CHICAGO | Highrise Projects & Construction, v7

[Zapatan]

If it boasts the same ceiling heights as their NYC tower, even at "only" 98 floors this thing would be the second tallest building in the world (because of BK's pinnacle), perhaps #1 roof wise.

While it's fun to dream I take it if said building ever does see the light of day, it either

A. doesn't have 98 actual floors or
B. has lower ceiling heights
C. both

[lakeshoredrive]

I just need the Tribune East tower to be built. This rumored 98 stories building would be icing on the cake

[JMKeynes]

I wonder when the enormous parking garage on Adams between Wells and Franklin will be developed. That’s a super prime site that could support a tremendous building.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by galleyfox

If I were in charge of a major bank wanting to make an architectural statement, I would go for 401 S Wacker, but I highly doubt critical infrastructure like the Enwave building could be easily relocated even with a blank check.

I would try to obtain air rights over Van Buren St. so as to use both 401 S Wacker and 321 S Wacker as the base, straddling the road like St. Regis does. Then commission a 98 story custom design.

I think the problem with 401 S Wacker from that perspective is that your building might get blocked by Sears Tower from the views from the north. The one on Madison (or in Fulton Market) if tall enough would pretty much guarantee your building gets seen from more angles.

[archguy]

Love the discussion on this new possibility of some supertalls in the Loop for Chase and the Australian bank!

I'm not sure if I'm on my own in this thinking, but we've seen a lot of office towers sputter out around the 800s for height - WPS, 110 N Wacker, BMO - wouldn't it be a great thing to start designing towers to be mixed-use and reach higher?? I'm thinking 800' +/- of office space, then top that with a hotel, and reach into the sky with luxury condos. We should be able to reach into the 1000-1400+ range with something like that.

I'm thinking about that report someone shared earlier that said the Loop was almost 70% office space. We could make the Loop more vibrant if we started building residential space there. Retail space would fill up, restaurants would be abuzz and the Loop wouldn't die at 7pm.

[JMKeynes]

If the Australian bank thing is real, I suspect it’s Macquarie. Maybe it will move the US HQ from NY.

https://www.macquarie.com/au/en/about/contact/locations.html

[the urban politician]

Can anyone point me to where this talk of an Aussie bank originated? I’m combing through the past few pages of this thread and I’m not seeing it.

Thanks in advance.

[galleyfox]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Can anyone point me to where this talk of an Aussie bank originated? I’m combing through the past few pages of this thread and I’m not seeing it.

Thanks in advance.

It’s from Apr 28, 2021. No mention of a bank though. Just a rumor of an Australian tenant that signed a large lease. Either a miscommunication happened and an Australian company like Lendlease is just aiding Chase with the development. Or some unknown Australian bank/hedge fund/conglomerate is doing something crazy.

Originally Posted by Skyguy_7

On Monday, I found out there's a mystery tenant (from down undah put another shrimp on the barbie) committed to just over 30% of a 98-story Office Tower directly across the river from the OPO. It's the vacant lot either just north or south of Van Buren, along the river. I don't believe it's one of the lots adjacent to 311 s Wacker that's got their own thread here, but can't say for certain. The loose proposal in the budgeting phase between developer/contractors. Could become something, could become nothing.

[SamInTheLoop]

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[SamInTheLoop]

Originally Posted by galleyfox

It’s from Apr 28, 2021. No mention of a bank though. Just a rumor of an Australian tenant that signed a large lease. Either a miscommunication happened and an Australian company like Lendlease is just aiding Chase with the development. Or some unknown Australian bank/hedge fund/conglomerate is doing something crazy.

Took the words right outta my mouth.

My thought is something may have gotten lost in translation. A foreign HQ (or HQ-like) moving to the city, and becoming the anchor tenant kicking off what sounds like would be one of the city's largest buildings with what sounds like it would be one of the city's largest leases (one thing I'll note is that this must be a mixed-use building to achieve anything near that many floors) seems somewhat less than likely.

If it's truly a 98-floor proposal out there somewhere (and there is some sort of translation issue at work here), one guess might be that it is resi or resi/hotel and if there's some Australian connection it's on the investment/developer/contractor side.

[Zapatan]

My thought is something may have gotten lost in translation. A foreign HQ (or HQ-like) moving to the city, and becoming the anchor tenant kicking off what sounds like would be one of the city's largest buildings with what sounds like it would be one of the city's largest leases (one thing I'll note is that this must be a mixed-use building to achieve anything near that many floors) seems somewhat less than likely.

If it's truly a 98-floor proposal out there somewhere (and there is some sort of translation issue at work here), one guess might be that it is resi or resi/hotel and if there's some Australian connection it's on the investment/developer/contractor side.

Considering the city has recently added five 7-800+ foot office towers in the past 5 or so years it seems a 98 story all office tower wouldn't make much sense right now (if ever). The market has also been flooded with condos like Vista / OSC etc. so I'm not sure mixed use would either.

I'm not sure how that would have gotten lost in translation but I'm not going to get my hopes up until I see a concrete plan. Perhaps we'll find out something this year?

[galleyfox]

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

If it's truly a 98-floor proposal out there somewhere (and there is some sort of translation issue at work here), one guess might be that it is resi or resi/hotel and if there's some Australian connection it's on the investment/developer/contractor side.

Oh boy, when I see it stated like that, I’m getting big ‘Chinese money moving through Australian backdoors’ vibes. More likely than anyone domestic to pull the trigger on vanity height.

[JMKeynes]

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

Took the words right outta my mouth.

My thought is something may have gotten lost in translation. A foreign HQ (or HQ-like) moving to the city, and becoming the anchor tenant kicking off what sounds like would be one of the city's largest buildings with what sounds like it would be one of the city's largest leases (one thing I'll note is that this must be a mixed-use building to achieve anything near that many floors) seems somewhat less than likely.

If it's truly a 98-floor proposal out there somewhere (and there is some sort of translation issue at work here), one guess might be that it is resi or resi/hotel and if there's some Australian connection it's on the investment/developer/contractor side.

The Chase tower is obviously happening. The Australian thing doesn’t sound real. Marquerie’s US HQ is in NY, and I’d be surprised if they lease more than 100,000-200,000 sf there, so even in the unlikely event they moved the HQ to Chicago, they’d never need 1m sf or any amount required to anchor a 98 story tower.

I hope that Chase takes 1m sf in a 2.5 sf tower.

[Koodoo25]

Some hastily taken photos from the train - July 3rd and 6th

Parq Fulton


Fulton Labs


I haven't seen the Fulton Market area in around 2 years before this. I was expecting to see a lot of new buildings but I was not prepared to not even recognize the place. Insane transformation.

[The Lurker]

Fulton Labs is really beautiful for what is essentially a boxy glass box with a few balconies.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Klippenstein

I'm moving this here from the 78 thread so as not to derail.



To be clear, I don't have any information about relocating the Enwave plant. It was purely hypothetical. You are probably right, but I still wonder if it would be possible to build over the plant or somehow incorporate it into the design. As far as I can tell, one of their cooling plants is in the BCBS tower and another is in the basement of Merchandise Mart.

Well, there has been a trend towards daring structural bases in some of these new towers, including Chase's own building at 270 Park in NYC and several others here in Chicago.

I could imagine something like 150 N Riverside where both sides are cantilevered off the core, but one side is higher than the other to accommodate the Enwave plant. From Enwave's perspective, it's too hard to move the chiller plant so they have no reason not to seek free money from the air rights (assuming there are no engineering dealbreakers).

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

^ I think they just mean the station entrance would be on Ashland and the Cta station a few blocks south down Ashland. They just worded it really bad and made it sound like a new WL Metra station would have a platform connected to the Green Line Ashland station.

NFPA130 strikes again - all new rail platforms must be built with two redundant exits. Metra is elevated at that location, so the most inexpensive way to provide two exits is just a long platform/walkway spanning between Ashland and Ogden. Any other solution would involve an expensive overhead bridge or tunnel dug under the tracks near Laflin St. At that length you can do ramps for accessibility and avoid the need for elevators, too.

If they do build a Metra stop here I imagine the Fulton boom will jump over Ogden. The city's already laid the groundwork for this by loosening the PMD, but there's still an FAR cap of 3.0 in the blocks between Ashland and Ogden... the city needs to allow highrises there as well to justify the public expense of a new Metra stop.

[BruceP]

Originally Posted by galleyfox

If I were in charge of a major bank wanting to make an architectural statement, I would go for 401 S Wacker, but I highly doubt critical infrastructure like the Enwave building could be easily relocated even with a blank check.

I would try to obtain air rights over Van Buren St. so as to use both 401 S Wacker and 321 S Wacker as the base, straddling the road like St. Regis does. Then commission a 98 story custom design.

Ain't gonna happen. Illinois Center was all privately owned and any public roadways were deeded to the city as is. Van Buren is currently a public right of way. There's no way the authorities would allow it to be visually blocked by a highrise with all the underutilized land still downtown. Anyway, that one-block stretch under the St. Regis is more an access road than anything.

[BVictor1]

Though this project is on this Thursday's plan commission, the alderman is allowing the neighbors bitch prior to that.....



https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_XFvn23HlQmWO71H_DfVZDw


Excerpts from a recent Tribune article: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realesta...tinue-to-fight/ar-AALYLDh?ocid=Peregrine

Fifield Cos. on Monday will present plans for a 39-story tower at 125 W. Maple St., in a virtual meeting hosted by the Gold Coast Neighbors Association and 2nd Ward Ald. Brian Hopkins. The 303-unit proposal also is on Thursday’s Chicago Plan Commission agenda.

Fifield Cos. on Monday will present plans for a 39-story tower at 125 W. Maple St., in a virtual meeting hosted by the Gold Coast Neighbors Association and 2nd Ward Ald. Brian Hopkins. The 303-unit proposal also is on Thursday’s Chicago Plan Commission agenda.

Condo owners have argued that the proximity will block their sunlight and views, reduce their property values and add to traffic congestion along LaSalle Drive.

The alderman has reiterated that blocked views are not a consideration in zoning decisions.

Fifield’s latest design, by Pappageorge Haymes Partners, maintains a 20-foot distance for the bottom nine floors of the proposed tower, which would be for parking and a private terrace. Above that, the setback would become 40 feet.

That’s not enough, Galleria board member Wolfgang Suess said. To minimize the effect on residents on the west side of the Galleria, the building would need to be substantially shorter or father apart, he said.

“There’s been no community involvement, no meetings. They’re trying to jam this through without any effort to address our concerns.”

“Since the announcement of the proposal in late 2019 we have been working closely with Alderman Hopkins, the local community and the City’s Department of Planning and Development.....

Pappageorge Haymes Partners

-The current brick building on site is condo, and they'll be bought out.

[Infinite Loop]

^ their rendering looks very reminiscent of Loews.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by BVictor1

Though this project is on this Thursday's plan commission, the alderman is allowing the neighbors bitch prior to that.....

...

Aww, poor neighbors losing their views.

When I moved into my current home, I could see the Trump tower from my front windows, and had a nice NW city view from my back deck. Now I'm completely surrounded by taller structures, with no view of anything except the immediately surrounding buildings. But i expected (even wanted) that, because it means there's a lot more density to support more shops and services nearby.

One unexpected bonus has been that the buildings to my north block the cold winter wind, reducing my heating bill in the winter, and the tall buildings leave my roof in the shade for a longer part of the day during the summer, so I also save money on air conditioning in the summer.

I miss the view(s) sometimes, but enjoy the extra restaurants and cheaper utilities. Hopefully those whiners will learn to see the bright side, too.