166 North Aberdeen is a 21-story, 224-unit apartment tower under construction in the West Loop. One of these days, I’ll do some research and find out why the building it will soon surround has horses at the top of it. But I digress.
166 North Aberdeen is a design by SCB and a development from MCZ Development. (MCZ also built 165 North Aberdeen right across the street.) Lendlease is on the build, with a hand from Pepper Construction on the concrete.
The Reed at Southbank, the second tower in Lendlease’s mega development in the South Loop, continues to rise along the Chicago River. For those of you counting, and even those who aren’t, the core looks to be about 11-12 stories above the parking podium, with full floors rising 10 stories or so.
You already know tons about The Reed, right? You don’t need to hear me banter about details. I’ll just share progress photos from Monday the 21st.
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DonateA quick look around The Reed at Southbank Monday showed an awful lot of piles driven into the South Loop soil, with lots more stacked up waiting their turn. I only saw one caisson above ground, and that was there on my most recent trip June 21 (part of the “vertical access shaft” work, I think). I thought to myself, Self? Are they doing piles before caissons? Are the caissons done already? Are there only piles and no caissons? In the June photo, you’ll notice there were already piles of piles to be driven.
My conclusion? I don’t know. But I have some photos to show you.
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FOUNDATIONS ONLY PERMIT FOR THE NEW CONSTRUCTION OF A HIGH RISE RESIDENTIAL BUILDING
And with those words, issued by the City of Chicago Monday, The Reed at Southbank may begin construction. Lendlease is the general contractor, with McHugh Concrete doing the concrete work. (Note: in “official” contractor-speak, the tower crane “belongs” to the concrete contractor. But around here, we aren’t diligent enough to find and name all the sub-contractors on construction projects, so the general contractor is credited for the tower crane. We don’t mean to slight anyone; it’s just how we do it.)
The Reed at Southbank will be the second tower at Lendlease’s Southbank development. Its first, The Cooper, opened in 2018. The Reed, also designed by Perkins + Will, will be a 41-story mix of apartments and condominiums
They’ve been out there tearing up the ground for while now, prepping the site and doing that vertical shaft thing we mentioned before. But now it’s time for the real fun to start.
“Vertical access shafts” are a thing. Which explains why crews are at the future home of The Reed at Southbank are tearing up the yard and digging in the dirt. For-real construction is expected to begin by the time summer months arrive in Chicago. Lendlease will, of course, be their own general contractor, in addition to their developer duties.
The Reed at Southbank will be the second tower at Lendlease’s Southbank development. Its first, The Cooper, opened in 2018. The Reed will be a 41-story mix of apartments and condominiums. This is how Lendlease describes it:
THE REED AT SOUTHBANK
Developed and constructed by Lendlease, The Reed is a 41-story luxury residential high-rise located at 234 W. Polk Street, as the next phase of its Southbank neighborhood development in Chicagos South Loop. The new building, which will offer 216 luxury condominiums on its upper floors and 224 rental apartments located on floors 9 through 22, marks the second residential tower in Southbank, a 7-acre master plan centered around 2 acres of public green space, known as Southbank Park, along the South Branch of the Chicago River.
The Reed boasts two well-appointed amenity suites for residents to enjoy, including a 12,000-square-foot outdoor amenity deck on the eighth floor overlooking Southbank Park. Residents will share access to an indoor amenity space on the eighth floor and owners will have exclusive use of an additional amenity space on the second floor, which is at grade with Southbank Park. The intentional placement of the second-floor amenities and use of full-height windows is intended to establish continuity between the park and tower, according to project architect Perkins+Will, which also designed The Cooper and the broader Southbank master plan.
Condo layouts include one, two- and three-bedroom plans priced from the $390,000s and ranging in size from 630 to 1,670 square feet. Occupying floors 23 to 41 of the tower, The Reeds condominiums celebrate the buildings idyllic location with floor-to-ceiling windows that showcase stunning views of the skyline, Lake Michigan and Chicago River, as well as Southbank Park, which borders the northern side of the building. The towers interiors pay homage to the surrounding neighborhood with an industrial-chic aesthetic that is realized through concrete ceilings and metal finishing throughout residences.
Metra and CTA rides, Zipcars, Divvy Bikes, camera lenses, and comfortable walking shoes add up. You can help offset expenses by making a greatly-appreciated donation to Building Up Chicago.
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DonateClick on this link for 448 North LaSalle and enjoy the drone footage.
Midwest Property Group’s 12-story, 175,00-square-foot office building should start welcoming tenants in the fall. In the meantime, the exterior of the Lamar Johnson Collaborative-designed tower looks complete. Lendlease is the general contractor.
This is a cool building.
800 Fulton is an 18-story office tower at the literal gateway to the Fulton Market District. Really. There’s a sign. Developed by Thor Equities, it is a design by SOM and a build by Lendlease. It should be open any minute now.
You know what it means when the tower crane dips below the top of the building.
Make it 13 active tower cranes in Chicago right now, as Lendlease is removing the third and final crane from the Lakeshore East jobsite of Cirrus Condominiums and Cascade Apartments.
Cirrus Condominiums and Cascade Apartments rise in Lakeshore East.
If you’re ever unsure which tower is Cascade and which is Cirrus, remember that Cirrus is taller, and it has the better views of Lake Michigan. You give the condos better views.
Quick refresher, then we’ll roll the photos.
