[blackc5]

I will add to this periodically as they work their way up. I am a buyer at Olive 8, so will be keeping a close eye on their progress :)

[James Bond Agent 007]

It's gettin' there!

[SEA-TOWN]

Can't wait for it to come above ground

[blackc5]

Drove past today and there were at least 8-10 cement trucks circling the block waiting for their turn for the mat pour. Three concrete boom pumps in operation.

[mSeattle]

They're working on getting the core started now.

[blackc5]

Very nice.

BTW, I posted this on SSC a few days ago (it seems Seattleites have pretty much abandoned this site):

Olive 8's new webcam is available from their site Olive8.com (http://www.olive8.com). Bottom right corner once the intro loads - it is available to everyone.

[Seattle FTW]

thanks for the update black

cant wait to get in there...

[mSeattle]

That was fun watching the the crane move and traffic go by.

[WonderlandPark]

Will this be taller than the ATT (or whatever it is called now) next door?

[seaskyfan]

According to the main SkyscraperPage the Qwest Building is 142 meters and Olive 8 will be 140.2 meters.

I had no idea they were that close.

[WonderlandPark]

wow, almost the same. thx.

[Seattle FTW]

According to the main SkyscraperPage the Qwest Building is 142 meters and Olive 8 will be 140.2 meters.

I had no idea they were that close.


and 18 feet apart. one of the units in 08 looks right into the qwest building

[benzz]

and 18 feet apart. one of the units in 08 looks right into the qwest building

Are the two buildings offset at all? I'd imagine more than one unit looks directly into the Qwest building if not....

[mhays]

Yes, by 50' I'm guessing.

[zilfondel]

Q about those cranes - what's the difference between the "T" shaped ones and the "Y" shaped one (that they are using on this project)? One fits into tighter sites or something?

I never saw any "T" shaped ones in London, only the "Y" shaped ones.

thanks...

[Hoodrat]

The "Y" shaped ones are called luffing cranes...they're used in high density areas to keep thier loads (and the cranes themselves) from smacking into neighboing buildings. I can only speculate that it must cost more to use them rather than the "T" shaped ones, because the overwhelming commonplace of the latter.

[destroybananas]

Finally something will cover up that mistake of a building.

[Complex01]

I know this is not the same project thats going on at 8th and pine. I saw the rendering on emporis for it and it looks awesome. I just saw 8 and got confused for a lil while.

Yeah i would think that a lot of the uints would look directly into the Qwest building. Hmm all those people in the quest building are going to lose their view soon enough.

[MrVandelay]

Condo phase causes a split
By Amy Martinez
Seattle Times business reporter

The developer of Seattle's tallest residential tower and its general contractor are parting ways.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003543618_condo27.html

Developer R.C. Hedreen Co. and Skanska USA Building said Friday they were unable to come to terms on a "proposed contract revision" for the second phase of construction at Olive 8, a 39-story hotel and condominium project set to rise downtown.

The first phase, which includes construction of an underground parking garage, began in March 2006 and is still expected to be completed by Skanska in March.

But in an unusual move, both companies said they have no plans to work together on the second phase.

Skanska Senior Vice President Bruce Holms, who has been supervising construction at Olive 8, described their disagreement as "philosophical. We decided it would probably be best for both parties just to move on." David Thyer, president of R.C. Hedreen, said he is close to naming a new general contractor and promised no delays in the construction schedule. Olive 8 is scheduled to open by the end of 2008 at Olive Way and Eighth Avenue with 231 condos and a 346-room Hyatt hotel.

Thyer downplayed the possibility of any fallout from the upcoming change in general contractor, saying neither the Hyatt hotel company nor R.C. Hedreen's lenders is concerned.

More than 175 condos at Olive 8 have been sold at prices ranging from $400,000 to $2.5 million.

"This is simply a change in the entity that oversees construction," Thyer said. "There will be no visible signs of change."

Matthew Gardner, a Seattle real-estate economist, said the change could cause some potential buyers to look at other residential towers under construction downtown. But, Gardner added, if construction stays on schedule, "I really think there will be little to no fallout."

Holms also downplayed the possibility of any fallout for Skanska. "No one's going to be laid off," he said. "And we have other projects we will be pursuing."

[Seasun]

I just read a similar article in the P-I. What a pain/mess to change contractors mid-project. It'll be interesting to see who the new contractor is. I wonder if many of the same subcontractors will stay on the project. They certainly have an expensive luffer crane on the project which is just one more reason to keep construction moving.

[northface]

looked good when i drove by yesterday...looked like all the polastic was coming off the windows of the cosmo as well.