CHICAGO | Highrise Projects & Construction

[ChiPhi]

New website for 1225 Old Town. I couldn't find a date of delivery though, but some interior renderings and plan...

[BraveNewWorld]

Originally Posted by Hayward

That building over on Hubbard....I forget the name

I am pretty sure it's named Habitat tower.

[Hayward]

Originally Posted by ChiPhi

New website for 1225 Old Town. I couldn't find a date of delivery though, but some interior renderings and plan...

Units look kind of small. The building seems to offer great amenities, but I don't know if the higher prices per square foot justify it.

Let's just consider price, view, and square footage

Here's their signature view:
http://www.1225oldtown.com/images/un...sGallery01.png
Probably at or near the 1BR, 16th Floor, 664 sqft going for $1892

Here's the view near Mag Mile
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4151/5...08df040f_b.jpg
1 BR, 20th Floor, 875 sqft going for $1425...utilities, cable, internet included

The in-unit washer / dryer and rooftop pools is nice..plus new construction. But I know plenty of people in the Gold Coast living in highrises built in the 1990's on much higher floors, living in more spacious units with the same amenities and paying less.

[Hayward]

Maybe it's just because I came back from the bar, but I'm laughing at this photo I took earlier today. I mean look at the place. What a mess lol

[ChiPhi]

^^^ Yeah, that does not look well organized. And the high prices are odd, though rents seem so strange to me. I never really followed the rental market (because who did anywhere but NY unless it was your job or you rented) and now that the rental market is the only thing to follow, it is really hard to pin down. It seems, maybe more so in this market, to be highly irrational.

[viewguysf]

Originally Posted by ChiPhi

I never really followed the rental market (because who did anywhere but NY unless it was your job or you rented) and now that the rental market is the only thing to follow, it is really hard to pin down.

People always have in San Francisco since there are vastly more renters than owners.

[Mr Downtown]

I hear that Valerio Dewalt Train is designing a (privately owned) student housing building for the Wirt Dexter site, 630 S. Wabash.

[the urban politician]

^ Do you know how large it is supposed to be?

[ChiPhi]

^^^
That would be really good news if it is true. I like some of the stuff VDT has been up to lately and these schools have been doing a good job with modern, interesting vertical buildings. And I'm never against sloop development...

[Mr Downtown]

^I'm a little unclear. The Dexter building was, I think, only 95 feet of street frontage, 166 feet deep. But my source was talking in general terms about setting the tower in from the side property lines, with a base running the full width. I was assuming the tower would be 70 feet north to south for double-loaded corridors, but now that I do the math those would be pretty small setbacks. Perhaps the units can be shallower since they're student housing.

[ardecila]

Student housing can be squeezed into all sorts of uncomfortable configurations.

[ChiPhi]

^^^
Is it necessary to build with setbacks. It'd be nice to see any new building take up the whole lot at least as high as the old Dexter (that was what, 5-6 floors) and then set back 10 or so feet higher than that if necessary. Canyonization isn't really a problem this far south. And by "privately owned" do you mean not owned by a college, because to me, that means unlikely to come to fruition...

[Mr Downtown]

^Of course lot line setbacks are necessary. You have to have windows in the rooms. With parking, I'm sure the podium will be at least four stories.

Yes, there are a couple of companies who specialize in building private-market student housing. They're fairly confident about the economics.

[ChiPhi]

^^^
Will they build a parking podium, because I'm not sure how many urban students will need parking. And my question was essentially whether setbacks are prescribed by zoning. If not, I would like to see a few floors with common space (open study space on one floor, cafe on another, technology commons on another etc.) in the center and dorm rooms facing the street and rear. Then open to above and below on the sides with skylights where the offset goes to let in some natural light. Having worked on multiple campus building projects I feel pretty sure this would work...

Also, I recall that when Buckingham Phase II was under consideration, a lot of the criticisms of that project was that it wasn't being built by any single school and that, moreover, no schools are biting on the prospect of leasing at that location right now. I'm not sure this one is any better. I'm guessing that this will either take years upon years to be completed or will never happen.

[Mr Downtown]

I don't know that the parking is necessarily for the building residents, but it might be useful for the retail and there's a pretty healthy market from commuter students. Even if you charge good money for it, it helps make your project more attractive, particularly to upper-classmen, than competitors.

Zoning doesn't require any setbacks, but it's the only sensible way to design the building. A double-loaded residential building is 70-75 feet across. On this site, you'd naturally put the tower east-west, the long way, with property line setbacks to the north and south allowing windows there, and elevators on the west end next to the L track noise.

[FlashingLights]

Speaking of private student projects. Whatever happened to that black mies inspired offset cube student housing project on wabash parking lot (or near it) in the loop for Depaul/Roosevelt area?

That was the most promising project for that area of the loop. I hope it gets built. Maybe it's just the mies fan in me. Though surprisingly a lot of people here didn't like it. Please post new renders or news if anyone knows about it.


http://chicago.curbed.com/archives/2...n-the-area.php

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown

I don't know that the parking is necessarily for the building residents, but it might be useful for the retail and there's a pretty healthy market from commuter students. Even if you charge good money for it, it helps make your project more attractive, particularly to upper-classmen, than competitors.

Zoning doesn't require any setbacks, but it's the only sensible way to design the building. A double-loaded residential building is 70-75 feet across. On this site, you'd naturally put the tower east-west, the long way, with property line setbacks to the north and south allowing windows there, and elevators on the west end next to the L track noise.

On a wider site, it would be interesting to do a vertical courtyard building, with the elevators/service core shared at the rear. The downside is, of course, you're building twice as many hallways.

Bringing daylight down into the courtyard would be an interesting challenge...

[OrdoSeclorum]

Originally Posted by FlashingLights

Speaking of private student projects. Whatever happened to that black mies inspired offset cube student housing project on wabash parking lot (or near it) in the loop for Depaul/Roosevelt area?

http://chicago.curbed.com/archives/2...n-the-area.php

Ditto. I loved that render and I've been hoping to hear more about it.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by FlashingLights

Though surprisingly a lot of people here didn't like it. Please post new renders or news if anyone knows about it.

really? i don't remember that it got too strong of a negative response here, in fact, i remember most being super-stoked about it, myself included. what an amazingly cool project.

[ChiPhi]

^^^
I loved it too; I only remember seeing one post from someone who said they didn't like Miesian boxes... they were appropriately censured.