Illinois Masonic erects a tower crane

Posted on August 19, 2023 by danieldschell

Tower crane erection at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Lake View, Chicago — The tower crane goes up at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Lake View.

I went to the South Loop Friday to see a new tower crane, and found an even newer one in Lake View on the way home.

Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center is erecting an eight-story vertical expansion (if this was a house, it would called an addition) addressed as 900 West Nelson Street. This construction is best viewed from an outbound Brown Line train, which is where I was Friday when I snapped a couple iPhone shots of the crane going up.

Turner Construction is the general contractor. It looks from the permits issued that SmithGroup is the design architect.

Almost as many permits and floors on this one. The construction itself was permitted in three phases, while the tower crane has two permits of its own:

Phase 1 issued 1/13/2023
Phase 2 issued 1/19/2023
Phase 3 issued 6/20/2023
Tower crane slab & earth retention issued 4/12/2023
Tower crane issued 5/3/2023

The tiniest gallery of iPhone shots taken August 18:

Three tower cranes permitted for Obama Presidential Center

Posted on October 2, 2021 by danieldschell

Chicago construction, and the enthusiasts who enthuse it, needed this bit of news.

Saturday, the City of Chicago issued a permit to drill caissons for three tower cranes in Jackson Park at the Obama Presidential Center.

With only seven in the air now, three on one site, not only a rare feat in Chicago, would give us a nice jolt in the crane count.

Turner Construction is the general contractor on the Obama Center. W.E. O’Neil is the concrete contractor. Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects — Partners is the design architect.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held on the site September 28.

Stuff That’s Done: The Woodlawn Residential and Dining Commons at the University of Chicago

Posted on April 8, 2021 by danieldschell

The new Woodlawn Residential and Dining Commons is open on the University of Chicago campus. The Commons is a joint development between the University and Capstone Development Partners. It was designed by Boston’s Elkus Manfredi Architects, and was built by Turner Construction. The 16- and 7-story buildings contain almost 900 rooms and 1,300 beds.

The Woodlawn Residential and Dining Commons at the University of Chicago April 2021

Stuff That’s Done: The David M. Rubenstein Forum at the University of Chicago

Posted on March 30, 2021 by danieldschell

14 months ago, I called this the most unique construction project in the city. No one told me I was wrong.

The David M. Rubenstein Forum on the University of Chicago campus is done and open and really darn cool.

Congrats to the whole team on this one: The University of Chicago; architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro out of NYC and Chicago’s own Brininstool + Lynch, and general contractor Turner Construction.

The David M. Rubenstein Forum, March 2021

University of Chicago getting Woodlawn Residential and Dining Commons ready for 2020-21

Posted on February 5, 2020 by danieldschell

Is this rendering from U of C, the Woodlawn Commons is to the left.

A 16-story tower and a zig-zagging maze of a 7-story building comprise the new Woodlawn Residential and Dining Commons. It will include, as you may have guessed, housing and dining facilities for University of Chicago students, as well as amenities and outdoor spaces.

The Woodlawn Commons is a joint development between the University and Capstone Development Partners. It is being built by Turner Construction, as is the David M. Rubenstein Forum going up one block east.

The design is by Boston’s Elkus Manfredi Architects. The firm’s CEO and founding Partner David Manfredi earned his masters degree here at U of C.

Here’s some uchicago news you can use to learn more (lots more) about Woodlawn Commons. The University expects to have it open for the 2020-2021 school year.

Checking out U. of C.’s David M. Rubenstein Forum in Woodlawn (corrected)

Posted on February 4, 2020 by danieldschell

This will be the David M. Rubenstein Forum at the University of Chicago. ( DSRNY rendering)

We have a winner for Most Unique Construction Project in Chicago right now.

The David M. Rubenstein Forum is being built by the University of Chicago on its Hyde Park campus. **Most of the campus may be in Hyde Park, but this particular project is south of the Midway Plaisance, placing it in the Woodlawn neighborhood. Sorry, my mistake.** It’s part Jenga tower, part shipping container park. There’s a lot of concrete, a ton of glass, and when it’s finished, it will have lots of ways for U of C students to utilize it.

The school describes it, in part, this way:

The ground floor includes the main lobby and a restaurant, with stairs leading to the building’s largest multipurpose event space, capable of accommodating groups up to 600. Immediately above the base is a 285-seat auditorium. The top floor of the tower features a flat-floor multipurpose space, which can accommodate meetings of 75 and other events.

The Rubenstein Forum is a collaboration between design architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro out of NYC, and Chicago’s own Brininstool + Lynch. On the build is Turner Construction. I’m grateful to them for the Facebook photo of the tower cranes included in the photo gallery. (The bird joke is theirs, not mine.) I didn’t get down to Hyde Park when they were still in the air.

If you click on all those links I’ve provided above, not only will you find everything you need to know about the Rubenstein Forum, but you’ll also see a ton of great renderings, plus some stellar drone footage.