I wanted to use “The After Mat” but decided against it.
Moon and crane above the Wanda Vista Tower construction site, Sunday evening.
Quick Look: The Wanda Vista Tower concrete pour, after the fact
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Tag Archives: bKL Architecture
The word of the day is… CONCRETE. At least at Wanda Vista Tower
The big pour is underway at Wanda Vista Tower.
It’s happening. The gigantic mat pour everyone’s been talking about is going on now at Wanda Vista Tower. All manner of concrete distribution is being utilized, the coolest being a line of troughs at the west end of the mat, sending concrete flowing directly from the trucks into the mass of rebar below.
Missed the fun? No you didn’t. They’ll be at it for awhile. You’ve got time to get over there.
Rebar galore as Wanda Vista Tower prepares for its humongous concrete pour
The Wanda Vista Tower site is no ordinary construction yard. It is a sea of rebar. It’s a seabar.
And very very soon, it’ll be a see of concrete. Charge your camera batteries, tighten up the tripods, and set your time-lapse mode. This will be spectacular to watch. It may take hours and hours and hours for McHugh Construction to accomplish the feet, but it’s February in Chicago. Who wouldn’t want to be outside for this?
Why won’t the Wanda Vista tower cranes joust? Because they’re luffers, not fighters
The two tower cranes of Wanda Vista Tower.
Wow. You clicked on this story, even after reading that headline? I owe you a drink or something.
Wanda Vista Tower has its two tower cranes up and running. Both are luffing cranes, with jibs that angle toward the sky, rather than staying parallel to the ground at all times.
Down at ground level, there’s enough rebar being installed in the foundation mat. If you feel the earth tilt a little extra in the coming days, it’ll be from all the concrete being poured into that thing.
First of two Vista Tower cranes is in the ground
The two cranes of Vista Tower. West Crane, on the right, is set in its foundation. East Crane, to the left, is awaiting its turn.
Not only does Vista Tower win the First Tower Crane of 2017 Award, it wins the second tower crane of the year plaque as well.
Just as the City of Chicago promised us with the two permits filed on the last day of October and the second day of November, Vista Tower is putting two tower cranes into the freshly-caissoned ground in the New East Side neighborhood.
You’ll notice a striking difference between the two stub sections of crane that are now on site. “West Crane” where the taller towers of Vista will stand, looks like it’s on steroids when compared to “East Crane.” I wouldn’t advise messing with either of them, though.
Shout-out to bKL Architecture for being on-scene Tuesday morning and breaking the big crane news with an Instagram photo.
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- In the distance, West Crane.
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- Crews secure West Crane into position atop its foundation.
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- East Crane looks on and waits.
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- Lower Wacker Drive is a staging area of tower crane parts.
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- Working on the foundation for East Crane.
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- Another large hole in the ground.
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- Upper Wacker Drive is getting some work done of its own.
Humongous caissons still rule the day at Vista Tower
Gallery
This gallery contains 21 photos.
830 North Milwaukee is now Linkt
Linkt Apartments, 830 North Milwaukee Avenue.
For a long time, it was known by its address, 830 North Milwaukee. Now, the apartment development from Akara Partners in River West shall henceforth be called Linkt Apartments. (Just think, if they added a few hotel rooms, they could call a portion of it the Linkt Inn. We could all post our resumes in the lobby.)
The bKL Architecture-designed project brings 47 new luxury apartments over five stories to the neighborhood, with 24 parking spaces. Summit Design + Build is the general contractor, tasked with having Linkt Apartments ready in Spring 2017.
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- A rendering of Linkt from bKL Architecture.
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- bKL rendering.
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- bKL rendering
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- February progress.
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- April progress.
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- Linkt was a pretty yellow back in July.
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- The south end.
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- The back.
Vista Tower caisson work, second only to the Cubs as a spectator sport
Even the pigeons are mesmerized by caisson work going on at Vista Tower.
Vista Tower doesn’t need pre-sales of condo units. Just charge $5 for each one of us leaning against the railings along Wacker Drive, and by The Tides and The Shoreham atop Field Boulevard. It would raise a fortune.
Case Foundation continues to bore holes into the Lakeshore East earth, then fills them up with cement and rebar and corrugated metal tubes and even the occasional iron tube. Seriously, stop by and watch some time. Unless you have a meeting to go to. because you won’t make it back to the office in time.
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- Found you! My trun to hide!
It’s a CaissonFest at Vista Tower
That’s a 12′-diameter, 20′-long caisson on the right, with a longer one being trucked in.
Case Foundation is on the scene (you thought I was gonna say “on the case” didn’t you…You are so predictable) at Vista Tower, boring holes into the earth and sinking caissons. Dozens and dozens of them. Deep ones, too. They’ve got twelve-foot diameter guides on site. These will be serious caissons. Some 100 feet long.
You already know all you need to know about the 93-story Vista Tower. I’ll skip the tired verbiage, and let you get right to the photos.
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- I wasn’t the only one watching.
Chicago’s prettiest new Vista moving soil
Finally.
When Vista Tower got its foundation permit back in the first week if August, I assumed equipment would flood into the lot in New East Side the following morning to begin tearing up the land. In reality, it took a few weeks for anything to happen at all. But it’s happening now, and what they’re digging in for, is the long haul.
Want to know more about the 93-story Vista Tower? Let me see what I can find for you:
Yep. A lot of people are talking about it.
Building Up Chicago 