I really liked the idea behind the aggregate seattle thread... so im starting one for chicago. I suggest people start them for their own towns as it could be a great way to organize local knowledge a bit.
Alright Chicagoans... lets create the best spot for real life, anecdotal, possibly factual information for chicago on the interweb!
Lynn Becker is saying the solstice condo's by Studio Gang is set to begin construction this summer.
Im really excited about this project and am really interesting to see if it translates from image to full scale. That seems to be the biggest issue i see.
The Solstice
I may be what some refer to as a 'homer' but there are a lot of fantastic buildings going up right now. There is definitely the highest concentration of good work under construction or recently completed now than at any other time in my years here...
whoa - those slabs look way to thin for that kind of canteliever - they got tempature bars in them? Way to much thermal diff for them not to crack - maybe the scale is making them look thin - anyone? 6" or less?
yeah, the M/J apartment tower turned out beautifully, the glazing is amazingly clear and the structure nearly invisible. When you compare it to other buildings in the city which are skimping so badly on their facades, it stands out clearly. It has a lot of depth,
here are a couple more images
evil, where is that tower you guys are doing? any better images?
ours will be off LSD at Montrose Harbour - caisons are supposed to start in March - First new Hich rise in 25 years up there - its amazing the pockets of demand that are still left.
I can send you some images email - we really dont want to get too much out there - you know how once caissons are drilling theres always that bleeding that starts - contractor get'n hurt in the dirt - then your window wall becomes the cheaper mfr, then your glass gets the cheap tint, then your slab covers go - you know how it goes
I <3 this thread, already. I wish I had taken more photographs while I was in Chicago at Christmas time... but it was really, really cold!
We stayed at the Fairmont overlooking Lakeshore East / 6 Acre Park. (I believe the same project that lletdownl posted?) These are photos from December 24th - wow, they are flying! It looks like better than a floor per week. Did I mention that I <3 PT, too?
woah how do you make the image links???
and mrs... im sad to see you didnt pick my DFA name change... but i respect your decision... and you great pictures
I think Clam Fan posted to that - Dam I missed it I actually thought that looked cool - too bad I forgot about it. If it was at I-Space it may still be up. I might go see Clive Barker show in west loop - I can inquire.
Much of Murphy/Jahn's work from the 80's looks very dated, IMO. The Thompson Center looks especially tired, but that can be blamed on cost-cutting measures during construction and not on the original design intent.
The happy exception would be their United terminal at O'Hare, which I consider to be timeless and on par with Saarinen's work at JFK and Dulles.
Their newer projects, including the renovations of Terminals 2 and 3 at O'Hare, may not be considered particularly cutting-edge a la Rem or Zaha, but I think it shows a great deal of maturity since Jahn's early "Flash Gordon" days, and possesses a very refined, quiet dignity in keeping with the ideals of the Chicago School.
I am a bit confused. How exactly does Jahn practice within the ideals of the Chicago school? Surely in cannot be only because his office is located in Chicago?
Loewenberg Architects is the architect-of-record firm doing the construction drawings for all the Lakeshore East high-rise projects, including those designed by Studio Gang. Loewenberg is also a development partner for Lakeshore East campus development.
lletdownl: to make an image a link, you need to embed the image syntax into the url syntax. So where you would normally put the link "text" you just enter the image syntax. I link my images because I think somewhere on flickr's terms of use it allows hotlinking if you link back to the source. MR. tells me it's not stealing that way...
again - thanks the the architecture chicago plus site - one of the new choose chicago print ads to appear in trade journals touting the culinary appeal of the city to possible conventions
Lynn Becker is more publicist than critic. That's fine. He should do away with the pretension and proudly call himself "publicist". He'd probably make more money too.
though that is largely true, he often has pretty harsh criticisms...
though they are generally socially based arguments against certain city actions relating to architecture, rather than the buildings himself.
I still very much enjoy his blogs though...
and kamin's article is a good one... i like that hes calling out the offices producing some of the worst of it...
I'd love for Blair Kamin to just once shut the fuck up - he should instead say yes, the latest building boom has been average, but its above average compared to a lot of other places and thank god we have the industry and economics to support a 160 high rise boom. All his Chicago bashing just serves to drive more Chicago developers to find NYC or European architects who just come in and do the same shit anyways. You know what? North Lakeshore Drive looks like godam Beiruit, but he thinks its elegant - and lakeshore east and Museum Park are a smash hit with the market place. Could it be better? Yes, Is it successful? Yes. Say what you will about P/H but they do have a classical urban sense of scale in most of their projects. Museum Park has a cartoon feel, but at the same time its like a brand new subdivision - it needs time to get that lived in feel. I suspect that over time people will come around.
PS - Soldier field is frigg'n dope! Kamins an ass and doesnt know what he says anymore. He should go suck off Tigerman's Daisy
The only thing I get from David and George is the stench of selling out in a really bad way. They once did some really nice work. "Classical urban sense of scale" Where? I don't see it. I see clumsy money making machines for pension funds.
i dont agree with you at all, and even if Kamin does have a classical leaning, hes by no means a post modernist by any stretch... im not actually sure where you would get that idea...
As for the quality of the boom... i disagree that somehow 150 ok buildings and 10 good buildings are something to be proud of. Chicago has a responsibility to respect its heritage... that doesnt mean it needs to be stagnant, but it does mean I completely agree it should be held to a higher standard, and thats what Kamin is saying.
The south loop crap could be built in any city, on any highway, at any time. They have absolutely no character, and are offensive in the fact that they CLEARLY DONT CARE that they dont care... if that makes sense.
The market might be eating them up, but to ascribe their love of some of those condo's to the way they look on the outside is just not the case...
In the end though i agree with you... give the south loop 10-20 years and we'll see if any of those condo's age gracefully...
though my guess is in 20 years, several of them will be dilapidated messes, or on the slate for demo... its an incredibly short sighted area of the city, which missed the mark on creating what could have been an incredibly interesting urban area. i really wish the city council would continue to grow a pair and stop letting things like this
I agree - the coupla building is terrible - but I disagree that it could be built anywhere. Anywhere else doesnt have the Eastern European Mob washing its money in Chicago Real Estate.
Anywhere else doesnt have the Eastern European Mob washing its money in Chicago Real Estate.
There's a lot of Thai drug money in Chicago too. There's a place on Rush street where they sell dinners at $9.95 apiece and they own a $3 million building.
Plus its over exuberance is fairly typical of the era we are in - I think Kamin touched on that - all around the world this is happening - buildings with "flair"
Anyways - it doesnt bug me too much because this to shall pass - the museum park is little Dubai, in all its gaudi splendor. However 2 or 3 blocks west are some great modernist retro buildings going up. And the era that produced the 2nd Chicago school with its focus on efficient use of materials and engineering based architecture is waiting in the wings to repeat itself - possibly an economic nessessitated reality? I still think soldier field is awesome.
so, in the Urban campus design thread that evil started before, i mentioned my favorite spot on IIT's campus in the defense that its anything but static.
Well i was down there yesterday to finally pick up my diploma and officially graduate (1 1/2 years after actually doing so) and saw that Wishnick hall's renovation has been completed. If anyone is interested, here is a picture from my camera phone.
It looks absolutely amazing.
So, here is my favorite place on campus... wishnick on the left, perlstein on the right, alumni in the back... when all three are renovated this will be a truly beautiful place...
and here are some other images of the renovated wishnick.
Aggregate Chicago
I really liked the idea behind the aggregate seattle thread... so im starting one for chicago. I suggest people start them for their own towns as it could be a great way to organize local knowledge a bit.
Alright Chicagoans... lets create the best spot for real life, anecdotal, possibly factual information for chicago on the interweb!
ill start...
Lynn Becker is saying the solstice condo's by Studio Gang is set to begin construction this summer.
Im really excited about this project and am really interesting to see if it translates from image to full scale. That seems to be the biggest issue i see.
The Solstice
I may be what some refer to as a 'homer' but there are a lot of fantastic buildings going up right now. There is definitely the highest concentration of good work under construction or recently completed now than at any other time in my years here...
wow, great... my image didnt post... oh well follow the link
i should'nt post these, but maybe I should -
I was at the model shop checking on our building when I saw this in the corner
backside...
i think you'll be alright, it doesnt look that dissimilar to the renderings... if i could get it to show up...
in other gang news...
aqua is coming along quickly!
whoa - those slabs look way to thin for that kind of canteliever - they got tempature bars in them? Way to much thermal diff for them not to crack - maybe the scale is making them look thin - anyone? 6" or less?
studio gang actually builds things?
the slabs are post tensioned i believe...
like the crazy thin slabs on murphy/jahn's 600N Fairbanks
which are a bit under 8" thick.
So my guess is they are close to that thickness.
Were doing 22 story midrise with 6" slabs but much much closer column spacing on exterior
heres a peak -
that murphy jahn project is awesome.we don't get the good stuff here in seattle. we get nasty sh*t.
that helmut jahn glazing - I want to fly into it and Im not even a bird
i bet those helmut jahn slabs are thinner like 6"
yeah, the M/J apartment tower turned out beautifully, the glazing is amazingly clear and the structure nearly invisible. When you compare it to other buildings in the city which are skimping so badly on their facades, it stands out clearly. It has a lot of depth,
here are a couple more images
evil, where is that tower you guys are doing? any better images?
actually the slabs in the M/J building are 8" at their thinnest and actually increase in depth farther up the tower
ours will be off LSD at Montrose Harbour - caisons are supposed to start in March - First new Hich rise in 25 years up there - its amazing the pockets of demand that are still left.
oh wow thats way north... a lot of really nice old towers up that way though! look forward to seeing some images
I can send you some images email - we really dont want to get too much out there - you know how once caissons are drilling theres always that bleeding that starts - contractor get'n hurt in the dirt - then your window wall becomes the cheaper mfr, then your glass gets the cheap tint, then your slab covers go - you know how it goes
whats the coloumn spacing on the M/J perimeter?
I <3 this thread, already. I wish I had taken more photographs while I was in Chicago at Christmas time... but it was really, really cold!
We stayed at the Fairmont overlooking Lakeshore East / 6 Acre Park. (I believe the same project that lletdownl posted?) These are photos from December 24th - wow, they are flying! It looks like better than a floor per week. Did I mention that I <3 PT, too?
woah how do you make the image links???
and mrs... im sad to see you didnt pick my DFA name change... but i respect your decision... and you great pictures
Old Lynns been busy over there on architecturechicago plus!
Check it out - Preservation Chicago to list top buildings to watchdog this year - including Bruce Grahm's Naval Base building
link
uh shit, it's freakin cold today!
btw, i thought the CTA funding meltdown thread was all there was to know about this town.
anybody go to this?
I think Clam Fan posted to that - Dam I missed it I actually thought that looked cool - too bad I forgot about it. If it was at I-Space it may still be up. I might go see Clive Barker show in west loop - I can inquire.
Am I the only one who thinks Murphy/Jahn is a bit....tired?
Much of Murphy/Jahn's work from the 80's looks very dated, IMO. The Thompson Center looks especially tired, but that can be blamed on cost-cutting measures during construction and not on the original design intent.
The happy exception would be their United terminal at O'Hare, which I consider to be timeless and on par with Saarinen's work at JFK and Dulles.
Their newer projects, including the renovations of Terminals 2 and 3 at O'Hare, may not be considered particularly cutting-edge a la Rem or Zaha, but I think it shows a great deal of maturity since Jahn's early "Flash Gordon" days, and possesses a very refined, quiet dignity in keeping with the ideals of the Chicago School.
I am a bit confused. How exactly does Jahn practice within the ideals of the Chicago school? Surely in cannot be only because his office is located in Chicago?
Google is your friend.
First Chicago School
Second Chicago School
thank you. (and I don't mean to be a dick here) but I still don't see how Jahn (today) fits into the Chicago School....maybe I'm just missing it
Loewenberg Architects is the architect-of-record firm doing the construction drawings for all the Lakeshore East high-rise projects, including those designed by Studio Gang. Loewenberg is also a development partner for Lakeshore East campus development.
lletdownl: to make an image a link, you need to embed the image syntax into the url syntax. So where you would normally put the link "text" you just enter the image syntax. I link my images because I think somewhere on flickr's terms of use it allows hotlinking if you link back to the source. MR. tells me it's not stealing that way...
again - thanks the the architecture chicago plus site - one of the new choose chicago print ads to appear in trade journals touting the culinary appeal of the city to possible conventions
dam - we should just permalink Lynn Becker- from his blog
hahaha, yeah his blog is great... i read it every day, and hes been doing really well updating it pretty much daily in the past week or two...
Lynn Becker, Architecture Critic for the Chicago Reader
courtesy of Pimpanzee
link
Lynn Becker is more publicist than critic. That's fine. He should do away with the pretension and proudly call himself "publicist". He'd probably make more money too.
though that is largely true, he often has pretty harsh criticisms...
though they are generally socially based arguments against certain city actions relating to architecture, rather than the buildings himself.
I still very much enjoy his blogs though...
and kamin's article is a good one... i like that hes calling out the offices producing some of the worst of it...
I'd love for Blair Kamin to just once shut the fuck up - he should instead say yes, the latest building boom has been average, but its above average compared to a lot of other places and thank god we have the industry and economics to support a 160 high rise boom. All his Chicago bashing just serves to drive more Chicago developers to find NYC or European architects who just come in and do the same shit anyways. You know what? North Lakeshore Drive looks like godam Beiruit, but he thinks its elegant - and lakeshore east and Museum Park are a smash hit with the market place. Could it be better? Yes, Is it successful? Yes. Say what you will about P/H but they do have a classical urban sense of scale in most of their projects. Museum Park has a cartoon feel, but at the same time its like a brand new subdivision - it needs time to get that lived in feel. I suspect that over time people will come around.
PS - Soldier field is frigg'n dope! Kamins an ass and doesnt know what he says anymore. He should go suck off Tigerman's Daisy
im afraid to click that at work
evil-
Tell us how you REALLY feel about Blair! ;-)
The only thing I get from David and George is the stench of selling out in a really bad way. They once did some really nice work. "Classical urban sense of scale" Where? I don't see it. I see clumsy money making machines for pension funds.
"We make products for pension funds."
That's much different than making architecture.
It's Steve Allen talking about Kerouac. Allen was great.
i dont agree with you at all, and even if Kamin does have a classical leaning, hes by no means a post modernist by any stretch... im not actually sure where you would get that idea...
As for the quality of the boom... i disagree that somehow 150 ok buildings and 10 good buildings are something to be proud of. Chicago has a responsibility to respect its heritage... that doesnt mean it needs to be stagnant, but it does mean I completely agree it should be held to a higher standard, and thats what Kamin is saying.
The south loop crap could be built in any city, on any highway, at any time. They have absolutely no character, and are offensive in the fact that they CLEARLY DONT CARE that they dont care... if that makes sense.
The market might be eating them up, but to ascribe their love of some of those condo's to the way they look on the outside is just not the case...
In the end though i agree with you... give the south loop 10-20 years and we'll see if any of those condo's age gracefully...
though my guess is in 20 years, several of them will be dilapidated messes, or on the slate for demo... its an incredibly short sighted area of the city, which missed the mark on creating what could have been an incredibly interesting urban area. i really wish the city council would continue to grow a pair and stop letting things like this
get built...
that was @ evil, not MA
These buildings are like fast food.
If they were restaurants, they would be an endless string of Arby's and Pizza Huts.
I agree - the coupla building is terrible - but I disagree that it could be built anywhere. Anywhere else doesnt have the Eastern European Mob washing its money in Chicago Real Estate.
There's a lot of Thai drug money in Chicago too. There's a place on Rush street where they sell dinners at $9.95 apiece and they own a $3 million building.
Go figure!
Really its a residentail development on old railyards with serious grading issues - the site lends itself to mega towers and boxlike bases to the east
Plus its over exuberance is fairly typical of the era we are in - I think Kamin touched on that - all around the world this is happening - buildings with "flair"
Anyways - it doesnt bug me too much because this to shall pass - the museum park is little Dubai, in all its gaudi splendor. However 2 or 3 blocks west are some great modernist retro buildings going up. And the era that produced the 2nd Chicago school with its focus on efficient use of materials and engineering based architecture is waiting in the wings to repeat itself - possibly an economic nessessitated reality? I still think soldier field is awesome.
Cupola? Is that what that is? All along I thought it was a memorial to stubby un-circumcized penises with a bad Lake Michigan Shriv.
The Chicago Preservation Society released it's list of endangered Chicago structures for 2008:
preservationchicago
so, in the Urban campus design thread that evil started before, i mentioned my favorite spot on IIT's campus in the defense that its anything but static.
Well i was down there yesterday to finally pick up my diploma and officially graduate (1 1/2 years after actually doing so) and saw that Wishnick hall's renovation has been completed. If anyone is interested, here is a picture from my camera phone.
It looks absolutely amazing.
So, here is my favorite place on campus... wishnick on the left, perlstein on the right, alumni in the back... when all three are renovated this will be a truly beautiful place...
and here are some other images of the renovated wishnick.
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