About danieldschell

I'm Daniel Schell, Chicagoan, Twitter fiend, and picture taker. I like sunsets, travel, and long walks through construction sites. If you build it, I will come.

Conservatory Melbourne adds another 446 units to the Central Business District

Posted on November 12, 2017 by danieldschell

Hickory Group and UEM Sunrise are building Conservatory Melbourne.

Conservatory Melbourne is another residential tower being developed by UEM Sunrise, the Malaysian company we first learned of at Aurora Melbourne Central. Conservatory will be a 42 story building containing 446 apartments, with retail space on the ground floor. Located at 9-23 Mackenzie Street in the Central Business District, the tower overlooks Carlton Gardens, one of the many immaculately-cared-for parks around this city.

Conservatory Melbourne is a design from Richmond, Victoria-based Cox Architecture. Hickory Group is the builder. The apartments are scheduled for an April 2018 opening.

Be sure to click on the Conservatory link, if for no other reason than to check out the video renderings.

: Rendering of Conservatory Melbourne from Cox Architecture.

The glass is full at 1407 On Michigan

Posted on November 10, 2017 by danieldschell

The podium needs some glass, but the residential windows are to the top of 1407 On Michigan.

Save for a few exceptions, where construction hoists get in the way, the curtain wall has risen to the top of the 15-story 1407 On Michigan, Russland Capital Group’s South Loop apartment tower at 1411 South Michigan Avenue.

There’s still some podium work left for Lendlease to do on the BKV Group-designed building, but the bulk of energy on this one is now focused on getting the 199 apartments ready for residents to move in. We’re still looking at the end of the year for that goal, and having all those windows up should certainly help interior work to be a little more pleasant.

: All glassed up.

: North elevation.

: South elevation.

: Lots of pallets of something have been used on the interiors.

: When the hoist comes down…

: …the rest of the glass can go in.

First row of glorious glass has been installed on Ancora at Riverline

Posted on November 10, 2017 by danieldschell

That’s some good-looking glass across the river at Ancora.

Ancora, the Phase One tower of CMK Companies‘ Riverline development in the South Loop, has reached another milestone, as the first level of glass stretches around the exterior. That would be the 7th floor of Perkins+Will’s 29-story, 452-unit design. Overall, co-developer and general contractor Lendlease has the tower at or near the 23rd floor. It’s hard to tell with all that orange wrapping and yellow formwork, but those materials are worth the obstructed view when the setting sunlight hits it.

The Phase Two tower was initially reported to be called “Current,” an 18-story tower with 251 condominiums and 28 townhomes. But the Riverline website no longer includes information about that building.

Brisbane Skytower on its way to becoming Brisbane’s tallest building

Posted on November 9, 2017 by danieldschell

Brisbane Skytower, on the right, will be Brisbane’s tallest building. On the left is Abian Botanic Gardens, a gorgeous tower with a funny name.

Brisbane Skytower is a 90-story residential building currently being constructed in the Central Business District of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It has a familiar name doing the heavy labor: Hutchinson Builders, who we met in the Walan Apartments post.

Being developed by Billbergia of suburban Sydney, Brisbane Skytower will include 1135 units. of course, it’s going to be loaded with creature comforts, but the detail that stands out will be the rooftop infinity pool, which will allow residents to swim to the edge of the Brisbane skyline and look out over the city. Designed by Noel Robinson Architects, it will become the tallest building in Brisbane.

: Brisbane Skytower rendering from Noel Robinson Architects.

: Brisbane Skytower rendering from Noel Robinson Architects.

: Infinity pool rendering from Noel Robinson Architects.

: More on Mary Lane (2 cranes next door) later.

Not of One Bennett Park, but from One Bennett Park!

Posted on November 9, 2017 by danieldschell

These photos were sent to me by Nick, one of the tower crane operators over (at) One Bennett Park. They provide further proof that some of the best views in Chicago — some of the best views in *any* city around the world — are enjoyed by the men and women in hard hats who climb the stairs and ride the hoists to work every day.

Thanks for these, Nick!

: Sunrise over Lake Michigan.

: Nick, at night.

: Cloudy Chicago.

Hayden West Loop plants the neighborhood’s ninth tower crane

Posted on November 9, 2017 by danieldschell

The elder statesman of West Loop tower cranes, at McDonald’s HQ, watches work on the new kid at Hayden West Loop.

With eight tower cranes in the air to begin November, the West Loop already leads Chicago neighborhoods in that category. And now, #9 is within sight.

Crews from Macon Construction were busy pouring the concrete foundation for the Liebherr 550 HC 20 on Tuesday, after planting the stub late last week at 1109 West Washington. That project, named Hayden West Loop, is a two-parter from Sulo Development. Designed by Booth Hansen, it will bring 28 condominiums and 83 parking spaces. The second building is slated for a site around the corner on May Street.

This is Macon Construction’s second tower crane on our count. They also have one in the air at No. 508 in Lake View.

Cranes Without Context: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia Edition

Posted on November 8, 2017 by danieldschell

Looking north from the 22nd floor of Soleil/Meriton.

We had less than 24 hours to wander Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Luckily, we got a nice day on which to do it. I snapped photos from our 22nd-floor serviced apartment at Soleil Meriton (Meriton is one of my new favorite brands. Great place to stay, and they build fantastic new towers all over Sydney, Brisbane, and Gold Coast.) and Story Bridge. Heck, I even snapped a couple shots on our Uber ride into town. There simply wasn’t enough time to get up close to these projects and learn more about them.

: Caisson rig.

: One (bad) night shot.

: 3 from the car…–>

: Another caisson rig.

: From the car.

Renelle on the River plants a tower crane on North Wabash

Posted on November 8, 2017 by danieldschell

A tower crane stub has been planted at Renelle on the River.

One of the city’s tightest construction spaces has planted a shiny yellow tower crane stub. Renelle on the River is the 18-story, bKL Architecture-designed condo tower Belgravia Group is sliding atop the underground parking garage at 403 North Wabash in River North. And a walk-by yesterday reveals McHugh Construction working around the new crane.

Rendering of Renelle on the River from bKL Architecture.

Renelle on the River is a curious project. Not only is it the aforementioned tight squeeze where a small plaza once stood, but it will also be angled in such a way as to give all residents a view of the Chicago River. And then there’s the foundation. No caissons were drilled for this one (the building permit went straight to full-build, with no foundation permit), leaving one to assume the existing parking structure was built to support much more weight than a few cars. And that tower crane’s foundation? It appears to be suspended in mid-air, even while being rooted in a huge block of concrete. It’s a mesmerizing set-up, to be sure.

Renelle on the River will bring 50 three- and four-bedroom condominiums to the neighborhood. There’s a sales office right next to the site, if you want to stop in and check them out. We highly suggest taking their virtual tour.

Simpson Querrey giveth, and Simpson Querrey taketh away

Posted on November 8, 2017 by danieldschell

A little birdie landed on the roof of Simpson Querrey and sent us this photo of the derrick crane and South tower crane.

Within hours of assembling its third crane on the site of the Simpson Querrey Biomedical Research Center, Power Construction began using it to take down the South tower crane at the topped-out facility. That derrick crane you see in the photo above would be Chicago’s 34th crane in the air (It’s not a tower crane, but it *is* a crane that required a permit from the City of Chicago, so based on that technicality, it goes on the count) but we’re back down to 33 with the South tower crane being dismantled.

A reminder to those of you walking around on what’s left of the crane, in the photos below: You never have to worry about me taking your jobs. Trust me on that.

The cab comes down, courtesy of that little birdie again.

I’ll always picture you two kids together.

: The North tower crane will remain for a while.

: Hard to tell what’s derrick, what’s North crane.

: It’s not just crane work going on.

Victoria One tower climbs into Melbourne’s CBD Skyline

Posted on November 7, 2017 by danieldschell

Victoria One, flanked by Vision Apartments (left) and Light House (right)

There’s a cluster of skyscrapers adjacent to Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market that I’d love to have in my own back yard. In our 4-city tour of Australia, Melbourne stands out for its willingness to build creative structures, especially tall ones. One such tower is Victoria One, at 452 Elizabeth Street in the Central Business District.

Victoria One rendering from Elenberg Fraser.

Developed by Golden Age Group, which has offices in Melbourne, Sydney, and Shanghai, Victoria One will be 75 stories high, with 629 apartments to both rent and own. Another design by Elenberg Fraser, an architecture firm we “met’ when profiling Aurora Melbourne Central, Victoria One is being built by Probuild, providing yet another connection to Aurora.

**As for those other tower I mentioned in the “cluster”? Vision Apartments and Light House. Vision, I hear from local scuttlebutt, gets mixed reviews. (I happen to be a fan.) But Light House stands as one of my favorite buildings from our entire Australian visit.