and it's effect on the skyline.

Agreed. It balances Columbia Center well.

7/30/2020 Fly Up from NE Side:

Here is an image I took of the tower from a different angle than it is normally seen.

https://i.ibb.co/tDkMPGg/IMG-20200821-123955980.jpg

It looks like the glass is finished.

https://i.ibb.co/fnq5Gfn/IMG-0994.jpg

Awesome addition to the Seattle skyline.

A question just popped up. Does Seattle have the third biggest skyline in the United States? There's NYC and Chicago at 1 and 2, but then what's next? I can't think of another skyline that's quite as big or well-developed. Maybe San Francisco?

Quote:

Originally Posted by BuildThemTaller (Post 9126043)

A question just popped up. Does Seattle have the third biggest skyline in the United States? There's NYC and Chicago at 1 and 2, but then what's next?

it depends on how you wanna calculate these things, but by most counting measures (ie. # of buildings above certain height thresholds), Miami, LA, SF, and houston (in no particular order) have bigger skylines than seattle.

philly and altlanta also have a little bit more top end height than seattle, but not quite as much meat in the 500+ feet game. dallas slots into the conversation somewhere as well, about on par with seattle. boston is in there too for overall size, but lacks a tower over 250m.

in terms of size, the #1 and #2 skylines in the US are extremely clear-cut.

#3 becomes a much more muddled affair.

though if we open up the competition to our canadian friends to the north, then toronto is now solidly in the #3 spot, and quickly gaining on chicago.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BuildThemTaller (Post 9126043)

It's Miami, they have 57 skyscrapers. Seattle has 22 If you're counting this skyscraper. :notacrook: