PHILADELPHIA | The Alexander | 370 FT | 32 FLOORS

[summersm343]

Originally Posted by goldcntry

Any idea when this thread will move from "Highrise & Supertall Proposals" into the actual highrise category?

Once foundation work/caisson installation starts. Looks like they are still excavating. There is a lot of rock on this site that they need to break up before starting foundation work.

[hammersklavier]

Drilling rock isn't easy ... or cheap.

Just out of curiosity, does anybody know what kind of rock they're jackhammering their way through? It doesn't look as hard as the rocks in the Wissahickon.

[PhilliesPhan]

From yesterday's beautiful afternoon. Sorry about the camera quality! I snapped these on my iPhone 5s.

[jsbrook]

I would have thought the temple granite cladding would be more of a real white based on the render. Seems to be coming out off-white, more towards grey. Still looks classy and good, though. Nice progress on the hole! Dig baby, dig.

[apetrella802]

Originally Posted by hammersklavier

Drilling rock isn't easy ... or cheap.

Just out of curiosity, does anybody know what kind of rock they're jackhammering their way through? It doesn't look as hard as the rocks in the Wissahickon.

the rock under CC is granite(500,000,000 yrs old bedrock) and in the Wissahickon is Schist. google them for the difference.

[Jawnadelphia]

Good morning - from this steamy Saturday morning...

[IMG]Untitled by screennameLLC, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]Untitled by screennameLLC, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]Untitled by screennameLLC, on Flickr[/IMG]

[summersm343]

[Justin7]

Dear Mormons,

Financing the capping of the two sections of expressway in front of your new properties would both increase the value of your residential units and greatly enhance the presence of your temple.

[boxbot]

Originally Posted by Justin7

Dear Mormons,

Financing the capping of the two sections of expressway in front of your new properties would both increase the value of your residential units and greatly enhance the presence of your temple.

You know what they say: Mormony, more problems.

[jsbrook]

Originally Posted by Justin7

Dear Mormons,

Financing the capping of the two sections of expressway in front of your new properties would both increase the value of your residential units and greatly enhance the presence of your temple.

Lol. Was just thinking how great it would be to cap these 2 sections.

[hammersklavier]

Originally Posted by apetrella802

the rock under CC is granite(500,000,000 yrs old bedrock) and in the Wissahickon is Schist. google them for the difference.

Idk. I know that the crystalline Appalachian rock* is the basement but this part of the city is in the coastal plain which should mean that the basement is buried beneath lithified floodplain sediments (unlike the Wissahickon Gorge, which is in Piedmont proper).

[apetrella802]

if you go to page #5 in the ppt presentation below there is a map showing a geologic map of PA and Philadelphia is highlighted. It you blow the page up it look like the CC area has Lower Paleozoic and/or Precambrian rocks including granite. I'm a little red/green color blind so I might have not matched them up just right.



http://www.awra-pmas.memberlodge.org...on_9-10-14.pdf

[philatonian]

Originally Posted by Justin7

Dear Mormons,

Financing the capping of the two sections of expressway in front of your new properties would both increase the value of your residential units and greatly enhance the presence of your temple.

If anyone has the money to spend on something like that it's the LDS Church. I still think as more and more high profile projects find themselves along Vine Street, the less apparent the expressway will be.

[iheartphilly]

I don't think the Mormens will advocate capping the expressway where the temple is located. They like the visibility located there as the motorist drive by it. Think of the Mormen Temple as you enter Virginia on the Beltway.

On the other, in front of their residential tower, that should make more sense to them in terms of less noise pollution, eyesore of the expressway and the potential to increase the appeal of the tower and townhome owners.

[1487]

THis is a huge site with a ton of sub grade work. Hopefully we can get a crane here by the fall.

[apetrella802]

I'll probably have rotten tomatoes thrown at me BUT I think the limited capping that exits today is just fine. There is easy pedestrian access across the sunken expressway at every block. AND the perception of the layers of urban activity is exciting(to me).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7dyyb0QZYE

[Guipos08]

[Guipos08]

I know capping the whole expressway seems unlikely if not impossiple right now, but if they could just cap from 16th to 21st would make a world of difference.

[1487]

Originally Posted by Guipos08

I know capping the whole expressway seems unlikely if not impossiple right now, but if they could just cap from 16th to 21st would make a world of difference.

I'm not exactly sure what people think will go on this cap. More parkland? It would look nice if well maintained but if it wasn't maintained it becomes another area that will collect trash and become hangout for the homeless. I think dressing up the crossings with better landscaping and some sound barrier walls would be cheaper and still make a positive impact.

[MikeNigh]

Originally Posted by 1487

I'm not exactly sure what people think will go on this cap. More parkland? It would look nice if well maintained but if it wasn't maintained it becomes another area that will collect trash and become hangout for the homeless. I think dressing up the crossings with better landscaping and some sound barrier walls would be cheaper and still make a positive impact.

Definitely it is hard to make parks work when there are a ton of breaks for roads. I wonder if it would be possible to actually cap them and put another road on top and kill the two roads on each side and have parks go up to this new center road from each side. This way there is a park for each side and you don't have to cross a road to get to it.