1326 South Michigan rings in summer with more H-Pile driving

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Yeah, it’s loud. If you’re anywhere near the South Loop, you probably realize that already.

Stalworth Underground continues driving the 360 H-Piles into the ground that will support the weight of 1326 South Michigan. This one can’t have caissons; the soil just isn’t meant for that type of foundation. Those H-piles will do the work instead. 46-story residential towers are heavy, apparently.

Chicago Tower Crane Survey: John Hancock Center Edition

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Jon Hancock Center

Looking up to my host, 360 Chicago at the John Hancock Center.

A sunny-day excursion up to 360Chicago reveals most of Chicago’s 33 tower cranes, including all those I missed from the Sears Tower, where we conducted our most recent comprehensive search. Sorry, there are some really bad photos here. Doesn’t change the fact that being 94 stories in the air is a pretty darn cool way to spend an hour or two.

Unavailable for the team photo were: Eight Eleven Uptown, The Apple Store, Ancora At Riverline, Alta Roosevelt, and Hilton McCormick Place. And maybe No. 508, if it’s up.

There’s a new tower crane stub in town, and her name is Marlowe

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Marlowe tower crane stub

Hey, look over there! Marlowe planted a tower crane!

About a week after receiving a tower crane permit from the City of Chicago, Marlowe planted a stub at 675 North Wells Street in River North on Thursday. Having recently lost cranes at 640 North Wells, The Gallery On Wells, and 3Eleven, the neighborhood needed a burst of excitement, and what’s more fun than a new tower crane?

https://twitter.com/adjustableforms/status/870320994413666306

See? Don’t believe for a second I’m the only one out here excited about tower cranes. Adjustable Forms knows what’s up.

Now the  Antunovich Associates-designed 15-story, 176-unit apartment building from Lennar Multifamily Companies can start going skyward, under the careful direction of Power Construction.

Throwback Thursday: 20 Tower Cranes of London

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First off, let me assure you I didn’t spend all our time in London taking pictures of tower cranes and construction sites. That would have been a wasted opportunity to see the English countryside and historic buildings. But I like the cranes, so I didn’t ignore them, either.

I make much of the tower cranes in Chicago. We have a lot. 32.5 at the moment, now that No. 508 is being erected. But London? That city has tower cranes. And if you think the counts are close, let me illustrate the gap by showing you two construction projects, with a total of 20 tower cranes between them.

Battersea Power Station

“Massive” is a popular word in England. I heard it to describe a multitude of things. It’s also become somewhat click-baity here in the States. But this Battersea Power Station redevelopment can be described in no other way. It is indeed massive. It will include architecture by Foster + Partners, Gehry Partners, and more. Features will include an elevator up to an observation deck within one of four existing smoke stacks, and the restoration of two old maritime cranes. Ten tower cranes *and* they’re restoring the two Thames-side cranes? Amazing.

Want to know more? (SPOILER ALERT: You do.)  Please click this link to learn more about Battersea Power Station.

Southbank Place

Like the Battersea project, Southbank Place centers around an existing building, this one being the Shell Centre tower. The 27-story building will soon be surrounded by seven more towers, five of which will be residential, with the remaining two serving as offices. Five different architecture firms are contributing designs to this development. Which is, to be honest, also massive. But duh. Why else would it need TEN TOWER CRANES.

I will not attempt to explain any further, as there is too much to know. Click this link to learn more about Southbank Place.

Tower Crane #33 is almost ready to lift heavy stuff at No. 508

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No. 508 tower crane

Sorry, we’re building a tower crane here. Please go around.

If you’re wondering why you can’t drive on West Diversey Parkway between Pine Grove and Cambridge Avenues in Lake View, welcome to the world of tower cranes. The street is blocked so crews can utilize a pretty red Stevenson crane to assemble a tower crane at No. 508. They’ve been at it since Tuesday, so hopefully work will be completed by the end of the day Thursday. Then, and only then, can Macon Construction Group begin going vertical on Broder Properties’ 12-story, 53-unit apartment tower.

900 West Washington begins to crumble ahead of 900 West

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900 West Washington

Demolition at the corner of Washington and Peoria signals the start of 900 West.

The modest one-story building at 900 West Washington Boulevard in the West Loop no longer has much to hide, as a demolition crew from Tierra Services of Frankfort, IL tears it to shreds, exposing it for all the world to see. They’re clearing the site for the beginning of 900 West, a 10-story, 22-unit condominium development from Taris Real Estate.

Designed by Northworks Architects + Planners, 900 West made news earlier this month when Dennis Rodkin at Crain’s reported on the signed contract for one of the building’s two penthouse units for more than $5 million. There will be two-bed, three-bed, and four-bedroom condos, plus that second, aforementioned penthouse unit. Taris plans to have 900 West ready for residents in Summer of 2018.

625 West Adams has topped out in the West Loop

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625 West Adams topping out

The final beam is lifted to the top of 625 West Adams. Photo courtesy of Power Construction.

Sadly, 625 West Adams, the 20-story office building from White Oak Realty and CA Ventures, topped out last week.

Let me explain. Of course, topping out is a huge milestone, and should certainly be celebrated. But it also means the days of that pretty yellow Liebherr tower crane right outside the B.U.C. HQ are numbered. Sadder still, 625 topped out while we were in London, so after countless hours of staring out the window at progress, I missed the soiree.

Power Construction was kind enough to share the photo above, taken as the last beam was lifted into place on Monday, May 22.

 

 

Construction Update: 710 Grand

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710 Grand

Six stories up, three to go, at 710 Grand.

710 Grand, the Transit Oriented Development from Outlook Development Group and Wicker Park Apartments, has framed in the first six of its ultimate nine stories. The 105-unit residential building at 710 West Grand Avenue in River West was designed by Brininstool + Lynch, and is being built by Arco/Murray.

710 Grand will have studio, one-bed and two-bedroom units, with 45 parking spaces included on the first floor. Amenities will be part of the ninth floor, along with a rooftop deck. The 710 website promises both pet-friendly floors, and “Homo sapiens-only” floors in the building. It is safe to assume that the pet-friendly floors will allow humans.

 

Glass panels hit a high note at DePaul School of Music

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DePaul School of Music

The barrel vault on the roof of the DePaul School of Music.

A couple features of the new DePaul School of Music are standing out amidst the Lincoln Park construction site. One is the red steel forming the barrel vault atop the three-story facility. The other is glass panels on the north elevation. The black-tar wall is kinda cool, too.

A post-European-visit Chicago tower crane survey

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There were 32 active tower cranes in the City of Chicago when the B.U.C. staff took a break to look for cranes in London on the 17th of this month. A lot changed during our nine-day absence, and we returned to find…okay, there are still 32 active tower cranes in Chicago. But not all the same ones.

Two cranes from that count are no longer active: 171 Aberdeen, which came down Friday, and 3Eleven, which has been partially lowered and will soon be completely removed.

But two new cranes have taken their places: One South Halsted and the Moxy Hotel. That means the West Loop and River North both lost and gained a crane. Nice synergy.

There are also a few changes on the future tower crane horizon. Aloft Chicago Mag Mile has planted a stub at 243 East Ontario Street in Streeterville, joining No. 508 (508 West Diversey Parkway) as stub-only tower crane sites. And the Marlowe project at 675 North Wells Street in River North received a tower crane permit on Friday.

Two sites, Nobu Hotel (854 West Randolph Street) and Essex On The Park (808 South Michigan Avenue) have permits, but continue to keep us waiting on stub planting. Nobu is driving piles; Essex remains on caisson duty.