CHICAGO | Optima Phase II | 588 FT | 57 FLOORS

[hawainpanda]

Originally Posted by chicagoflorida

8/6

Is it just me or that core is massive....

[J_M_Tungsten]

O, I just saw this is green now!? Cool

[BVictor1]

08/06/15

[Notyrview]

Originally Posted by J_M_Tungsten

O, I just saw this is green now!? Cool

JMT, no sweat, but I am baffled that you somehow missed this. People have been spazzing about it for 6 months or more now, me included. It's going to look amazing.

[LouisVanDerWright]

Originally Posted by hawainpanda

Is it just me or that core is massive....

It is, but at nearly 800,000 SF this is a big tower more akin to Lowes (just shy of 1 MM SF) than Wolf Point West (just over 500,000 SF) in terms of SF. This building is almost 50% larger in terms of SF than Wolf Point, it will be the largest purely residential tower yet in this cycle.

[chrisvfr800i]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

It is, but at nearly 800,000 SF this is a big tower more akin to Lowes (just shy of 1 MM SF) than Wolf Point West (just over 500,000 SF) in terms of SF. This building is almost 50% larger in terms of SF than Wolf Point, it will be the largest purely residential tower yet in this cycle.

The core gets significantly smaller above level 8 as the building hits typical floors, (almost exactly the size of the 1st Optima's core), but it is MUCH beefier than Wolf Point or other recent cores, (excluding 150 Riv or River Point!!). Interesting tidbits: the core wall and certain columns will be 14k concrete for the entire height of the building, and there are lateral bracing walls at level 20 and 52, plus the core walls are thicker. It's a bit of a monster for a residential core!!

[sentinel]

Someone asked this a page or two back, but has the developer ever released a rendering or photo of the north facade? I'm really curious to see how the building meets the street on Grand...

[BVictor1]

Originally Posted by sentinel

Someone asked this a page or two back, but has the developer ever released a rendering or photo of the north facade? I'm really curious to see how the building meets the street on Grand...

I thinK that there was a rendering of the base at one time, but not of the entire north face.

[harryc]

[george]

8/16

[chrisvfr800i]

Core wall foundation concrete being placed today!

[The Lurker]

Thats good to hear. Glad were rocking and rolling again. This is a cool construction site. It's not as cool as say 150 N Riverside or block 37...or Riverpoint......or Wolf Point. Whatever its still cool. Part of me is concerned about the red though. I prefer the use of primary colors to be more subtle.

[the urban politician]

^ Chicago already has more than enough subtle

[harryc]

Aug 19

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by harryc

^ I guess the air must be very dry....

[sentinel]

^Hottest nose-picker ever. Also, gross dude

[Ch.G, Ch.G]

Originally Posted by sentinel

^Hottest nose-picker ever. Also, gross dude

Also, his right hand kinda obscures it, but is he wearing some sort of torso padding? Or is he with child?

[The Pimp]

Originally Posted by Ch.G, Ch.G

Also, his right hand kinda obscures it, but is he wearing some sort of torso padding? Or is he with child?

Really??? Stop it you two.

[SamInTheLoop]

^ Ah, let them have their fun. We've had ours for millenia........

[sentinel]

I'm sorry, I couldn't resist Sincere apologies, hot construction worker

To make this relevant, still no rendering of the north facade?? That kinda concerns me, because I think that side is just as important as the drop-off on upper Illinois: is there any retail, or is it at least somehow engaging to pedestrians passing by?

There were those two hotel proposals during the last boom/prior to 2008 that were on the same side of the street, one of which was slated to replace that parking garage on the NE corner of Grand and St. Clair - I feel like in an alternate universe where those two proposals were built, in addition to OP Phase II, that stretch of Grand could have been something pretty interesting..