The Hoxton Chicago adds some glass to the West Loop party

Posted on April 23, 2018 by danieldschell

Panes of glass are starting to appear on the Hoxton Chicago hotel at Lake and Green Streets.

Can you handle another bit of window news in the West Loop? Well, brace yourself anyway. Because if you’re going to build all this new stuff, and you want people (especially hotel guests) to be able to the outdoors from inside, then you better have windows. Lots of them.

The Hoxton Chicago hotel in the West Loop has reached that step in its development. Not the usual curtain-wall style glass you might find on an office tower, but real, honest-to-goodness panes of glass have started to appear on the exterior.

Whether the Hoxton Chicago has topped out is a legitimate question, but that certainly appears to be the upper-most floor that Power Construction is working on.

There’s new glass atop the topped-out 210 North Carpenter

Posted on April 23, 2018 by danieldschell

Off on the distance, glass is being added to the upper floors at 210 North Carpenter in the West Loop.

We’re seeing milestone after milestone in the impossibly-busy West Loop. Parking lots being plowed under, ground being broken, buildings topping out, glass being installed. It’s all happening, all over the neighborhood.

210 North Carpenter, the 12-story office building from Sterling Bay and the new HQ of general contractor Leopardo Companies, has recently met two of those milestones, having topped out and added the first level of glass to the tower. Curiously, that level is near the top, rather than the ground. The advantage to glazing your building that way, obviously, is to make it more noticeable to passers-by with cameras.

Have a look.

: Off on the distance, glass is being added to the upper floors at 210 North Carpenter in the West Loop.

Caisson work is underway at 333 North Green

Posted on April 20, 2018 by danieldschell

Case Foundation sends caissons into the ground at Sterling Bay’s 333 North Green office-tower project.

Perhaps you’ve noticed some recent activity in the Fulton Market District area of the West Loop. What’s that? Be more specific? Oh, a wise guy.

Yeah, there’s a lot going on in this very busy neighborhood. And it’s not about to slow down yet. Case in point: 333 North Green, a 19-story office tower from the West Loop’s own mega-active developer Sterling Bay. (Editor’s note: the three 3s in “GR333N” is a nice touch.) Designed by Gensler, 333 North Green will boast 555,524 square feet of office space from the 6th floor on up. The ground floor will provide 35,000 square feet of retail space, while floors 2-5 will contain parking spots for 300+ cars.

Case Foundation is on site at this very moment–go look, I can wait–drilling caissons into the earth. Power Construction, another ridiculously-busy entity right now in the West Loop, is the general contractor. Their task is to have 333 North Green open for business in 2019.

: The Foundation Permit, issued April 12.

: Site prep, early April.

: Bye bye, parking lot.

: Bye bye, cool I-beam thing.

Three Sixty West gets in on the tower crane fun

Posted on April 4, 2018 by danieldschell

https://twitter.com/BelgraviaGroup/status/979094200095526915

It is the absolute newest tower crane to hit the Chicago skyline, so it’s no wonder developer Belgravia Group tweeted about it last week.

Belgravia is building Three Sixty West at 360 West Erie Street in River North. Formerly the site of the impressively-decked Citizen Bar, and one of those ever-popular surface parking lots, the site will soon be home to the GREC Architects-designed 11-story, 38-unit condominium tower. Condo delivery is expected in early 2019.

Three Sixty West marks the official entry onto our Chicago Tower Crane Survey for Maris Construction. We’ve documented Maris Construction’s work on CA Washington in the West Loop, but that gig didn’t require a Big Rig. This one does, so welcome, Maris!

The Three Sixty West website has a section dedicated to Tower Crane Arrival Day. If that’s not enough to make you want to live here, you’re not living at all.

: The Building Permit, issued November 7, 2017.

: The Tower Crane permit, issued January 16, 2018.

: The demolition permit for the former Citizen Bar building.

: The former Citizen Bar/former 360 West Erie sales center.

: GREC Architects rendering.

: GREC Architects rendering.

: GREC Architects rendering.

: GREC Architects rendering.

: GREC Architects rendering.

Progress Update: The Simpson Querrey Biomedical Research Center

Posted on April 3, 2018 by danieldschell

Simpson Querrey Biomedical Research Center April 2018

The Simpson Querrey Biomedical Research Center, at 303 East Superior Street in Streeterville.

My apologies in advance for not making it here in nicer weather. This curvy-on-one-side glass beauty deserves to be viewed under blue skies.

Gone are the two tower cranes that held court atop the Simpson Querrey Biomedical Research Center that Northwestern University is building in Streeterville. Power Construction has been hard at work on this one since ground was broken back in May 2015. Designed by Perkins+Will, the exterior looks nearly complete, while interior work continues, with the goal of a late-2018 opening.

180 North Ada puts that new tower crane to work

Posted on April 3, 2018 by danieldschell

180 North Ada reaches for the West Loop sky.

180 North Ada was approved by the Chicago Plan Commission back in August, then received its first building permit on December 18, 2017. That permit allows for the foundation through Level 2 of a “14-story, 263-unit apartment building with 148 parking spaces.” And like stalagmites stretching up from the floor of a spelunker’s paradise (I learned in second grade that stalactites “have to hold on tight so they don’t fall from the cave ceiling.” That’s how I remember the difference. No Googling), concrete columns are starting to rise from the West Loop construction site’s floor.

As Power Construction makes progress on the foundation, we’ll keep an eye out for the next permit, which will allow 180 North Ada to reach its ultimate 14-story height.

56 West Huron will do just fine without a tower crane, thank you very much

Posted on March 28, 2018 by danieldschell

56 West Huron rises in River North, sans tower crane.

I normally assume a 13-story residential tower will require the use of a tower crane. Eight stories is where I picture an imaginary line when a crane decision has to be made. So I expected months ago to see a permit come through for a tower crane foundation at 56 West Huron in River North. I’m still waiting; Gilbane Building Company, however, is not. They’re making great progress with a humble, albeit pretty & yellow, rolling crane.

56 West Huron is a project from Kiferbaum Development Group. Designed by Studio Dwell, the tower will include 10 full-floor condominiums, plus one duplex penthouse unit topping them off. Completion is anticipated in Fall 2018.

The following gallery includes progress photos taken this month, as well as in February, with the march photos first. Do not be confused; this tower is not being disassembled.

: 56 West Huron rises in River North.

: Rendering of 56 West Huron by Nikolay Demchenko.

: Rendering of 56 West Huron by Nikolay Demchenko.

The Hoxton Chicago rises in the West Loop

Posted on March 26, 2018 by danieldschell

A few shots of Power Construction’s progress at the GREC Architects-designed Hoxton Chicago hotel at Lake and Green Streets in the West Loop.

Now topped out, The Van Buren Glasses up Greektown

Posted on March 26, 2018 by danieldschell

https://twitter.com/bKLarchitecture/status/976578207397924864

That was the tweet bKL Architecture used last week to announce the topping-out celebration at The Van Buren, the 12-story, 148-unit apartment tower they designed for Loukas Development in the Greektown section of the West Loop. As far as we know, there was no party thrown to commemorate the first level of glass being installed on the building, but that’s a big milestone too.

Construction Progress: UIC’s Harrison Hall

Posted on March 25, 2018 by danieldschell

Pepper Construction’s progress at UIC’s Harrison Hall.

I took a boatload of photos last week at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s new Harrison Hall construction site (there’s a live-stream!) Apparently, it’s been longer than I remembered since I’ve stopped by. Either that, or Pepper Construction is looking to break some sort of speed record.

Wanna see the pics? Cool. Here ya go.