Anyone else ready for Nobu caissons? (corrected)

Posted on March 22, 2017 by danieldschell

Yes, let’s get that thing put together and rip up some earth!

*** STOP THE PRESSES!

Too late? Twitter user and follower @Rjoyce21 informs me that I’m not looking at the assembly of a caisson rig, but rather a “quad sheet press.” So, still a step toward foundation progress, but no caissons. Bummer.

Thank you, Ryan. ***

Because I sure am.

Construction of the Nobu Chicago Hotel at 854 West Randolph Street in the West Loop has been a roller coaster ride at best, a roller coaster ride where you stood in line for two hours and then they closed the ride for repairs just as you got to the front of the line at worst.

All exaggeration, of course. But it’s been interesting. Ground was broken in June. Soil was sampled in July. Then additional height was approved by the Chicago Plan Commission in September, and caisson material was delivered to the site. Then, those materials were gone. Then everything was gone. A foundation permit was issued December 1st, but still no action.

Finally, earlier this month, a crew from Taylor Excavating showed up and started digging. And now yesterday, folks from Hayward Baker were on site setting up a caisson rig. So it looks like the 11-story, 119-room hotel is really happening.

The heavy lifting ain’t over at the topped-out 1001 West Chicago

Posted on March 21, 2017 by danieldschell

The two towers of 1001 West Chicago have reached peak height in River West.

Sure, the highest of the high stuff is lifted at 1001 West Chicago, which celebrated topping out back on March 9th. But there’s still some heavy hoisting to do. If, of course, you consider giant concrete slabs “heavy.” While the tower crane remains on-site, a street crane is handling the podium work.

There’s also the matter of installing windows at the two-tower development by FitzGerald Associates. These are big square windows, as opposed to the full glass walls we’ve been seeing on so many projects. It’s a nice change.

: ALifting a concrete slab for the podium…

: …as another slab awaits its turn.

: Don’t stand there.

: Glass.

: More glass.

: And more glass.

165 North Desplaines goes craneless

Posted on March 6, 2017 by danieldschell

You are in no danger of losing your jobs to me. I’ll be fine down here on terra firma.

This past weekend at 165 North Desplaines in the West Loop was spent dismantling and hauling away the tower crane that had been erecting the rental development since June of last year. The 14-story building topped out in late January, and now it’s a matter of buttoning up the exterior, and getting to work on 199 apartment interiors.

: Saturday morning, and disassembly begins.

: Moon and crane.

: Saturday night, a partial crane remains.

: Back at it Sunday morning.

: Lots of NOPE here

: Top o’ the Tower.

: Flying The W until the very end.

: Down the road it goes.

Dig this: There’s action at Nobu. (No, really, there is!)

Posted on March 4, 2017 by danieldschell

https://twitter.com/MalcolmMossman/status/837021488054222849

Just when we were starting to believe the Nobu Hotel project might be kaput, there appears to be whole-scale excavation happening on the lot at Randolph and Peoria Streets in the West Loop.

Twitter user @MalcolmMossman tweeted the above photo on Wednesday, after wandering past the site and noticing Taylor Excavation’s equipment peeking out above the secretive fencing. And sure enough, a closer inspection shows some real-live digging. Foundation work? Let’s hope so. It’s nice to see some ground move after it was broken way back in June.

: A machine that makes big dirt small. Cool.

: Not seeing any action at Nobu was getting tired, so this makes sense.

165 North Desplaines tower crane comes down this weekend

Posted on March 3, 2017 by danieldschell

A friday-night look at the 165 North Desplaines tower crane, which comes down this weekend.

The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away.

The West Loop got two new tower cranes within the past week, and on the same lot to boot, when McDonald’s erected a pair at 110 North Carpenter. But now we’ll have to give one back.

165 North Desplaines topped out over a month ago — on January 26th, to be exact — and now all the heavy lifting is done, and it’s time for this tower crane to move on. An email from the 42nd Ward tells us that happens this weekend.

As you shed a tear for the departing tower crane, remember we should have one soon at One South Halsted. And perhaps the Nobu Hotel, should this week’s excavation work be the real deal.

My iPhone and I stopped by 165 North Desplaines on the way home tonight, to take one last look.

: Crews were clearing access to the tower crane base Friday night.

Simpson-Querrey Biomedical Research Center adds iron

Posted on February 20, 2017 by danieldschell

New heavy metal at the Simpson-Querrey Biomedical Research Center.

The concrete came first, and it’s still being piled high. Fitting, as this was once the home of the brutalist Prentice Women’s Hospital. But now there’s steel to be gawked upon at Northwestern University’s Simpson-Querrey Biomedical Research Center in Streeterville. This is Phase One of the center, with 14 floors planned. 16 more stories will be added in Phase Two.

Tower crane at its disposal, 1411 South Michigan starts going vertical

Posted on February 18, 2017 by danieldschell

The freshest tower crane in the South Loop is stacking building parts at 1411 South Michigan.

That new tower crane at 1411 South Michigan has construction going vertical. 3-D portions are popping up all around the lot, with some digging going on in the middle. Pretty sure the crane has less to do with the large hole than it does with the vertical pieces.

On a side note: 1411 South Michigan will sit next door to the Chicago Firehouse Restaurant. Two years ago, it was gutted by a fire, but it’s open again now as of the beginning of February. Kudos to ownership for committing to the neighborhood, and a great old Chicago building, to come back. All the best!

Chicago Firehouse Restaurant, about a week before its grand reopening.

The former MCA building is almost gone

Posted on February 18, 2017 by danieldschell

Demolition leaves little remaining of the old Museum of Contemporary Art building.

Mostly Cleared Away.

That’s what MCA stands for now, with demolition of the former Museum of Contemporary Art building at 237 East Ontario Street just about complete.

On the way is the Aloft Chicago Mag Mile, a 19-story, 336-room hotel from Tishman Realty. The new Streeterville hotel is a design from Valerio DeWalt Train Associates, so the MCA building had to die so the new structure could be built, or die.

: Rendering from the Tishman website

: Rendering from the Tishman website

: GONE

The Wicker Park Connection digs in

Posted on February 15, 2017 by danieldschell

A rendering of the Wicker Park Connection from Hirsch Associates Architects.

After filing a foundation permit late in 2016, the Wicker Park Connection is burrowing into the soil on its lot at 1640 West Division Street. The 15-story project from Centrum Partners will sit right next to the nearly-completed Centrum Wicker Park, another collaboration between Centrum and Hirsch Associates Architects.

Revcon is out there drilling caissons now; Linn-Mathes is the general contractor assigned to sending the 140 apartments skyward.

: Rendering of the Wicker Park Connection via Hirsch Associates.

: Centrum Wicker Park, right next door, is nearing completion.

1001 West Chicago goes green

Posted on February 2, 2017 by danieldschell

1001 West Chicago from a passing Metra train.

Both components that make up the two towers of 1001 West Chicago have reached the twelfth floor. And more importantly, both have added some color. And every little splash of it helps in this cloudy, dreary winter. Thanks for that, Power Construction.