[ramvid01]

I've heard people say that about Trump, but frankly, I don't understand that argument. In fact, I understand that Trump was also supposed to be steel, but they switched simply because the price of steel went up beyond their projections. However, I am certainly not an authority on high-rise engineering, so any corrections are welcome.

There is usually an equation that you have to balance between the price of steel and the added labor / time required to erect a concrete frame.

If Waterview were to be a steel frame, it almost certainly still would have had a composite deck and concrete core for lateral stability, just as the current proposal has. But I think it would have been perfectly possible in steel. There may have been bracing in undesirable places, however, or large members associated with moment frames.

Sam, the proposal I am referring to was the 80-story that was planned on Monroe just off Michigan.

The idea is, the taller you build the more space you must devote to structural components. You also need to make the building wider for a tower of that height, so they used concrete which requires less space, and can produce a thinner building at that same height.

[honte]

^ What concrete members would "require less space"? You can typically get thinner floorplates, but otherwise, concrete members are much larger and spans are tighter than steel.

[Steely Dan]

I've heard people say that about Trump, but frankly, I don't understand that argument. In fact, I understand that Trump was also supposed to be steel, but they switched simply because the price of steel went up beyond their projections. However, I am certainly not an authority on high-rise engineering, so any corrections are welcome.


it was a couple of years ago at a lecture adrian smith gave at the AIC about trump tower and other super-talls he's worked on (jin mao, burj dubai). he said that they went with concrete instead of steel on trump because the tower was so narrow that it would sway to much for residents' comfort if they went with steel. apparently the inherent weight/mass of a concrete structure better resists wind sway in narrow suppertalls, thus negating the cost of an expansive tuned mass dampering system to counteract the building sway that would have occured had they gone with a steel structure.

as for waterview, it's even skinnier than trump. i'm sure that they could have done this with steel, but it probably would have meant an expensive tuned mass damper at the top of the structure. in fact, waterview is SO narrow that i'm surprised it won't need one even with the concrete structure they're employing.

[honte]

^ Thanks Steely. That makes a lot more sense to me, as opposed to saying "it isn't possible."

There are other ways to brace a concrete building too, such as increasing the number of shear walls or even using diagonal bracing similar to steel braced frames. I've been seeing a surprising number of concrete trusses in Chicago lately - usually a no-no due to tension in the members.

[Steely Dan]

I've been seeing a surprising number of concrete trusses in Chicago lately - usually a no-no due to tension in the members.

yeah, but they shove so much steel rebar into those things that simply calling them "concrete trusses" doesn't exactly tell the whole story.

[honte]

^ Yes, of course. You can't rely on the concrete at all in tension. But it's still a fundamentally RC system.

OK, back to Waterview. Thanks for the slight detour.

[ardecila]

Waterview is an interesting bird though...

I'm probably just making this up, but it seems to me that Waterview is the tallest building ever built with a party wall on a side. Most if not all supertalls up to this point have taken up their own block or had an alley or plaza around them. Waterview uniquely shares a wall with the LaSalle-Wacker Bldg. next door. Negating sway, I imagine, is a huge concern given the age of LaSalle-Wacker.

[Busy Bee]

^That's an interesting thought. Do we have a way of finding this out for sure?

[chi-arch]

Party wall? Huh?

[ardecila]

A party wall, architecturally speaking, is a shared wall between two buildings. It is quite common in older skyscrapers, and it is a fact of life in NYC. Usually, each building will create their own wall of common brick, creating a wall that is two bricks thick. Although this tradition persists in some shorter skyscrapers like Legacy and Heritage, Waterview is an uncommonly tall example.

Wikipedia Party Wall (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_wall)

[honte]

Typically, the technical definition of a party wall is a shared wall using the same foundation. This would be the case, for example, with the Gage Group in downtown Chicago - hence the huge settlement on the northernmost building, where they screwed up a bit. This building will come up (nearly) to the neighboring building, but I don't think it technically will qualify as a party wall. It should have its own outside envelope on that side, and certainly will be self-supporting.

I think they'd be crazy not to allow a few inches there for lateral movement. That would address the concerns you bring up, which are good ones.

[chi-arch]

A party wall, architecturally speaking, is a shared wall between two buildings. It is quite common in older skyscrapers, and it is a fact of life in NYC. Usually, each building will create their own wall of common brick, creating a wall that is two bricks thick. Although this tradition persists in some shorter skyscrapers like Legacy and Heritage, Waterview is an uncommonly tall example.

Wikipedia Party Wall (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_wall)


Yeah, I know what a party wall is. The West wall is not a party wall. It has it's own foundation and has nothing else in common with it's neighbor other than proximity. I don't call that a party wall.

[Nowhereman1280]

I don't think this will really affect whether or not Waterview will be built, but Fremont looks like its going under:

"In other corporate news, Fremont General Corp. said it is planning to sell its residential real estate business and about $2.9 billion in subprime residential mortgages at a loss. The moves will effectively shut down the company, which rose $1.73, or 25 percent, to $8.78."

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070416/wall_street.html?.v=24

[chi-arch]

^^ That's why smart developers try not to divulge who they are negotiating their financing with. This is not the best news to hear unfortunately. Doesn't mean Fremont is out, but this is a pretty big distraction for Fremont and Teng.

[kalmia]

Typically, the technical definition of a party wall is a shared wall using the same foundation. This would be the case, for example, with the Gage Group in downtown Chicago - hence the huge settlement on the northernmost building, where they screwed up a bit. This building will come up (nearly) to the neighboring building, but I don't think it technically will qualify as a party wall. It should have its own outside envelope on that side, and certainly will be self-supporting.

I think they'd be crazy not to allow a few inches there for lateral movement. That would address the concerns you bring up, which are good ones.

If you look at many of the newer buildings that have abutting walls, you will likely see a control joint where it appears to be caulked.

Look at where façades are next to each other at Heritage at Millennium Park; You will see what I mean.

[kalmia]

What makes you think that? A recent proposal for Chicago that was scuttled was 11.5:1 slenderness and all steel. It had composite columns in some places, but otherwise, nothing too unusual related to the height of the structure.

Ok - sorry, not to get off-topic but you've really picqued my curiosity: what proposal was that??

7 South Dearborn ???

[Mojava]

I wouldnt worry about Fremont. From a different story...
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070416/fremont_general_sale.html?.v=1

If Fremont General succeeds in the sale, the company's commercial real estate business would remain. That segment, which as recently as last month Fremont General said was profitable, lends money to developers to build or renovate condominiums, hotels and retail outlets. The segment's $6.42 billion commercial loan portfolio has its highest concentrations in California, New York and Florida.

[ardecila]

Visually, the west wall seems to be a party wall. I haven't seen anything to the contrary, but I'll admit that it's unlikely given current construction practices.

That still doesn't change the fact that the two buildings will move in different ways in VERY close proximity. Hopefully the Waterview team has anticipated this.

[TowerGuy37]

saw three cement trucks today on-site all POURING at the same time! by gosh i think they are finally making some noticeable progress!!!! YEAH!!!!!!!! Wow, i never thought trump would be up to about the 35th or 40th floor before this one started to rise!

[DePaul Bunyan]

saw three cement trucks today on-site all POURING at the same time! by gosh i think they are finally making some noticeable progress!!!! YEAH!!!!!!!! Wow, i never thought trump would be up to about the 35th or 40th floor before this one started to rise!

Great news. I would expect this one to start rising soon and at a fairly decent clip. Anyone want to take bets on which floor they'll be on when they finally secure financing?

[Alliance]

saw three cement trucks today on-site all POURING at the same time! by gosh i think they are finally making some noticeable progress!!!! YEAH!!!!!!!! Wow, i never thought trump would be up to about the 35th or 40th floor before this one started to rise!

:cool:

[twomutts]

Yeah, the crane's been busy; I keep seeing it moving cement around pretty much all week long, but haven't had a chance to look and see where they're pouring at this point. Sigh, it would be nice to have an office that has a window, instead of having to wait for one of the exterior facing offices to open up... :)

[honte]

This is an excerpt from the E-mail Newsletter... I'm sure most of you already received it, but I'll post anyway, in case not.

______________

Construction Update

* The deep foundation work including 18 rock and 14 bell caissons is completed. (5,000 cubic yards of concrete and 150 tons of rebar )

* Earth retention systems (sheeting) were installed around the building’s structural core and along Haddock, Clark and Wacker Streets

* A foundation mat, which included nearly 1,800 cubic yards (282 truck loads) of concrete and 400 tons of reinforcing steel, was poured within in single pour lasting 10 hours

* The tower crane was installed and is now the primary means of material hoisting on the site

* The Building's 4 lower levels of the building's elevator and structural core was completed

* The perimeter excavation 4 stories (Apx. 55 feet) below grade for the underground parking & ballrooms is nearly complete

* Approximately 40,000 cubic yards (4,500 truck loads) of Chicago clay has been removed from the site

* Four layers of temporary bracing (230 tons of steel) from the core walls to the perimeter retention system is installed. Temporary bracing is required to prevent Wacker Drive, Clark Street, Haddock Street and the 121 West Wacker Building from sliding into the site

* Construction will begin next week on the hotel’s ballrooms, kitchens, cafeteria, staff locker rooms under-ground valet garage, and numerous other support areas: all required to provide you with Shangri-La’s 5-Star services

[LoyolaBeachView]

Hell yeah!

[Norsider]

* Approximately 40,000 cubic yards (4,500 truck loads) of Chicago clay has been removed from the site



What do they do with all that clay?

[bnk]

What do they do with all that clay?

I would like that fill to be used to create a few more Burnham Islands.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/bb/ChicagoPlan.jpg/800px-ChicagoPlan.jpg

[honte]

What do they do with all that clay?

Very good question. I'd like to know too - maybe it can be used for some kind of building material production?

[Busy Bee]

I would like that fill to be used to create a few more Burnham Islands.

Me too! The City of Chicago needs to take a look at what they're doing in Dubai with the palm islands and the mini-globe, and realize that it wouldn't/shouldn't be that hard to complete Burnham's island and peninsula plan (including McCormick to Jackson Park reef islands).

Shall we say just in time for the Olympics???http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/images/smilies/fingerscrossed.gif

[Alliance]

I find the Palm islands cheesy. Lets try to imitate Dubai.

[Mister Uptempo]

Very good question. I'd like to know too - maybe it can be used for some kind of building material production?

I've wondered for a while if there are brick foundries in the area that still produce the classic Chicago common brick. All that clay would certainly come in handy.

The recycling and reuse of Chicago common brick is an industry unto itself.

Would really love to see some of the residential and mixed use projects that are planned for the neighborhoods and suburbs use this signature material.

[ardecila]

How is it an imitation of Dubai if we build a set of islands that were originally planned 98 years ago, back when Dubai was a couple of huts around a well?

I'm all for building more of Burnham's islands (especially the ones in South Shore) but the financial costs for that would be unbelievable without some sort of new land they could sell for development. The ones in South Shore are 3 islands, each about the size of a block. That MIGHT be doable, with community support (which is lacking) and aggressive fundraising.

But if possible, a mirror of Northerly Island (just north of Randolph) would be amazing, as well as the curved breakwater connecting them, which would allow for the removal of the current Monroe Harbor breakwater.

[chi-arch]

^^ot^^

[SolarWind]

April 20, 2007

http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/5277/dsc0184copywd8.jpg

http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/5128/dsc0170hs2.jpg

http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/7476/dsc0206ip3.jpg

http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/6772/dsc0187copyoo3.jpg

[BVictor1]

Very good question. I'd like to know too - maybe it can be used for some kind of building material production?

I think that a lot of times, the clay is actually taken to landfills and used as a cap to help keep the gases from escaping. Because water can't really penetrate it, it's a good cover. It would be nice if there were a brickmaking plant in the immediate area that it could be taken to. I'd like to see new Chicago Common Brick produced, or even if it were taken to make tiles for the bathrooms and kitchens. That would really be cool.

Looks like they've totally bottomed out. i can't tell what the northeast corner of the site looks like from the images. If anything, there's very little left to excavate.

[tennis1400]

Does anyone know the depth of Lake Michigan close to the shore. I think the island idea would be great for a potential casino!

[Via Chicago]

Does anyone know the depth of Lake Michigan close to the shore. I think the island idea would be great for a potential casino!

the day a casino comes to chicago is the day pigs fly.

[Nowhereman1280]

Does anyone know the depth of Lake Michigan close to the shore. I think the island idea would be great for a potential casino!

Eww, casino in Chicago, gross...

How about great for an entertainment venue of some sorts. Put an amphitheater in the mirror spot of where the Planetarium is on northerly island! That would be a great venue. Chicago should keep improving and, if possible, expanding its already great lakefront, its our greatest asset as shown by its role in our Olympic pick!

[jcchii]

I'm glad the 121 west wacker building hasn't "slid into the site"

[LoyolaBeachView]

[QUOTE=Nowhereman1280;2785418]Eww, casino in Chicago, gross...

Totally gross.

[bnk]

Does anyone know the depth of Lake Michigan close to the shore.

Shallow, so therefore definitely doable.

http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/greatlakes/lakemich_cdrom/images/area4lo.gif


http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/greatlakes/lakemich_cdrom/html/geomorph.htm#chip

[urban_encounter]

One of the reasons the USOC was sold on Chicago, was because of the city's beautiful lakefront and miles of lakefront parks, marinas and beaches.

The idea of filling in or creating man made islands into lake Michigan, altering or scaring the lakefront is a bad idea. Tha'ts not even taking into account the environmental considerations that could negatively impact lake Michigan itself.

Now if you want to consider amphitheaters or other amenities along the existing lakefront, proposals could be looked on their individual merits to see if they compliment the exisisting waterfront.

(For the record a casino wouldn't). :yuck:



On a side note (and on to get back on topic)

Thanks for the wonderful update pictures SolarWind...

WT is progressing nicely.. :)

[jjk1103]

......if that excavation is for a parking garage, it looks very small....it looks like it will only accmodate a very limited number of cars.

[schwerve]

The idea of filling in or creating man made islands into lake Michigan, altering or scaring the lakefront is a bad idea. Tha'ts not even taking into account the environmental considerations that could negatively impact lake Michigan itself.

its not like the lakefront is some piece of natural beauty. While beautiful, nearly the entire thing was man made. another man made island is not going to destroy the integrity of anything.

[BVictor1]

......if that excavation is for a parking garage, it looks very small....it looks like it will only accmodate a very limited number of cars.

Will, there will be a limited number of underground parking spaces. The majority of the parking will be on floors 2-12

[bnk]

its not like the lakefront is some piece of natural beauty. While beautiful, nearly the entire thing was man made. another man made island is not going to destroy the integrity of anything.

Burnham would agree with you.

Northerly Island, owned by the Chicago Park District, is the first and only lakefront structure to be built based on Daniel Burnham's 1909 Plan of Chicago. In the image, Northerly Island forms the southern border of Chicago Harbor (now Monroe Harbor). As indicated by the color green on the original plan, the island was to be populated by trees and grass for the public enjoyment by all.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Burnham_1909_chicago_plan.jpg

[DUBAI2015]

Pretty soon this great tower will start adding floorplates. :D

[ardecila]

It's too bad that nobody bothered to construct any of those new diagonal streets in Burnham's plan. They would have created great crosstown routes for cars, buses, or possibly subways.

[BVictor1]

If we are going to talk about the Burnham Plan, lets create a new thread please! Time to get back on the topic of Waterview Tower.

[chi-arch]

Yes. Thank you.

[BVictor1]

A few shots from April 24th

https://extranet.emporis.com/files/transfer/6/2007/04/530782.jpg

https://extranet.emporis.com/files/transfer/6/2007/04/530789.jpg

[Alliance]

Excellent. Looks like we'll be seeing some action this summer.

[chi-arch]

Keep pumping that concrete!! Thanks Vic

[SolarWind]

May 1, 2007

http://img452.imageshack.us/img452/736/dsc0015copyju6.jpg

[BVictor1]

May 1, 2007

http://img452.imageshack.us/img452/736/dsc0015copyju6.jpg

1 row less of raker beams... movin' on up

[djvandrake]

Wow is it great to see concrete in the bottom of that hole. Won't be long before they reach Wacker and points higher!

[bnk]

May 1, 2007

http://img452.imageshack.us/img452/736/dsc0015copyju6.jpg

I know this is a tight spot but the tower crane appears to not have an extendable/adjustible counter balance. How does this crane counter balance loads on the main boom?

[BVictor1]

I know this is a tight spot but the tower crane appears to not have an extendable/adjustible counter balance. How does this crane counter balance loads on the main boom?


It does have a counter balance. Look at the cab where the operator site, then look to the back of that part of the crane and you can see it.

[chi-arch]

Yes, the counterbalance is there, plus it's a tight radius crane with limited reach and doesn't require as much counterbalance. No problem. Time to get up and out of this hole!!

[kalmia]

Dumping the clay into the lake could reduce the excavation costs, and the city could pretty much get free islands. We know there is more fill from holes like these in the future. I don't think unpolluted clay (assuming it is) would be any environmental problem.

I don't think there are any brickyards in the area anymore. There was one in Munster, Indiana that was shut down many years ago for environmental reasons. The site was then turned into a landfill. It has been in the process of shutting down for years now. When the Museum of Science and Industry put in its underground garage, it sent the extra fill to Munster to cover the landfill.

One thing about Chicago commons is they aren't fired hard enough for modern mortar, and often times bricklayers will use modern mortar recipes that causes the faces of the bricks to spall. There are some newly manufactured bricks that are hardfired that are supposed to resemble Chicago commons. I think one is called Old Chicago.

The old used ones can be more expensive than new bricks. At one time they could be taken from demo sites for free, but now that a lot of people want them, demo companies pack them up and sell them.

[SolarWind]

May 3, 2007

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/1701/dsc0019tn2.jpg

[aaron38]

Woo... That just popped up out of nowhere. They look like they're about ready for this project to liftoff.

[djvandrake]

Allright! That's the kind of progress we like to see. :cheers:

Thanks for all your great pictures Solarwind.

[APPRAISER]

Hey guys, I went pass the site today and it looks like they have a new billboard. It says that the building is 90 floors?

[Alliance]

liftoff.

:cool:

[chi-arch]

Hey guys, I went pass the site today and it looks like they have a new billboard. It says that the building is 90 floors?

Maybe 'cause it is.

[APPRAISER]

Maybe 'cause it is.


Really? Then why does it say 89 floors here.

[Alliance]

Its only one floor different...it may be a technical level...it may be a rounding issue...If its was 89 vs 95...we'd have more of an issue...but its 89 vs 90. I'm sure it will be resolved.

[budman]

Its only one floor different...it may be a technical level...it may be a rounding issue...If its was 89 vs 95...we'd have more of an issue...but its 89 vs 90. I'm sure it will be resolved.
^Top two floors are mechanical, plus they skip the 13th floor in the hotel because of superstition. So both answers are correct. The top residential floor is 88, but it is the 87th floor technically. Adding two mechanical floors to 88 gives you 90, but taking into account the fact that the 13th floor is skipped, the top floor is technically the 89th floor.

[APPRAISER]

^Top two floors are mechanical, plus they skip the 13th floor in the hotel because of superstition. So both answers are correct. The top residential floor is 88, but it is the 87th floor technically. Adding two mechanical floors to 88 gives you 90, but taking into account the fact that the 13th floor is skipped, the top floor is technically the 89th floor.


Got it!! Alright, thanks!

[Steely Dan]

here's a shot from the marina city roof deck.

http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/2865/lasallewackerrc9.jpg

[aaron38]

They were laying rebar for the next floor:
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r86/aaron38/Chicago%205-7-07/Waterview2.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r86/aaron38/Chicago%205-7-07/Waterview4.jpg


It doesn't come out in the pictures, but the floor on the east side slopes down an entire story towards the river. That's parking ramp I assume?
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r86/aaron38/Chicago%205-7-07/Waterview3.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r86/aaron38/Chicago%205-7-07/Waterview1.jpg

[ltsmotorsport]

I'm sooo jealous of you place, steely.

[kenratboy]

I still cannot believe a 1000' building is being built on that lot - I love it!

[kalmia]

They were laying rebar for the next floor:
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r86/aaron38/Chicago%205-7-07/Waterview2.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r86/aaron38/Chicago%205-7-07/Waterview4.jpg

...

^^^ They are using green epoxy-coated rebar there on the floor. Will that be done just on the basement levels or on all garage levels because of the salt?

[trvlr70]

here's a shot from the marina city roof deck.

http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/2865/lasallewackerrc9.jpg

This is going to be such the money shot.

[SportsWorld]

here's a shot from the marina city roof deck.

http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/2865/lasallewackerrc9.jpg

How much taller will WV be than that building approximately?

[Steely Dan]

^ well, the very tip of the lasalle-wacker building's mast is 512', so waterview tower, at 1,047', would be a little over twice as tall.

[chi-arch]

Steely is correct and they stand next to each other about like so:

http://images.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2004-05/12599190.jpg

This was before a few more floors were added.

[TowerGuy37]

I am not poking or making little of how long this project has taken to get out of the ground but does anyone in the forum know if any other building built in chicago (i.e. Sears Tower, Trump or Hancock) or anything else perhaps taken this long to get vertical? Even trump including the demolition of the sun times and the excavation down in the river didn't seem to take this long!

[ardecila]

This is also perhaps the most cramped site on which a supertall has ever been built. Be patient, everybody.

It's not gonna skyrocket once it gets vertical, either, but once some of the lower spaces are complete, maybe the construction crews can store materials and offices in there. This would ease site congestion, and allow materials to be raised to the top from the alley. Currently, the construction offices are on stilts above the alley, so that impairs lifting through the airspace above.

[Chitown]

It's not gonna skyrocket once it gets vertical, either, but once some of the lower spaces are complete, maybe the construction crews can store materials and offices in there. This would ease site congestion, and allow materials to be raised to the top from the alley.
I'm thinking that this will seem to rise quickly, just because we're so used to slow visible progress.

[JMininger]

I don't know ... the floorplates will be relatively small. It may go up faster than you think once it gets above the first couple of floors from ground level. If you look at the Murano in Philadelphia, another poured concrete building with small floorplates, you'll see the same thing ... that building seems to be adding a floor every 4 days or so starting from about the second or third floor above ground.

[Chitown]

LOL, if that's the case here, it'll end up that this thing was in excavation for about half of the schedule.

[Jaroslaw]

I don't remember it ever being cleared up if Shangri-La was putting money into this project... here is something from the HK Standard that suggests it isn't...

Shangri-La in first US hotel investment

Kelvin Wong

Friday, May 11, 2007

Shangri-La Asia (0069), the region's biggest luxury hotel operator, has agreed to invest for the first time in the US hotel market, committing to a project on New York's Park Avenue.

The company will manage and take a 26 percent stake in the 206-room hotel to be named Shangri-La, New York, Elizabeth Demotte, a spokeswoman for the Hong Kong-based company, said in an interview Thursday. The hotel, scheduled to open in 2010, will cost between US$500 million (HK$3.9 billion) and US$550 million to build including buying the land, she said.

Shangri-La, controlled by Robert Kuok Hock-nien, is expanding beyond its home market in Asia into North America, where it manages five hotels, and Europe.

US business travel will grow about 1 to 2 percent in 2007, according to the Travel Industry Association.

"Having a presence in a first-tier city in the West is important," said Ken Yeung, a Hong Kong-based analyst at BOCI Securities. "Right now they may not be too familiar with the market there, but I'd expect them to take a bigger share in projects in Europe and North America in the future."

The project will be financed by shareholder equity and debt, Demotte said. RFR Holding, a New York-based investment company and a client of ING Clarion Partners that was not identified, are the other investors in the project, according to a press release.

Shangri-La manages hotels in Chicago, Miami, Toronto, Vancouver and Las Vegas. Worldwide, Shangri- La has stakes in 37 hotels with 19,385 rooms, the company said.

Shares of Shangri-La rose 3.2 percent to end Thursday at HK$21. The stock has gained 4.7 percent this year, compared with a 3.9 percent increase in the benchmark Hang Seng Index.

The group, which manages 50 hotels, said in March that 2006 profit climbed to US$202.2 million from US$151 million a year earlier, mainly because occupancy rates improved and it charged more for rooms.

BLOOMBERG

[Wild Onion Mike]

Will there be a visible clearance between the LaSalle/Wacker building and Waterview Tower. I'm just wondering if the eastern exposed windows on the LaSalle building will be bricked-in or left open. I guess it depends on the amount of clearance, but it does not look like there will be much. Anybody have a clue?

[chi-arch]

When this project broke ground, the schedule was for completion in 2009. That schedule is still accurate as far as I am concerned and all appears to be going as planned even though it seems slow. I'm as anxious as everyone to see this get up and out of the hole which should be soon.

[GregBear24]

Is it possible that the developer may not be in a hurry since demand and prices continue to rise? Maybe it was just planned like this, but it seems like a decent possibility to me.

[Dralcoffin]

Well, how many floors are below ground, which floor are they at (if any) and how long does each sub-terranean floor take to complete? I'd expect this building to reach Upper Wacker sometime this summer, or at least I hope so.

Also, in the pictures what is the purpose of all those brown pipes going into the core?

Thanks for answering this hopefully soon-to-be Chicagoan's questions.

[chi-arch]

Is it possible that the developer may not be in a hurry since demand and prices continue to rise? Maybe it was just planned like this, but it seems like a decent possibility to me.

No.

[Nowhereman1280]

Also, in the pictures what is the purpose of all those brown pipes going into the core?

Thanks for answering this hopefully soon-to-be Chicagoan's questions.

The brown pipes are temporary reinforcement for the walls, we don't want the roads and the neighboring building sliding into the pit now do we?

They are called raker beams or something like that, you see them at a lot of sites with narrow pits and nearby structures. The Elysian and 300 Lasalle are other current examples...

[MrLakepoint]

Will there be a visible clearance between the LaSalle/Wacker building and Waterview Tower. I'm just wondering if the eastern exposed windows on the LaSalle building will be bricked-in or left open. I guess it depends on the amount of clearance, but it does not look like there will be much. Anybody have a clue?

Here is a better rendition for

[MrLakepoint]

Let me try this again!

Here is a better rendition

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=128596

It is halfway down the page, it will show the "WV" over the RR Donelly building

[BVictor1]

Few updated shots.

Working on Lower Level 3 on the west side of the core - 2007-5-17
https://extranet.emporis.com/files/transfer/6/2007/05/535126.jpg

View from the 10th floor of the Transportation Building - 2007-5-17
https://extranet.emporis.com/files/transfer/6/2007/05/535130.jpg

Used raker beams being trucked away - 2007-5-17

https://extranet.emporis.com/files/transfer/6/2007/05/535135.jpg

[banned]

I'm confused with the first shot. There were three levels of the raker beams holding back the building and the street. They poured the floor of the lowest level and removed 2 levels of the beams. I don't see any walls holding up the building, so is the floor slab doing the work of the beams?

[Nowhereman1280]

I believe there were actually 4 levels of beams at first and that the entire lowest floor has been poured (or set up to be poured), leaving 3 levels on the right side of the picture. Apparently they have removed the next two rows on the left side so they have enough space to begin putting of the next level of forms. That is what you are seeing on the first picture, the left side. If you look you can see the rebar along the edge of the foundation would probably be high enough that both of the two layers of beams they removed would be in the way.

[FastFerrari82]

boy o boy.....:slob:

[Chitown]

I'm confused with the first shot. There were three levels of the raker beams holding back the building and the street. They poured the floor of the lowest level and removed 2 levels of the beams. I don't see any walls holding up the building, so is the floor slab doing the work of the beams?
Look at the first picture; that rebar tells me they're pouring walls.

[honte]

I don't see any walls holding up the building, so is the floor slab doing the work of the beams?

Yeah, that's kind of the idea. The slab/beam and foundation wall system of the building begins to resist lateral earth pressure as the building rises, making the rakers unnecessary.

[Lecom]

It's an amazingly compact site. Check out the construction trailers tucked away on that narrow ledge between the building to the left and the construction pit. Not that it's necessarily a bad thing - I love skyscrapers in a very dense city context, but it must make construction more difficult than in a conventional setting.

http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/2865/lasallewackerrc9.jpg

What was on the site before by the way?

[BVictor1]

It's an amazingly compact site. Check out the construction trailers tucked away on that narrow ledge between the building to the left and the construction pit. Not that it's necessarily a bad thing - I love skyscrapers in a very dense city context, but it must make construction more difficult than in a conventional setting.

http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/2865/lasallewackerrc9.jpg

What was on the site before by the way?

It was a parking lot for 30-40 years. Before that, I believe there was an 8 story building on the site.

As for the construction trailers, they are placed on the protective scaffolding that's covering the alley.