CHICAGO | Aqua | 858 FT / 262 M | 87 FLOORS

[honte]

OK, done deal. Let's hit up Kelleher for some V/C cash when he's done with CS and get to work.

[brian_b]

A year or two or three ago, Toronto built a system designed to use the temperatures of the deep water in Lake Ontario to cool a few downtown buildings. It was a closed system, so it actually didn't use lake water. It simply had another fluid (or maybe it was just air) constantly being pumped through the system as a heat transfer medium.

I could have sworn that Chicago has had such a system in use for some of the Parks Department buildings for a long time, but I couldn't find anything on the web about it.

The physics are not difficult and the environmental impact is small. It's only a bit more complicated than geothermal heating systems but a lot more expensive (I would imagine).

[Jaroslaw]

There is such a system in Chicago, the main chilling station is in the vicinity of 311 S Wacker, the company is called Unicom Thermal... there is another one on State and Adams.



For some reason they do not use lake water, but they do produce significant savings. When the Fordham was built there was talk of a water chiller connection being done all the way up to there, but it didn't happen in the end.

http://www.bellgossett.com/Articles/files/case_10.pdf

http://www.kennyconstruction.com/underground/unicom.htm

http://www.aiachicago.org/special_fe...s/dba_005.html

[dvidler]

^
How old is that photo? I have never seen that building with that lighting on. Its a shame too. Much better looking with it on. But otherwise it is a horrendous looking thing on State

[ArchWatcher]

for some reason i want this building to be better than it is

[honte]

Originally Posted by Jaroslaw

There is such a system in Chicago, the main chilling station is in the vicinity of 311 S Wacker, the company is called Unicom Thermal... there is another one on State and Adams.



For some reason they do not use lake water, but they do produce significant savings. When the Fordham was built there was talk of a water chiller connection being done all the way up to there, but it didn't happen in the end.

Maybe we need to move this discussion elsewhere... but I don't know how / where.

In any case, I thought these were more like giant icemakers than harvesters of natural resources?

[Nowhereman1280]

Originally Posted by honte

Maybe we need to move this discussion elsewhere... but I don't know how / where.

In any case, I thought these were more like giant icemakers than harvesters of natural resources?

Yes we should move this elsewhere, perhaps start a water cooling (not just in Chicago) thread in the Environment forum?

Yes these are just icemakers, they don't use anything but electricity to keep things cool, the one environmentally good thing they do is reduce CFCs, but they do also waste more energy because of all of the heat transfers and how much farther the heat has to be moved.

[CGII]

I always wondered what the hell that was.

[Neuman]

Yeah, those chilling plants make ice to cool high rises in the loop, but do not take advantage of cool lake or river water. Instead they produce ice during non peak hours for electricity when rates are lower when power demand is less (i.e. over night); this is how they produce a profit margin. Similar concept but not as environmentally friendly, especially if say the pumping mechanisms moving water were powered by all those new wind farms springing up around Bloomington.

[Neuman]

Originally Posted by Neuman

Yeah, those chilling plants make ice to cool high rises in the loop, but do not take advantage of cool lake or river water. Instead they produce ice during non peak hours for electricity when rates are lower when power demand is less (i.e. over night); this is how they produce a profit margin. Similar concept but not as environmentally friendly, especially if say the pumping mechanisms moving water were powered by all those new wind farms springing up around Bloomington.

I guess we're way off topic now, if anyone wants to start a new thread on this topic, that'd be great. If not, whatever...

[Nowhereman1280]

I started a new thread on this topic for everyone, its called "Alternative Climate Control (water cooling)" and here is a link to it:

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...61#post2492361

Anyone who is interested in the topic should definately go check it out, not only did I outline what has been discussed here, but I found some interesting info about a city-wide cooled water system that has been running on a small scale and is now undergoing a massive expansion in Toronto. Apparently this idea isn't so far fetched at all!

[Tom In Chicago]

There's activity at the Aqua site today. . . caisson equipment and materials have been delivered and they're doing some drilling but I can't confirm if it's actual foundation work or not. . .

[forumly_chgoman]

^^^^^thanks tom, and as I type I imagine some of the ssp throngs are marching over with their cameras to ge the scoop


not to be off topic, but I am interested in doing some amateur photography....I am always astounded an at times envious of the quality of many of the pics I see posted here.

read an articel in the journal today about digitial cameras SLRs any suggestions from you photographic veterans out there....I may be getting one of these cameras for xmas?

[j korzeniowski]

Originally Posted by Tom In Chicago

There's activity at the Aqua site today. . . caisson equipment and materials have been delivered and they're doing some drilling but I can't confirm if it's actual foundation work or not. . .

thank you for the news, tom in'. i was just about to post (and unnecessarily bump this thread) about when this thing is "u/c". looks like it may be soon.

cheers.

[biophilic]

If they're doing caissons they'd probably start with the rock caissons under the tower. Does it look like they've got some serious drilling rigs out there? If not, they're probably just grouting the tunnel.

[headcase]

I was just over there, sorry no pics my battery is dead in the camera, but it looks like the first tube is in the ground. It looks to be about 5' - 6' in dia, but I have no idea how deep it is.\

SSDD

[staff]

Could someone re-post a rendering for this tower? I can't find the one that was posted before.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by staff

Could someone re-post a rendering for this tower? I can't find the one that was posted before.

see the first post on page 1 of this thread.

Originally Posted by headcase

I was just over there, sorry no pics my battery is dead in the camera, but it looks like the first tube is in the ground. It looks to be about 5' - 6' in dia, but I have no idea how deep it is.

hmmmmmmmmmmm........................ that sounds a lot like official construction.........

[BVictor1]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

see the first post on page 1 of this thread.





hmmmmmmmmmmm........................ that sounds a lot like official construction.........

when I drove past I only saw the yellow rig that's been there for the past month. that was several days ago.

i will have to go over there and ask, but i'm still wondering if there are drilling a shaft to the freight tunnel (if there is one, which I believe there is)

[hi123]

So do we have confirmation about if it is U/C or not now?