CHICAGO | The Elysian | 686 FT / 209 M | 60 FLOORS | COM

[photoLith]

God this is worse than our train wreck in Houston Embassy Suites, at least our train wreck cant be seen in the skyline.

[Alliance]

At least the roof isnt green? It appears the same color as the arches on the render...and definitely greener than the rest of the black on the facade.

Still a disaster though. I wish I was shocked.

[wrab]

Skyline shot from the Belden Stratford in Lincoln Park - The Elysian is on the far right. Note how the Mighty Big John obliterates all skyline mediocrities within a 1/2-mile radius:

[SkyscrapersOfNewYork]

i dont think JHC likes Elaysian very much

[Troubadour]

Come on, the fez/dunce cap really isn't that bad.

[Nowhereman1280]

^^^ Maybe it would be ok in California, but we have extremely high standards in our skyscraper museum of a city.

[Aleks]

lol, i guess you guys never sent the memo to the architect!

but i don't think it's that bad of a building. the windows are way too small and that green looks hideous. but from afar it looks decent. it's not as hideous as some make it seem, but it definitely needed more work during the designing process.

[denizen467]

Originally Posted by Aleks

lol, i guess you guys never sent the memo to the architect!

No, that would be the developer who forced the VE'ing. The starting point of the design (see render) was not this mess. We may never know what options were available to LaGrange as he accommodated the VE'ing.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by Aleks

l but it definitely needed more work during the designing process.

no. as denizen pointed out above, what this project definitely needed was A LOT less value engineering. lagrange's starting point wasn't terribly interesting architecture, but at least it wasn't the unmitigated train wreck we now have as a result of all the unrelenting corner cutting.

[Nowhereman1280]

Originally Posted by Aleks

lol, i guess you guys never sent the memo to the architect!

but i don't think it's that bad of a building. the windows are way too small and that green looks hideous. but from afar it looks decent. it's not as hideous as some make it seem, but it definitely needed more work during the designing process.

I'm going to disagree with you all and say that the entire concept of this design is inherently flawed and poisonous filth that doesn't belong within 1000 miles of Chicago. Seriously, I've said in the past that with a lot more money this could have been a decent building, but I change my mind.

I'm sorry but no amount of money can justify this kind of architecture. I don't care if you freaking plate it in gold, its still philosophically void and shallow architecture that doesn't deserve to be within 1000 miles of 860-880, the JHC, or the likes. Its a pretty decent building from an urban planning perspective since it doesn't abuse the pedestrian like many, but they they go and build that god awful motor court.

All I have to say is come on, we should have higher standards than a 60 story version of the Louvre, but made of concrete and tin.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by Nowhereman1280

I'm going to disagree with you all and say that the entire concept of this design is inherently flawed and poisonous filth that doesn't belong within 1000 miles of Chicago. Seriously, I've said in the past that with a lot more money this could have been a decent building, but I change my mind.

I'm sorry but no amount of money can justify this kind of architecture. I don't care if you freaking plate it in gold, its still philosophically void and shallow architecture that doesn't deserve to be within 1000 miles of 860-880, the JHC, or the likes. Its a pretty decent building from an urban planning perspective since it doesn't abuse the pedestrian like many, but they they go and build that god awful motor court.

All I have to say is come on, we should have higher standards than a 60 story version of the Louvre, but made of concrete and tin.

i find life is far too short to be that unrelentingly dogmatic. had this design been executed in a proper fashion, it would have by no means been anything that i would have considered great or wonderful on the level of JHC or any of mies' masterpieces, but it could have been a perfectly ok po-mo building. to me, chicago is a city that is large enough to accommodate a wide diversity of architectural styles from various philosophies.

what happened here though is that we got an utterly cheaped-out hatchet job. i guess i just don't find the philosophy behind historicist works like this to be as toxic as you think it is, but the cut-every-corner VE mentality that ruined this building is indeed poisonous for our city.

[ardecila]

I like the motor court and find it to be quite urban. There's no reason that autos and pedestrians can't occupy the same spaces comfortably, if those spaces are design properly.

[i_am_hydrogen]

Taken tonight:

[wrab]

^ Spectacular shot, hydro.


----


When buildings attack:

[wrab]

Looks as though the green unibrows at the base of the crown are permanent?

[Northwest]

Originally Posted by wrabbit

Looks as though the green unibrows at the base of the crown are permanent?

Yikes!! I sure hope not. Surely thats some kind of protective coating to be removed soon... if not, then we need to hold a bake sale benefit for the Elysian and get them a couple gallons of paint.
That penthouse with the outdoor space looks pretty sweet... but those elliptical windows are soo tacky!! Could the owner have them removed and replaced? If that were to happen, that person would be my hero.

[viewguysf]

Originally Posted by Nowhereman1280

^^^ Maybe it would be ok in California, but we have extremely high standards in our skyscraper museum of a city.

Oh please--not in Northern California, the Bay Area or San Francisco!

[viewguysf]

Originally Posted by wrabbit

^ Spectacular shot, hydro.


----


When buildings attack:

Spectacularly cleaver shot yourself wrabbit!!

[kingkirbythe....]

It's a very nice looking building. I like it. :-)

[eaguir3]

what are they doing on the roof?