CHICAGO | Highrise Projects & Construction - Page 61

harryc · #**1201** Posted: **Mar 8, 2009, 9:14 PM**

Overview

Full Series

Removing a brace.

Big rebar on the outer edge of the wall

heavily reinforced doorway.

Panasonic DMZ TZ4 - Picasa - Autostitch - Photomatix HDR

harryc · #**1202** Posted: **Mar 8, 2009, 9:18 PM**

VivaLFuego · #**1203** Posted: **Mar 8, 2009, 11:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by firstcranialnerve

^^^
Yeah, as someone who lives in Streeterville, i'm pretty sick of the parking podiums. I've heard some dreams floating around of converting them into retail or something else in the future.... imagine that, it would almost be like hk if that ever happened to all of them.

So is that even possible(I mean from an engineering/city planning point of view)? Anyone know if it has been done before?

Would require amendments to the Planned Developments to allow a reduction in off-street parking ratio. I doubt Ald. Brendan "Rational Planner" Reilly (friendly nod to Mr. Downtown

) will jump aboard that ship any time soon, though anything is possible.

In terms of precedence, a very recent example was the first floor of the Sears Tower parking garage being converted to include retail - first floor conversions have been very common. I'm not sure about upper floors - offhand, a double-helix garage wouldn't make for the most practical or functional commercial space.

the urban politician · #**1204** Posted: **Mar 9, 2009, 12:05 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by VivaLFuego

In terms of precedence, a very recent example was the first floor of the Sears Tower parking garage being converted to include retail - first floor conversions have been very common. I'm not sure about upper floors - offhand, a double-helix garage wouldn't make for the most practical or functional commercial space.

^ I don't see downtown Chicago's podiums being converted into retail anytime soon. There would need to be better transit to certain areas and a lot more population density for something like that.

What I do see happening in some cases is unused parking levels being converted into more residential and perhaps even hotel/office use. The problem, of course, is those parking floors that are slanted. Obviously those floors would have to be straightened out to hold anything other than cars, and I wonder how difficult of an engineering feat that would be.

Pandemonious · #**1205** Posted: **Mar 9, 2009, 12:13 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by the urban politician

^ I don't see downtown Chicago's podiums being converted into retail anytime soon. There would need to be better transit to certain areas and a lot more population density for something like that.

What I do see happening in some cases is unused parking levels being converted into more residential and perhaps even hotel/office use. The problem, of course, is those parking floors that are slanted. Obviously those floors would have to be straightened out to hold anything other than cars, and I wonder how difficult of an engineering feat that would be.

Thats easy enough and could be practical with residential as they can have lower floor heights like a garage may contain... you just add terracing into the units, with a few steps/short ramps here and there. It'll be like an 80's split level or so. I have thought about this before as well.

SolarWind · #**1206** Posted: **Mar 9, 2009, 1:48 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jibba

I've gotta say, the whole Streeter development is pretty repulsive from street level. The above photo with the exaggeratedly-magnified base represents how it feels quite well.

I agree. It's not much better looking down on it either.

SolarWind · #**1207** Posted: **Mar 9, 2009, 1:57 AM**

October 22, 2008

I took this picture last October and never got around to posting it. Roosevelt Collection is visible in the background.

SolarWind · #**1208** Posted: **Mar 9, 2009, 2:28 AM**

March 6, 2009

Is this it for the top? Value engineering? If so, there's probably a slight reduction in building height, although I couldn't careless. It looks like they got close to topping out and said, "Ah screw it," and just threw up some vinyl siding to partially obscure the rooftop mechanical system. Astoria Tower is still under construction, so I'll hold off on a final judgment until it's complete, but for now

.

SolarWind · #**1209** Posted: **Mar 9, 2009, 2:53 AM**

March 6, 2009

Silver Tower

210 N Wells' crane in the foreground

Mr Downtown · #**1210** Posted: **Mar 9, 2009, 3:53 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by the urban politician

^ I don't see downtown Chicago's podiums being converted into retail anytime soon. There would need to be better transit to certain areas

Whether downtown highrise residents own a car or not doesn't really have very much to do with transit. My car sits less than 30 feet from a Red Line entrance, with a dozen bus lines within 600 feet. The car gets used about once a month, for some kind of trip that's just impractical on transit or even with carsharing: an all-day trip to the suburbs, carrying bulky things from home to office, a photo assignment in an out-of-the-way neighborhood, a Sunday night dinner invitation in the Bungalow Belt. My neighbors use their cars for weekend visits to Michigan, for taking mom to doctors' appointments, to transport dogs or kids, for getting to jobs in Elk Grove Village. For folks like us, a car is simply an occasionally useful or time-saving possession that has to be stored someplace.

Lots of these buildings have their own swimming pools. Is that because they're too far from the lake? Lots of these people also have big-screen televisions. Is that because there are insufficient cinemas in the area? Lots of them even have their own personal computers. Is that because the library has limited hours?

pilsenarch · #**1211** Posted: **Mar 9, 2009, 1:04 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SolarWind

March 6, 2009

Is this it for the top? Value engineering? If so, there's probably a slight reduction in building height, although I couldn't careless. It looks like they got close to topping out and said, "Ah screw it," and just threw up some vinyl siding to partially obscure the rooftop mechanical system. Astoria Tower is still under construction, so I'll hold off on a final judgment until it's complete, but for now

.

This is really outrageous....I can't remember if this falls under the Lakefront Protection Ordinance or not (I think it is outside the limits and therefore does not), but I know that the DOP requested that this developer get approvals from the various community groups for this design. Regardless if the roof is finished are not, already the changes one can observe from the rendering to what is built should be unacceptable to the DOP (or is it DCD now?) Changes to massing, and critical details of how the tower is terminated at its parapets can make or break a borderline design such as this one....

The DCD should immediately call in this developer and find out what the current design is and begin negotiating something closer to what was originally approved.

Mr Downtown · #**1212** Posted: **Mar 9, 2009, 2:48 PM**

First, no approvals were necessary for Astoria, which was built as-of-right. South Loop Neighbors told the developer they'd support a taller, more gracefully proportioned design, but he didn't want the time or expense of the Planned Development process.

Second, even if it were a PD, the architectural design of the building is not something that's part of the negotiated agreement. Chicago has no mechanism whatsoever to control the design of buildings other than FAR and height.

Third, what changes to massing and critical details are different from the original design? All I see is that they haven't yet erected the pyramidal lightweight metal grillwork over the rooftop chillers. I'm sure they plan to do that with a small derrick.

pilsenarch · #**1213** Posted: **Mar 9, 2009, 2:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown

First, no approvals were necessary for Astoria, which was built as-of-right. South Loop Neighbors told the developer they'd support a taller, more gracefully proportioned design, but he didn't want the time or expense of the Planned Development process.

Second, even if it were a PD, the architectural design of the building is not something that's part of the negotiated agreement. Chicago has no mechanism whatsoever to control the design of buildings other than FAR and height.

Third, what changes to massing and critical details are different from the original design? All I see is that they haven't yet erected the pyramidal lightweight metal grillwork over the rooftop chillers. I'm sure they plan to do that with a small derrick.

What you say about the DCD having no technical means of influencing the design of buildings in a PD or falling under the LFPO might be true, the reality is they force design changes all of the time based upon nothing more then aesthetics....

ardecila · #**1214** Posted: **Mar 9, 2009, 4:54 PM**

The point about Astoria seems valid, though. I don't know why everyone is in a tizzy. It seems they have erected the first few pieces of the pyramid already, which look essentially identical to the rendering. There are a few other, minor changes in the building design from the render, but nothing major.

pip · #**1215** Posted: **Mar 9, 2009, 5:27 PM**

Is that a parking podium that is over 1/3 the building? If so, why are people going on about the roof? There is really nothing appealing from a pedestrian point of view, the most important point of view, about a building that is 1/3 in height for parking.

Chicago Shawn · #**1216** Posted: **Mar 9, 2009, 5:38 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by the urban politician

^ Maybe you should talk to your neighbors about pushing their city representative to:

1. Get a mass transit line extended to Streeterville
2. Stop requiring so much parking in every building.

Until those steps are taken, NIMBY's will continue to look like hypocrites as they criticize podiums all the while demanding so much cheap and available off-street parking. It's funny how people act as if Chicago didn't exist 50 years ago. The city did perfectly fine without all this excessive parking.

There also were not as many jobs in the suburbs and located far from transit, 50 years ago too. Parking is something we have to deal with, even after we cut down the number of spaces in each garage podium. Aesthetically, reductions in ratios and then underground garages like you see in NYC is the best option. Going underground in Chicago though is very, very expensive. We could increase and expand the density bonuses for underground parking/loading which are only available in higher base FAR zones downtown, but then you run into the catch 22 of needing more parking for a larger building, which is why the ratio also needs to come down. SOAR has been supportive of letting buildings go bigger and taller if parking is underground. Waldorph=Astoria Vs. the Hanover project is a perfect example of that. Get more community groups on board that train, and we will see some positive design changes.

jc5680 · #**1217** Posted: **Mar 9, 2009, 6:56 PM**

3.9

Walton on the Park

10 E. Delaware

Mr Downtown · #**1218** Posted: **Mar 9, 2009, 7:19 PM**

No, IIRC, Astoria has no parking podium. Parking for it and One Place are handled in the One Place garage, which has liner units along a single-loaded corridor. One Place also provides a rooftop garden for the hoi polloi in Astoria to gaze down upon. All in all, a pretty intelligent parti for a half-block, even if the architecture is a little inelegant.

ardecila · #**1219** Posted: **Mar 9, 2009, 9:41 PM**

^^ Thanks. I definitely appreciate the gesture by the developers to hide the parking. I don't know why more developers haven't gone this route. Probably because of tight sites that required parking across the entire footprint.

Most of the complaints about parking podiums, which seem to bubble up every couple of months, are directed at Streeter Place and The Streeter. The Golub-planned apartment towers up at the ABC Studios site plan to wrap their podium in medical office space, which is more flexible than residential space, and is a feasible option in the vicinity of Northwestern Memorial.

simcityaustin · #**1220** Posted: **Mar 9, 2009, 10:15 PM**

Are 10 E. Delaware and Walton a related development? I don't believe any of them are related to Elysian, but how weird for that block to get 3 buildings at once.