AUSTIN | 70 Rainey | 419 FEET | 34 FLOORS | Complete

[The ATX]

I see one worker.

[the Genral]

Originally Posted by The ATX

I see one worker.

What makes you think he's actually working?

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by the Genral

What makes you think he's actually working?

I think he's just standing there. He's probably too overwhelmed about what he still needs to do to get this thing 30 more floors up in the air.

[drummer]

Originally Posted by The ATX

I think he's just standing there. He's probably too overwhelmed about what he still needs to do to get this thing 30 more floors up in the air.

[Azul]

This appears to be less of a workforce / site materials issue and more of an owner issue. There's always different avenues to obtain a workforce or to bring materials outside of the market, but sitting on your ass last this is usually the last thing an owner should do if he has the capital to keep it going. The longer construction takes the longer it takes to make back his investment and more money it costs to develop the site.

It makes me think (A) there's a financing issue or the owner can't support the GC, (B) the owner pushed the schedule too fast and there's a disconnect between the GC, Architect, and Engineering Firm on what drawings are finalized, or (C) there's a permitting / drawing review hold up at the CoA.

I don't know how long they've been sitting on their butts so I can't really tell what option is more likely.

[corvairkeith]

Slowly starting to get some height. Taken this morning.

[The ATX]

They have recently started filing permits for overnight cement pours. So maybe, just maybe they are getting serious about construction now.

[drummer]

Originally Posted by The ATX

They have recently started filing permits for overnight cement pours. So maybe, just maybe they are getting serious about construction now.

Nice to hear!

[The ATX]

This one is just starting to peek above the trees as seen from I-35.

[Geckos_Rule]

Yeah, they've been doing a lot of overnight cement pours. I get emails from my building about it all the time. This seems to have sped up quite a bit in the past couple weeks.

[the Genral]

Originally Posted by Geckos_Rule

Yeah, they've been doing a lot of overnight cement pours. I get emails from my building about it all the time. This seems to have sped up quite a bit in the past couple weeks.

Is it possible that its too hot to pour during the day?

[Azul]

Originally Posted by the Genral

Is it possible that its too hot to pour during the day?

If I were to guess I'd imagine the major reason would be concrete availability and mobilization. I don't see an on-site mixing plant so I'm assuming they're bringing in trucks at a time to deliver the concrete. That area of town is probably difficult to ensure the trucks will be available and on time given traffic and other projects in the area, so doing it at night may have that benefit.

That area during the day also would have a good deal of heat and wind coming off the river which would mean excess evaporation that you wouldn't get during night pours. With the questionable lack of skilled labor in town they may have inexperience crews doing these slab pours that can't handle high-evaporative conditions.


I'm just guessing from a management stand point, who really knows?

[Urbannizer]

Can now be seen from Congress.


70 Rainey by Darius Fontenette, on Flickr

[clubtokyo]

[the Genral]

I guess when they finish level seven, there's only 2 more to go until the tower portion starts going. Maybe construction will speed up at that point. I hate to be impatient but its taken a while to get to this point. That view is really amazing, perhaps the best in Austin. There shouldn't be anything built nearby to obstruct it, or could there be?

[drummer]

Originally Posted by the Genral

I guess when they finish level seven, there's only 2 more to go until the tower portion starts going. Maybe construction will speed up at that point. I hate to be impatient but its taken a while to get to this point. That view is really amazing, perhaps the best in Austin. There shouldn't be anything built nearby to obstruct it, or could there be?

Nothing should obstruct it unless some other things change pretty drastically. For instance, the MACC could decide to build a tower on their remaining land. I think it's currently planned for a theater or something at some point according to their master plan, so it won't be very tall if it ever happens. The power lines could also go away, freeing up their surface parking lot and giving room for a tower with a garage....but that won't happen. That said, I think the view to the west for 70 Rainey is safe.

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by clubtokyo

There may also be a 3rd point that they want to subtly make in that they do indeed have more than 2 or 3 workers lol. I do believe that is the most that I've seen on this site in a picture.

[the Genral]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

There may also be a 3rd point that they want to subtly make in that they do indeed have more than 2 or 3 workers lol. I do believe that is the most that I've seen on this site in a picture.

I counted 16 on the working floor. Still seems a bit light considering the size of the pour, but what do I know. I see they wear different colored vests like on aircraft carriers. Its easy to spot the people assigned to do all the lifting, and the 2 or 3 who supervise. That's a bunch of steel that goes into each floor that all has to be hand placed and secured, in 100 + degree heat. I have to take two H2O breaks just fetching my newspaper at the end of my 120 foot driveway...in the morning, when its only in the upper 70's. Hats off to them.

[sammyk]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

There may also be a 3rd point that they want to subtly make in that they do indeed have more than 2 or 3 workers lol. I do believe that is the most that I've seen on this site in a picture.

Now that the library is done, those two guys came over to help.

[corvairkeith]

Today,