CHICAGO | Highrise Projects & Construction, v7

[PittsburghPA]

Caisson rig on site and masonry mockup at 354 N Union (bonus of Fulton Labs in the background)

edit: with the lack of site prep I wonder if they are just storing the rig there?

[ardecila]

I'm not sure how much site prep they actually need to do. The site's been a gravel lot for decades and a railyard before that, so I'm not sure they have old foundations to rip out.

The concrete slab you see in the background under Halsted is actually the roof of Hubbard's Cave - they can't build tower over this portion due the expressway underneath, so it will just become a dog park similar to what K2 has next door.

[Jibba]

Originally Posted by jc5680

Crains has a rendering. Maybe I am taking it too literally, but the design looks like it was, at least at one time, intended to be office. The glass is shown oddly transparent in a way that commercial properties like to use to show open floors

Do love the X bracing though…

This thing is a monolith. Continue to be unimpressed with Adjmi.

[ardecila]

I wouldn't call it a monolith. That base is nice and open with the pilotis - there's not too much of this kind of design in the West Loop, it will be a good change of pace on Randolph. If anything it's the brick faux-warehouse midrises that are blocky and totally impermeable at the base. This at least creates some public space.

This design takes Adjmi's typical industrial schtick and puts it on a Miesian highrise, which is at least pretty unique and undeniably Chicago. There's also a postmodern playfulness to it that you don't get from some of the more straight-laced architects. I like the contrast of the huge windows on the lowrise and the little window grid on the highrise. Of course the cross-bracing is a sham, but who cares? The whole thing is like a steampunk Inland Steel connected to a steampunk 860-880 LSD. Also I can't tell what's going on the soffit under the brick lowrise - kinda looks like a mosaic or mural, which would be undeniably awesome.

[BVictor1]

Originally Posted by ardecila

I wouldn't call it a monolith. That base is nice and open with the pilotis - there's not too much of this kind of design in the West Loop, it will be a good change of pace on Randolph. If anything it's the brick faux-warehouse midrises that are blocky and totally impermeable at the base. This at least creates some public space.

This design takes Adjmi's typical industrial schtick and puts it on a Miesian highrise, which is at least pretty unique and undeniably Chicago. There's also a postmodern playfulness to it that you don't get from some of the more straight-laced architects. I like the contrast of the huge windows on the lowrise and the little window grid on the highrise. Of course the cross-bracing is a sham, but who cares? The whole thing is like a steampunk Inland Steel connected to a steampunk 860-880 LSD. Also I can't tell what's going on the soffit under the brick lowrise - kinda looks like a mosaic or mural, which would be undeniably awesome.

Well, it's one X-wide and three X-deep. It's a bit wide in its east-west axis. I'd love it if they'd play with the geometries more. Keep the density and FAR, but play with the massing.

[Jibba]

Originally Posted by ardecila

I wouldn't call it a monolith. That base is nice and open with the pilotis - there's not too much of this kind of design in the West Loop, it will be a good change of pace on Randolph. If anything it's the brick faux-warehouse midrises that are blocky and totally impermeable at the base. This at least creates some public space.

This design takes Adjmi's typical industrial schtick and puts it on a Miesian highrise, which is at least pretty unique and undeniably Chicago. There's also a postmodern playfulness to it that you don't get from some of the more straight-laced architects. I like the contrast of the huge windows on the lowrise and the little window grid on the highrise. Of course the cross-bracing is a sham, but who cares? The whole thing is like a steampunk Inland Steel connected to a steampunk 860-880 LSD. Also I can't tell what's going on the soffit under the brick lowrise - kinda looks like a mosaic or mural, which would be undeniably awesome.

True, the street-level experience look promising (which matters more to me, admittedly). On paper, it's a chunk. With a lotta cheese. (And that metal paneling looks plasticky in reality.)

Seems like the plan is to use the low-rise portion to boost the height of the tower (for the distribution of the F.A.R.). Maybe there wasn't much for the architect to work with there.

[Randomguy34]

April Plan Commision agenda is up, there are 3 highrises on the list:https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/dept...n_Hearing.html

140 N. Ashland Ave: The Women's Treatment Center is selling their site to Marquette Co., where they're retaining the 6 story building and developing the rest of the property at 12 stories, 210 units

37 S. Sangamon St: 258 ft, 80 unit condo with 115 parking spots. The current proposal is much less dense than an earlier proposal due to residents complaining about the size

1201-1299 W. Concord Pl: At 150 ft, this is the life sciences building proposed for phase 1 of Lincoln Yards. Since this address doesn't exist yet, Sterling Bay will be extending Concord Pl to the Chicago River

[r18tdi]

Originally Posted by Randomguy34

37 S. Sangamon St: 258 ft, 80 unit condo with 115 parking spots. The current proposal is much less dense than an earlier proposal due to residents complaining about the size

Looks like the height increased 20 feet, compared to the 238-foot figure mentioned during their community meeting in Feb (unless its just "zoning" height versus architecture height).

[Toasty Joe]

haven't seen this posted anywhere else:

Hotel Tower Planned For 150 East Ontario. Again.

[marothisu]

^ saw that from BuildingUpChicago's Twitter and forgot to post. Not that much of a fan. The top sucks and it would be better if they lopped it off. That's not saying much though. Maybe it's the rendering but this thing just looks cheap.

[LouisVanDerWright]

Originally Posted by Toasty Joe

haven't seen this posted anywhere else:

Hotel Tower Planned For 150 East Ontario. Again.

Ohhhhh my god...

1999 called and wants its proposal back.

Absolutely heinous, wtf.

[simon07]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

Ohhhhh my god...

1999 called and wants its proposal back.

Absolutely heinous, wtf.

We have plenty of land....Build It!!!

[k1052]

Is is bad that I started uncontrollably laughing?

Oh well at least it's not topped off by a 5 story mansard.

[chicubs111]

wonder if Brendan Reilly would block this because its too short for the area and design sucks? If only we had alderman who took this approach for developments as well

[SIGSEGV]

one of these days these on of these terrible proposals we make fun of will belong to an architect on this forum. I hope today is not that day, and if it is, they should be banned.

[Rizzo]

It feels very Sim City 3000 to me. I’d probably Zone for a dozen of these in the game. In 1999

[r18tdi]

Reminds me of AMLI River North (not a compliment).

[SamInTheLoop]

Originally Posted by Toasty Joe

haven't seen this posted anywhere else:

Hotel Tower Planned For 150 East Ontario. Again.

My. Lord.


You know what though - we definitely do not see as many of these even floated as unlikely proposals as we used to.

I mean who besides occasionally Lagrange still these days s#it& something like this out and feels comfortable with it being in the public domain? And when's the last time Lagrange actually had something built?

Have tastes improved? I don't know. There are surely still hoards of yokels out there that would look at a defacement such as this and find it just lovely.

[Busy Bee]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

Ohhhhh my god...

1999 called and wants its proposal back.

Absolutely heinous, wtf.

I was going to go with the front page of a 1997 Sun-Times Sunday Homelife section...

...but that will suffice

[r18tdi]

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

And when's the last time Lagrange actually had something built?

That apartment building going up in Skokie right now?