Vista Tower rises in Lakeshore East under the watchful eye of the topped-out One Bennett Park.
I know you just saw a ton of Vista Tower photos only a few days ago, but that was about the new curtain wall being installed on the exterior. We got lucky and were in Lakeshore East when the sun was out last week, and Vista was irresistible. So here you go.
Renelle on the River went up in a hurry. Now, the concrete is topped out, and without any glazing yet, it looks kinda skeleton-like. But that will change soon, as McHugh Construction focuses on getting the outer skin installed and interior work begins. (Then again, maybe that’s what they’re calling an “open floor plan” these days. No windows, no cladding, just you and the elements and your living room.) The bKl Architecture design brings 50 new condos to the River North neighborhood across 18 stories.
I desperately wanted to make some sort of school pun. Not sure the recess thing even makes sense, but I tried. Wedged as the new school is between Vista Tower construction and Coast apartment tower, it seemed like a decent analogy.
The Upper School at GEMS World Academy Chicago is rising at 355 East Wacker Drive. Designed by bKL Architecture, as was the first GEMS school, Power Construction has the task of completing the facility.
Good glazes!! That’s glass on Vista Tower!
You’ve waited a long time for this. We all have. And now, it’s happening.
Vista Tower has glass.
Not lots of glass. Not big sheets of glass. Just little bits of glass. Almost slivers of it. But it’s still glass. Windows. Cladding. Curtain wall. Whatever you want to call it, it’s here. And it’s glorious to think how this tower will look once it’s entirely glazed.
I thought you might like to see it, so I took some photos.
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.
Sparks fly as the tower crane pad is readied at the GEMS World Academy Upper School.
Caisson work at GEMS World Academy Upper School in Lakeshore East started and finished in the fall. Then, we all settled in for winter. But now that the ground is thawing, Power Construction is back to work on the bKL Architects-designed school.
Will this be the next tower crane erected in March? It sure looks like that pad is just about ready for a stub. That would get Chicago back into the 30s, as long as the crane is fully assembled before any of the topped-out projects bring theirs down. No pressure, Power! (But don’t take 900 West or 465 North Park down too soon…)
The Van Buren, bKL Architecture’s 12-story, 148-unit residential building for Loukas Development the in the West Loop, has risen past the halfway point. Foundation work started in August of last year on the 185,000-square-foot apartment building, a tower crane arrived in the fall, and Lendlease has stacking floors skyward ever since.
You don’t need to me to tell you about the progress McHugh Construction is making with Renelle on the River; just tune in to the bKL Architecture Twitter feed at this link right here.
Of course, I took a few shots, from ground level, too; you can see them now.
Vista Tower continues to rise along the Chicago River.
We’re long overdue for a few shots of the progress McHugh Construction is making at Vista Tower. This thing has grown like mad since our last visit. Sorry to have missed so much. Without further ado, here are the latest shots from the soon-to-be 94-story hotel-and-residential combination.
And don’t miss out on the newly-updated Earthcam shots from Lake Point Tower. You’ll want to check it out at night, for sure.
Night time is the right time to see Vista Tower.
This thing is gonna be HUGE.
Vista Tower continues its climb along East Wacker Drive and the Chicago River. And the more it grows, the more it’s visible from new vantage points. For instance, you can now stand on the Chicago Riverwalk and look straight up and see construction. It may be a little too cold to stand there for long, though.
