Addison & Clark has begun its climb into the Lake View skyline

Posted on June 27, 2017 by danieldschell

Addison & Clark on the rise in Wrigleyville.

No longer a large demolition and excavation site, old buildings and sand have given way to new construction, as Addison & Clark makes its way into the Lake View neighborhood.

Power Construction has gone three-dimensional across the sprawling, odd-shaped lot at — you guessed it — Addison and Clark Streets. SCB designed a mixed-use development for M&R Development and Bucksbaum Retail Properties that will include 148 apartments, 146,000 square feet of retail space, and enough parking for 400+ cars. (Remember, Wrigley Field is right next door, so 81 days out of the year, those parking spaces will be full.)

: Flyover.

: Pourover.

Construction Update: Elevate Lincoln Park getting literal as it hits the tenth floor

Posted on June 26, 2017 by danieldschell

Steven Vance at Chicago CityScape elevated high above Elevate Lincoln Park for this fantastic shot!

Elevate Lincoln Park, the ten-story, 191-unit apartment complex from Baker Development, has elevated just about as high as it’s ever going to get. McHugh Construction crews have reached the tenth floor just over one year after demolition started on the site. And as if that isn’t accomplishment enough, the first row of glass has begun installation.

Rendering of Elevate Lincoln Park.

In addition to residences, Elevate Lincoln Park will include ground-floor retail space and three levels of parking. As you can see in the above photo from @ChiBuildings, the SCB design fits perfectly into the odd-shaped lot bounded by Lincoln Avenue, Altgeld Street, and the CTA’s elevated tracks.

1326 South Michigan is getting into the tower-crane game

Posted on June 24, 2017 by danieldschell

https://twitter.com/ChrisAHorney/status/878399659307347968

Shout-out to Twitter user @ChrisAHorney from Murphy Development Group, who let us know the tower crane stub spotted at 1326 South Michigan on Thursday, was planted on Friday. He also let us know full assembly will begin on Monday.

We’ve all seen Walsh Construction’s work around town, so it was pretty obvious they know a horizontal stub wasn’t gonna do them much good when building a skyscraper, but it’s nice to have photo confirmation anyway.

Walsh will put that tower crane to work erecting the SCB-designed 46-story, 500-unit tower that Murphy Development Group is bringing to the South Loop in partnership with CIM Group.

: The tower crane stub, wearing special lil booties, waiting to be planted.

: Yep, it’s a shiny yellow Liebherr.

: That’s a formidable tower crane foundation.

625 West Adams puts a ring on it

Posted on June 19, 2017 by danieldschell

Power Construction is doing everything they can to make 625 West Adams look like its renderings. Monday morning, a piece was set in place to form the oculus that will be featured on the upper of two outdoor terraces.

: This rendering of 625 West Adams shows what the oculus will look like when finished.

1136 South Wabash keeps glowing…errrr, growing… in the South Loop

Posted on June 16, 2017 by danieldschell

Looking from the north toward the rising 1136 South Wabash.

Forgive my faux pas. Must be all those yellow forms and the shiny yellow Liebherr adorning 1136 South Wabash that confused me. But it sure is hard to miss.

The 26-story, 320-unit apartment tower from CA Ventures has soared past the CTA Roosevelt platform, past the Hebru Brantley Flyboy mural, on its way to about 300 feet in height. Lendlease is the general contractor, tasked with completing the SCB design for a 2018 opening.

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

Posted on June 5, 2017 by danieldschell

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.

: Even the moon can hear it.

: Rig and crane.

: A few in the ground…

: …and a few soon to be.

625 West Adams has topped out in the West Loop

Posted on May 30, 2017 by danieldschell

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.

1136 South Wabash keeps climbing into the South Loop sky

Posted on May 11, 2017 by danieldschell

One of Lendlease’s 8 Chicago tower cranes works above 1136 South Wabash in the South Loop.

Ever wonder which general contractors have the most tower cranes in the air around Chicago? Well, for right now, the leader in the clubhouse is Lendlease with 8. Power Construction and McHugh Construction are hot on their heels with 7 apiece.

One of Lendlease’s cranes is busy stacking floors atop floors at 1136 South Wabash. 1136 was previously best known for obscuring Hebru Brantley’s Flyboy mural on the wall of next-door neighbor 1132 South Wabash Avenue. But art lives on, and it’s time to recognize the new Solomon Cordwell Buenz-designed project for bringing 320 new apartments to the South Loop. Developed by CA Ventures, there will also be 143 parking spaces in the 26-story tower. Never mind that you’ll be able to fall out of bed and land in Stan’s Donuts, or Five Guys, or Belly Up Smokehouse, or Eleven City Diner, but 1136 South Wabash is also about 7 long strides from the Roosevelt CTA station. That’s delicious convenience right there.

Pile driving has begun at 1326 South Michigan

Posted on May 8, 2017 by danieldschell

A few of the first H-piles at 1326 South Michigan.

If you’re out searching for caisson work, don’t waste your time at 1326 South Michigan. The 46-story, 500-unit tower from Murphy Development Group and CIM Group won’t have them. Instead, the SCB-designed tower will sit atop H-piles, which Stalworth Underground is on site attending to now. According to Stalworth, the South Loop soil simply isn’t made for caisson work, so H-piles will be driven about 90 feet down into the bedrock.

How many H-piles does it take to support a 47-story building? 360, again according to the folks at Stalworth. Each pile is capable of supporting 350 tons, so that’s 252 million pounds of concrete and steel and glass and sofas and appliances that can be supported. Oh, and 190 cars. That’s a decent amount of weight there, too.

Stalworth started driving piles at 1326 South Michigan last week.

: A view of the pile-driving rig, from above.

: The same rig, hiding in the shadows.

Construction Progress: 625 West Adams

Posted on April 21, 2017 by danieldschell

625 West Adams, as seen from the B.U.C. HQ.

625 West Adams, the 20-story office tower from co-developers White Oak Realty Partners and CA Ventures, continues adding steel beams in the West Loop. After watching the elevator core shoot skyward well ahead of the rest of the building, the main floors are catching up now, so expect to see the core start growing again soon. As of today, Power Construction crews are adding beams to the 17th floor, while concrete gets poured onto the 11th. The SCB-designed tower is on schedule to open in Spring 2018.