Before you build a building, you have to build a building-building crane

Posted on August 2, 2016 by danieldschell

A shiny yellow LaGrange Crane crane helps assemble a pretty red All Crane.

And you’ll need a crane-building crane to help you build that building. Which is what Onni Group is doing right now at Atrium Village in the Near North neighborhood. Now that it looks like the massive foundation digging is mostly complete, Onni can start going skyward on the 31-story tower. They put up the stem yesterday; today, they were adding pieces and parts.

And you can see more photos of the some-assembly-required tower crane and the big dig down below:

: They were trucking in tower crane parts faster than they could put them together…

: …or maybe you’ve got to have all the parts on hand…

: …so you *can* put them all together.

: And all those parts will go up there.

: Cranes helping cranes.

: They did a lot of digging here.

: A little more love for LaGrange Crane.

: DO NOT BUMP THE TOWER CRANE!

Quick Look: Atrium Village (almost) has a tower crane

Posted on August 2, 2016 by danieldschell

Here, through a scratched, filthy CTA window, is the Atrium Village tower crane.

I did what I could from a fast-moving Brown Line train Tuesday evening to capture an image or two of the tower crane being set up at Atrium Village in the Near North neighborhood. That’s where Onni Group is building a 31-story apartment tower designed by Hartshorne Plunkard Architects.

That’s one of the two tower cranes at The Sinclair in the background.

171 North Aberdeen Begins Foundation Work Under Clueless Blogger’s Nose

Posted on July 12, 2016 by danieldschell

The foundation permit, issued June 6th, I didn’t know existed. My bad.

I tried to pay attention to this one. Honest I did.

I told you over a month ago caisson equipment was standing at the ready at 171 North Aberdeen Street in the West Loop, eager to tear into the soil of the empty lot. But Novak Construction, the general contractor for the project, couldn’t. Not yet. That was June 10th, and the City of Chicago had yet to file a foundation permit.

WRONG.

In fact, that permit had been filed on June 6th. But, as sometimes happens in the data entry process, a key line had been left blank on the city’s permit site: no permit date. So when I was looking at the most recent permits for Aberdeen Street, I should have been scrolling all the way to the end, where permits without dates fall.

So as I wandered by the site Tuesday, I was merely checking to see if equipment was still there. And not only was it there, it was drilling holes into the earth. Knowing nobody in Chicago work start work without the proper permits being in place, I walked the perimeter until I found what I needed to see. Namely, the site bulletin board. And on it, the permit approving foundation work. And all is right with the world.

That permit means the Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture-designed 171 North Aberdeen is about to be a real thing. The new mixed-use project from MCZ Development (click that link. MCZ has a wonderful video introducing their building) will have 75 luxury apartments, 15,000 square feet of retail, and 40,000 square feet of office space. Plus 130 or so parking spaces to accommodate residents, shoppers, diners, and commuters.

: MCZ rendering of 171 North Aberdeen.

: 171 North Aberdeen. You can find it by looking for the water tank and chimney.

: Revcon Construction going to town on the caissons. Good thing they weren’t waiting for my okay, eh?

: You don’t need bloggers. You can learn all you need to know about 171 North Aberdeen by reading the fence.

: Foundation work at 171 North Aberdeen. Hopefully I won’t miss the tower crane going in.

As Atrium Village Foundation Work Continues…A Tower Crane

Posted on July 6, 2016 by danieldschell

Onni Group works on the foundation for Atrium Village.

Ready for another tower crane in Chicago?

Onni Group sure is. Onni is up at 1140 North Wells Street in the Near North neighborhood, working on the redevelopment of Atrium Village. It’s a huge, multi-phase plan to transform the entire development. And Phase One is in full effect.

Onni has been digging through the dirt since February, when the City of Chicago filed a foundation permit for Phase One, which will be a 31-story apartment tower designed by Hartshorne Plunkard Architects. It will have 400 rental units, ground-floor retail, and some 300+ parking spaces.

And since it’s a high-rise, it’ll need a tower crane, which was permitted by the City of Chicago yesterday. If you’re familiar at all with Onni Group, then you probably already figured it’s the general contractor on this development as well.

: Atrium Village needs updating, and ONNI IS ON IT!

640 North Wells Filling Gap Ed Debevic’s Left Behind

Posted on June 27, 2016 by danieldschell

Good ole Ed Debevic’s. May it Rest Its Peas.

Unless you ate there, you miss Ed Debevic’s.

Kidding. Oh, come on. I’M KIDDING!

Okay, I’m done messing with Ed. (You’ll have to go here if you want to see more.)

At 640 North Wells Street, where Ed’s called home, JDL Development is erecting a 23-story apartment tower designed by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture. When completed, 640 North Wells will have 251 units and 12,000 square feet of retail space. Expect about 140 parking spots too, if the building permit is to be believed. 640 North Wells is another Lendlease build.

: 640 North Wells, from the corner of Wells and Erie.

: Gratuitous tower crane shot.

: The moon wedges itself between tower cranes at 640 North Wells and 167 West Erie.

: Wearing orange as camouflage. Interesting strategy.

: The Wells Street facade.

: Lendlease at work.

: The north facade along Erie Street.

: The view along the alley in back.

: The Wells Street facade, looking northward.

: Looks like there’s going to be an exterior construction elevator soon.

: Hoisting.

: The Permit.

: Looking at the corner of Wells and Ontario Streets.

: Inside the belly of the beast for a peek at the guts.

: More insides.

Foundation Equipment Standing By at 171 Aberdeen

Posted on June 10, 2016 by danieldschell

I don’t know how much it costs per day to have one of those pretty yellow Hayward Baker machines in your lot, in this case the lot being 171 North Aberdeen Street, but I’m guessing Novak Construction would like to put it to good use sooner rather than later.

The latest project from MCZ Development and designed by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture, 171 Aberdeen promises 75 luxury apartments, 15,000 square feet of retail space, 40,000 square feet of office space, and up to 140 parking spots at the corner of Lake and Aberdeen Streets in the molten-lava-hot Fulton Market neighborhood.

Curiously, there’s a permit on file with the City of Chicago. But it’s a foundation permit for a tower crane. That seems a tad cart-before-horse-ish to me, but it’s happened before. Novak Construction, the general contractor on 171 Aberdeen, will get to work as soon as the city says “go.”

Here’s the tower crane permit, displayed at the 171 Aberdeen work site.

And here’s a rendering from MCZ Development of the finished 171 Aberdeen.

All that prime tagging canvas will be gone once 171 Aberdeen construction gets rolling.

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An Eye on Chicago Construction.

Tag Archives: Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture