CHICAGO | Tribune Tower Addition | 1,442 FT | 113 FLOORS

[spyguy]

Ah the whale mural. Totally forgot about that saga. Those owners are screwed anyway if Reilly allows redevelopment of the Optimus building.

Originally Posted by chris08876

The question I wonder is why the hell can't they shoot for a new tallest to the roof or to the architectural element (crown)? Maybe its to pay homage to the great Sears tower, as a sign of respect... but in hindsight, this is no time for respect!

Yes, this perplexes me as well. One of the articles quoted the developers as saying they didn't have that much of an ego, but that's nonsense. The marketing value of saying you have the tallest building in the city is totally worth it. The only logical explanation I see is they expect Related to go even higher on the Spire site.

[rgolch]

Originally Posted by spyguy

Yes, this perplexes me as well. One of the articles quoted the developers as saying they didn't have that much of an ego, but that's nonsense. The marketing value of saying you have the tallest building in the city is totally worth it. The only logical explanation I see is they expect Related to go even higher on the Spire site.

If that's the case, developers must have confidence in the Chicago market. Common sense would say we're on the verge of being overbuilt. But you'd think developers would have a more sophisticated view of the market than most of us. And I doubt they'd be tossing out these proposals just for shits and giggles.

[rlw777]

It occurred to me that it's worth pointing out while we are comparing this design to arch shaped supertalls "from China" that most of those designs are from America. Almost all of them were designed by either SOM, Smith Gill or KPF. Perhaps it should be noted as well that while these other arch shaped supertalls were going up with the rise of China America was going through a recession during which nobody in the US was building supertalls. In fact if it weren't for that recession we may have had two similarly formed supertalls already in Chicago the Waldorf and the Spire.

[Freefall]

Originally Posted by harryc

Well there are these folk - serves them right for covering up the Whales !

Yeah, but they're gonna get their views blocked whether it's 1,400 feet or 400 feet.

[2PRUROCKS!]

The base on this is really phenomenal. I like the depth and articulation of the glass... how it looks concaved or fluted. I also like how the tower portion seems somewhat concaved on the east and west sides. I feel this project has really gone in the right direction. I think aping Tribune Tower so that this would be a Tribune Tower on steroids would have been an utter mistake. That would have taken away from Tribune Tower. The architects needed to walk a delicate balance with this project. They needed it to make an emphatic impact without overshadowing or overwhelming Tribune Tower and I think they succeeded. I think they did many thing to give reverence and respect to Tribune Tower while also designing a spectacular new tower. I really like how the base integrates the original Tribune Tower with the new tower.

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

Curbed Chicago has another rendering of the base showing the Tribune Tower in the background.

Image link to larger version:
https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chor...9.25.25_AM.png

-

Article:

https://chicago.curbed.com/2018/4/17...yscraper-hotel

[Fvn]

Maybe the downtown isn't the right place for you if you're scared your views will be interrupted, especially when you're literally right across the street from an empty lot like that... I mean views east from that building already in the first place probably aren't that good... and the south views are uninterrupted... unless that is you live there just to stare at 401 N Michigan all day...


Lol so true...

Originally Posted by Freefall

Yeah, but they're gonna get their views blocked whether it's 1,400 feet or 400 feet.

[2PRUROCKS!]

Here is a quote from Curbed by Gordon Gill that I think gives a good idea of the architects mindset in designing this project.

https://chicago.curbed.com/2018/4/17...yscraper-hotel

“As we explored various early concepts, we found we were either becoming the oversized parent of the Tribune or even being offensive to the existing building,” architect Gordon Gill told Curbed Chicago.

“The solution came down to striking a balance: speaking to the ethos of the gothic architecture—its verticality, the lace-like tracery of the details—while creating this ‘singular moment’ on the skyline,” Gill continued. “We tried something a little more simple and when we saw it we almost felt this sense of relief. The design no longer felt forced.”

[SolarWind]

Originally Posted by spyguy

Ah the whale mural. Totally forgot about that saga.

No saving these whales
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2006-07-18/features/0607180234_1_mural-wyland-navy-pier

September 1, 2006



Bonus picture - Trump Tower that same day back in '06

https://i.imgur.com/Tq8eyOb.jpg

[SolarWind]

April 17, 2018





In order to stay more on topic, here are some pictures of the site from today.

[r18tdi]

OPINION
A whole lot of 'meh': Proposed Tribune tower
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/artic...cago-critiqued

ooph.

[The North One]

^ A stupid opinion, this proposal is nothing short of stunning.

[HomrQT]

Originally Posted by r18tdi

OPINION
A whole lot of 'meh': Proposed Tribune tower
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/artic...cago-critiqued

ooph.

I agree with the article, this proposal is 'meh' and for many of the reasons they stated, but they could have used a better quality image of the proposal on their site.

[kolchak]

The access to a two level street is a real bonus here as with Vista. That shipping and receiving and similar services can happen on the lower level allows for the building's base to be right up flush with its neighbors creating a better street wall and pedestrian environment.

I hope this gets built (and they keep the color.) Its going be quite the postcard view with the Bridge, Tribune and new tower all together.

[Bonsai Tree]

I think the success of this building, architecturally speaking, will depend on what the building looks like after construction. If they stick with the same materials, colors, etc. we could be looking at quite a cool building. If they don't, this building could end up being "meh". For some reason, I feel like the opinion I have now will be markedly different from the opinion I will have when (or if) this building is ever completed. I know opinions change, but this one is going to have a lot of people switching sides back and forth.

[JK47]

Originally Posted by HomrQT

I agree with the article, this proposal is 'meh' and for many of the reasons they stated, but they could have used a better quality image of the proposal on their site.

Did we read the same "article" (barely four paragraphs long and sloppy)? There were, at most, maybe two reasons stated with one being lame and the other being nonsensical.

[mark0]

Originally Posted by 2PRUROCKS!

Here is a quote from Curbed by Gordon Gill that I think gives a good idea of the architects mindset in designing this project.

https://chicago.curbed.com/2018/4/17...yscraper-hotel

“As we explored various early concepts, we found we were either becoming the oversized parent of the Tribune or even being offensive to the existing building,” architect Gordon Gill told Curbed Chicago.

“The solution came down to striking a balance: speaking to the ethos of the gothic architecture—its verticality, the lace-like tracery of the details—while creating this ‘singular moment’ on the skyline,” Gill continued. “We tried something a little more simple and when we saw it we almost felt this sense of relief. The design no longer felt forced.”

Post rationalization. Its forced. Its an off the shelf trophy tower from 15 years ago. Am I the only one who thinks this proposal stinks? Living above the 20 floors is a chore. The location is rather blah, i lived there, never again without better transit to streeterville. And the design is played out, i mean how many greazy streaked glass walls can we take? And frankly a supertall office function is one thing, residences dont count for bragging rights about demand. Sorry for typos, angrily typing on phone.

[Zapatan]

I agree with the article, this proposal is 'meh' and for many of the reasons they stated, but they could have used a better quality image of the proposal on their site.

Yea, it could be a little cooler, but I still like it.

Is this even a real proposal though? I'm taking it with a grain of salt in any case.

[thewaterman11]

The tower itself is fine in and of itself, regardless of the similarity to other marquee towers in other cities. It's an ostensibly good design with some interesting subtleties.

But consider its neighbor and complement, McCormick's ego boost, the Tribune Tower. Love or hate the gothicism, it took a stand. Moreover, the competition surrounding its design fleshed out the vanguard of the architecture world, inspired future generations so strongly that the Biennial dedicated a fantastic exhibition last year to the competition's influence. http://chicagoarchitecturebiennial.o...th-revisiting/
Does anyone feel the same energy towards the design process or the final design of this tower? Will kids doodle this design in the same fashion that I drew the Sears Tower and JHC as a kid? I doubt it. It's too safe, reflective of the times rather than pushing forward.

[Kumdogmillionaire]

I've refrained from commenting for now, but I can't bite my tongue any longer. What I see here is all I needed to see to disregard the opinions of many people in the future and save my breath. From what I can see, many of you are quite literally impossible to please. This building is tall, elegant, uses good materials, doesn't try to outshine or use obnoxious mimicry in relation to the Tribune tower(something I know you would complain about if it had done this, despite many of you being mad it didn't do this exact thing), and has an amazing base.

If you can find a reason to shit on this building and call it meh, you will hate everything that gets built in this city. If the Sears Tower had not been built half a century ago and was getting built today you would all call it monolithic(in a bad way), boring and disrespectful. Enjoy being saddened by every proposal for the remainder of your lives, because it will not get better than this in Chicago.

I for one think that while it isn't quite perfect(there are admittedly a few tweaks to be made and still can be), it is still a stunner and should be applauded. I could keep ranting, but I'll keep it to this

[Kumdogmillionaire]

Originally Posted by r18tdi

OPINION
A whole lot of 'meh': Proposed Tribune tower
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/artic...cago-critiqued

ooph.

This article is literal garbage and should be put in the internet shredder lol

Kind of embarrassing the writer took time to type this out, read it, and go, "yeah I want to put my name on this jumbled mess of illogical contridictions". Oof indeed