Category Archives: 10-19 Stories

More topping out news, as Illume Chicago reaches max height

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https://twitter.com/PappagHaymes/status/931648904411713536

Last week, we shared word that a Pappageorge Haymes Partners project, 465 North Park, had topped out. Now you can add another PH design to the headlines, thanks to the above tweet shared November 17, as Illume Chicago has topped out at 111 South Peoria in the West Loop.

The topping-out comes as glass starts showing up on the exterior, so it’s milestones on top of milestones for this one.

Developed by LG Development, Illume Chicago is delivering 79 new condominiums to the red-hot West Loop neighborhood within the 10-story building, with 94 parking spaces underground and on the first floor.

 

aLoft Chicago Mag Mile adds some glass as it rises in Streeterville

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aLoft Chicago Mag Mile

Fresh glass at the aLoft Chicago Mag Mile in Streeterville.

Don’t look now (you can look when we get to the photo gallery) but Tishman has the *aLoft Chicago Mag Mile nearing the top (on or about the 15th floor, I’d say) of its 18-story goal at 243 East Ontario in Streeterville. And as if that wouldn’t be enough of a milestone, they’ve also started installing glass, on level 3 of the Valerio Dewalt Train-designed hotel.

When completed next winter, the aLoft Chicago Mag Mile will open 336 new guest rooms to Chicago’s most vibrant shopping neighborhood.

*Looks like I’ve been spelling it wrong all this time. “aLoft” – little ‘a’ big ‘L’

 

 

Getting to know Chicago Tower Crane #60

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Renelle on the River

McHugh Construction’s tower crane at Renelle on the River, from East Upper Wacker Drive.

We’d only gone by the new tower crane at Renelle on the River once since McHugh Construction erected it back in the second week of November. It famously became Chicago’s 60th tower crane in the air for this calendar year. The Mayor was there. It was a big deal. It was also dark, so I didn’t get a great look at it

Of course, Tuesday was kind of a dud as far as weather goes, but that didn’t stop us from getting a few more angles on the shiny yellow Liebherr 200 HC model. Aside from standing in the plaza just outside Trump Tower, where you can look straight up at the beast, we suggest East Wacker Drive and the Michigan Avenue Bridge as the best crane-gawking spots.

The end draweth near for the beginning of Three Sixty West

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Three Sixty West 360 West Erie

360 West Erie has to go, making room for Three Sixty West. It’s the new math.

A demolition permit was issued Tuesday for the humble 2-story building at 360 West Erie in River North. Yeah, that rooftop deck is cool, but it has to go. If the address sounds familiar to you, it may be from the buzz going ’round about Three Sixty West, the new condo tower coming to the block from Belgravia Group (think Renelle on the River). Designed by GREC Architects, Three Sixty West will feature 38 condominiums in an 12-story building.

Quality Excavation will do the ripping apart of the old building; when construction time begins, Maris Construction (they’re putting the finishing touches on Belgravia’s CA Washington development) will be on the build.

12 stories? Yep, Maris should land on the tower crane count soon.

Australian Unity’s new offices begin to rise at 271 Spring Street in Melbourne

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271 Spring Street Melbourne

Probuild’s tower crane has started construction on ISPT’s 271 Spring Street in Melbourne.

A noticeable trend in Australia is incorporating the old into the new. Saving facades, adding additions atop existing buildings, and developing around historic structures. 271 Spring Street is Melbourne is one such project.

Designed by John Wardle Architects, 271 Spring Street will be a 16-story office tower developed by ISPT. It will — literally — tower over the facades of the old Elms Hotel and the Mission Building along Spring Street. Probuild is the builder, which is why they get to have their name on the tower crane. (Side note: Getting my name on a tower crane is now a life goal.)

271 Spring Street looks like a cool building, right? Great location? Close to transportation? Want to lease some office space? Sorry. Every centimeter of the 15,600 square meters of space is spoken for by Australian Unity. They’ll move into the new digs in mid-2019.

271 Spring Street Melbourne

This on-site rendering poster shows how 271 Spring Street will loom over, and behind, two historic buildings.

 

Catching up with The Van Buren’s neglected tower crane

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The Van Buren tower crane

The tower crane at The Van Buren is the 58th erected in Chicago this year.

The tower crane at The Van Buren (808 West Van Buren in the West Loop) was the 58th crane of 2017 erected in Chicago when Lendlease assembled it last month. However, I’ve done a poor job of getting over there for a good look, so allow me to share a few photos of #58 with you now. Sorry, but the sun has also done a poor job of showing up while I’m near this site.

While we’re at it, we might as well remind you that The Van Buren is a 12-story, 148-unit apartment building from Loukas Development,  designed by bKL Architecture.

Video Update: Leopardo Companies pours concrete at 210 North Carpenter

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Special thanks to the CTA for holding up the west-bound trains so I’d have an unobstructed view of 210 North Carpenter as my Pink Line train rode past.

Leopardo Companies is busy building their own future headquarters at the West Loop intersection of Lake and Carpenter Streets. Sterling Bay’s 12-story office building got its first permit in August, and will be under construction for another 12+ months, with a target opening date of January 2019.

The Solomon Cordwell Buenz design will be loaded with the type of creature comforts we’re used to seeing in residential developments. Along with a fitness center with locker rooms, conference facilities, and parking for 40 cars, 210 North Carpenter will also feature a rooftop lap pool? — hold on…this is an office building. That can’t be right — daaaang. Indeed, there will be a pool on the roof. How’s that for a recruiting tool!

 

 

Chicago’s Nobu Hotel continues to struggle

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Nobu Chicago hotel

The Nobu Chicago site has been secured, and it sits idle, waiting for construction to resume.

By now, you probably already know that things aren’t going well at Chicago’s Nobu Hotel in the West Loop. Last week, Crain’s reported that work had stopped on the 11-story, 119-room Midwest iteration of the hotel/restaurant brand.

Seems it’s been one delay after another for this thing. Ground was broken back in June (OF 2016!) then sat idle. Some caisson equipment was delivered to the site in September of 2016, the same month the hotel was officially approved by the Chicago Plan Commission, but that same equipment was packed up and hauled away without any holes being drilled.

A foundation permit was issued in December of 2016, but still, no action. Finally, in March of this year, the soil at 854 West Randolph began to turn. The earth-moving machines were followed by a pile driver, which began driving sheeting into the ground for a foundation. Caisson equipment arrived again, but for real this time, in May, and foundation work was underway in earnest. Finally, Centaur Construction had control of the site, and work started to go vertical.

But here’s the thing: If you want work to be done on your hotel, you have to pay the folks doing said work. And according to Crain’s (and one little birdie I heard from recently) that hasn’t been happening.

So once again, Nobu sits idle. 18 months after an 11-story hotel breaks ground, tourists should be sleeping in the beds. Stay tuned.

 

The Star Gold Coast antes up for a new hotel and casino tower in Broadbeach

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The Star Gold Coast

A 17-story, luxury all-suite hotel has risen at The Star Gold Coast.

The Star Entertainment Group is rolling the dice on The Star Gold Coast, believing it’s time to do a major upgrade on the former Jupiters Casino, situated on its own tiny island in Broadbeach. Along with upgrading the existing facility, they are currently constructing a new 17-story, all-suite hotel.

Probuild, who we’ve also seen on projects in Sydney and Melbourne, is the builder on The Star. Sure looks from here like they had it topped out when we stopped by in October.

Steelman Partners, headquartered in Las Vegas, is the design architect. DBI Design is also involved in the project. Completion is scheduled for first First Quarter 2018.

This isn’t the end of new development for The Star. Also in the works is a 53-story residential tower featuring 423 apartments and 300 hotel rooms atop a 7-level podium with parking, restaurants, and retail space.

The glass is full at 1407 On Michigan

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1407 On Michigan

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.