Chicago’s Waterfront Will Never Be the Same
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
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400 North Lake Shore Drive is undergoing a transformation after years of stagnation due to the failed Chicago Spire project. Originally, the site was meant to house one of the tallest buildings in the world, designed by Santiago Calatrava. However, the financial crisis of 2008 halted the project, leaving only a deep cofferdam that became a local eyesore. In 2014, Related Midwest acquired the site, and in 2018, they unveiled a new plan that has since been revised several times. The current design, led by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) under David Childs, features two towers-one 875 feet tall and the other 765 feet-housing 635 residential units, including 127 affordable units.
Construction officially began in January 2024, with significant progress already made by late September. The first tower is expected to be completed by 2027. The project also includes the redevelopment of DuSable Park and an extension of the Chicago Riverwalk, enhancing the public's access to the waterfront. Additionally, Related Midwest secured $500 million in financing to support the project.
The project reflects Chicago's evolving architectural landscape, offering modern design with sustainability features like bird-friendly glass. It’s set to become an iconic part of the city’s skyline, finally filling a gap that was left vacant for over a decade.
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I have traveled the world and been to dozens of big cities and there is nothing like Chicago, it is one of the most magical, impressive cities in the world. I miss it greatly after living downtown for 10 years.
I hate chicago. I cannot wait to move this year.
I know, Chicago is one of my favorite places on earth!
Before 2008 it was beautiful and clean. It's ghetto since.. sad. I spent a lot of years downtown... Will never go back. It's gone in my mind
@@hkr321hkr I know. I miss old chicago.
Just spent a week in Chicago this summer, next to Millennium Park and loved it! Chicago is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
you'll afford southside
Did you go out at night?
You're effing blind dude or you work for Chiraq tourism bureau.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 what a dump
@@dougshoemaker2114it depends where you go at night if you go to most places you will get a view of typical houses or a beautiful view of the Chicago skyline. If you go in englewood they will steal you’re pants wallet hat shirt and house
I love that you actually went to Chicago to see this! I've been following this since the Chicago Spire. In fact, I have pictures of them making the hole back in 2007-2008 (if I remember correctly). I'm excited that something is finally coming up, and the design is pretty good! The fact that it pays homage to the Chicago-style windows is a huge plus, and I can't wait to visit the new Dusable Park. Keep up the great work!
How can a AI Bot Voice visit Chicago?..
agree - can't wait to see it :)
make sure your vote for Donald Trump is in early
I see it from my home.....I never noticed it before and you can see it from Oz Park in Lincoln Park Chicago
Gaining direct access to Navy Pier from the northside of the Chicago River is a plus. However, I'm sure the existing homeowners are not pleased about the coming increase in residents and foot traffic.
I'm a born and raised Chicago resident who studied architecture and take great pride in the abundance of architectural diversity that is Chicago. This is the first video of yours I've seen and I just subscribed. Congrats on your 26.5K subscribers on 1/8/2025! 😉
Downtown Chicago has Northwestern University/Kellogg, University of Chicago, Roosevelt University, School of the Art Institute, Loyola University, and Devry. University of Illinois at Chicago is nearby.
Lots of teaching and academia there.
I was ecstatic for the Spire design when it was proposed and things were going well for awhile back then, but with the hole now being such a prominent part of the waterfront after the Spire's failing, I figured hopefully, someday, it would be filled. Great to see a beautiful design rise from the ashes!
This was high quality for a channel of this size. Keep up the good work.
I love your channel and I love learning more about Chicago. I live in the suburbs of Chicago but I am eventually moving to Chicago!
The 'burbs are a nightmare with all the traffic. Unless you are fortunate enough to live in one of the older cities near the parts where there are things within walking distance as well as Metra service into the city.
The furthest I can live outside of the city is Evanston.
@The2econdcoming ha.
I haven't been there in a long time. Beautiful area. I'm at the other end of Western, almost BI.
The way Central Park Tower ( beautiful building ) towers over Central Park is really what is needed here . Chicago could have strived more for something taller and stunning to tower over the cities entryway from Lake Michigan , should have come up with a 1400 foot tower at least
This location demands and deserved something at a minimum of 1200 feet
Or is that too high for the air show 😅
St.Regis Tower close by is a marvel to be proud of here 👏🏻👏🏻
It's not just the height of a skyscraper that matters. It's overall design and how it's scale fits with the rest of the building around it and the overall downtown. This will be a great compliment to Chicago's world renewed skyline that is already one of the best if not the best skylines in the world. All right on beautiful Lake Michigan and that great inland sea the Great Lakes!
-New York has ruined its skyline with all those super tall narrow buildings.
-And as for Dubia, it looks like one of those sterile remote desert cities in an Adventure and Role-Playing Game that you stumble across after getting lost.
Have you seen the dimensions of the site? This -is- a super tall narrow building.
Disagree, I just visited NYC for the first time and the super tall narrow buildings look super cool in my opinion. Feels very futuristic and I loved seeing the variety of skyscrapers around midtown manhattan. The Hudson yards development is especially cool (but doesn’t have narrow towers, just saying)
"it's scale fits with the rest of the building around it and the overall downtown". you mean the downtown filled with skyscrapers? Including the 3 supertalls in the immediate vicinity? Seems like the perfect place for a new supertall
I just wish Chicago would build another super tall. It sucks when every cool project gets downgraded and shrunk.
A súper tall in the west loop would be amazing, love seeing our skyline at least grow westward
Until businesses force workers back to the office, there is not a lot of incentive to build them that tall. Chicago has some $$$$$ people who want to live in a $$$$$ condo, but not like NYC has.
The cost it takes to build a skyscraper in USA, China builds it at 1/3 the cost.
Super tall monstrosities belong in Dubai or New York, not Chicago. We in Chicago are proud of our lakefront parks and beaches, not concrete spires.
@@Dimas-vx5ri Wait...WHAT? Next people will be saying that tall buildings block the cool breeze off of the lake.
"Affordable Units" 🤣
section 8
...for youths, or H1Bs.
Chicago is one of those cities that gets into your heart, and you'll care about it forever, even when you live 2000 miles away. There's arguably no other place on Earth where the residents care so much about architecture.
OMG You are 100+% right. Here I am retired now in my home state. Lived in Chicago 1977 to 85. Did many visits back and still... It is more as my home than my hometown. I once said I wanted my ashes spread in Grant Park.... So your comment HIT HOME for sure. It grew on me and never left and I still have that connection.
New York City ?
@@ahmedzakikhan7639 I don't know how New Yorkers feel about it, to be honest. In Chicago, it's like a common discussion, right along with sports. Everyone pays attention and has opinions on the new buildings.
Chicago always feels like its best days are behind it. Sad really. New York City seems to continue to hum along into the future though.
@pavelow235 Needs to improve public transport & crime in the suburbs , and efficiency at government spending to bring it back to its glory days.
Chicago is loosing population in the suburbs.
Chicago is the best city in the world
I always enjoy my visits to Chicago, and I look forward to the completion of this project...
Incredible video! So cool to see construction start here on this historic project. Thank you so much for the drone shots too
ive been living in river north for nearly 20 years and remember this project at the start. Im an appraiser and always amazed by the giant hole ( foundation) these buildings are aboslutely beautiful and hope this happens
If they could go ahead and buy back the parking meters while they're at it that would be great too.
Randomly I think the reason it might’ve been scaled back because of the beach nearby. As a local, there’s few beaches where the shadows from the buildings don’t hit, hence the taper. The Chicagoan in me wants it taller….
Thank you for sharing our city here in Chicago. I used to work many years ago in the old Kraft Building in this ares. Some very great memories back in the early 1990s.😊
I worked on the Spire foundation as an apprentice and early this year drilled for the north buildings foundation. It also has a slurry wall underground concrete wall) around the whole site. The reason for that is the site has water on two sides of it. Great project to have worked on.
Chicago is IMHO, showcases the greatest examples of architecture of the start of the high-rise era
And they're mostly empty. No one wants to be downtown let alone live there.
@@dougshoemaker2114you don't know what you're talking about...
ua-cam.com/video/dGwhCm0npYg/v-deo.htmlsi=gulog5NTfPe0iwrN
@@dougshoemaker2114 downtown Chicago is literally the fastest growing downtown in the US😂😂😂😂😂
Chicago will always be my favorite city
It was very sad to watch this project get scaled back multiple times. The Chicago Spire is a stunning building design and originally would have been the 2nd tallest building in the world. To see it scaled back to the 4th and 7th tallest in the city is really sad. The two towers are attractive, however, I wish they had at least kept the original heights for them.
I on the other hand am glad they scaled back the design because now it fits the skyline more. The spire just didnt fit the city as much and was more of a "hey look at us being tall!"
That connection concept looked amazing!
its honestly so sad that the pace of America to build just one skyscraper/lot takes the same amount of time to build entire cities in Asia and Saudi Arabia like "the line".
@@LeeAkrish We have something those countries don't; jews.
@@LeeAkrish It's the tradeoff that we have in this country to have higher labor standards, better work safety laws, stricter building codes, and workers that are paid (somewhat) livable wage.
That’ll be a great addition to the city once it’s finished…
I'm very excited by these beautiful buildings and am happy to see them added to our waterfront skyline.
Great timing with the 28% downtown commercial vacancy rate and all.
Maybe throw the comfort off and go to the office! I know AI will do this again, but creativity for some, will continue and bring us all their next best thing!
Isn't 400 Lake Shore Drive all residential? I doubt they'll struggle to sell the units that face out over Lake Michigan.
I think it will be rentals
Excellent content and easy to follow. You've got a new subscriber!
Its one of the only projects going on downtown now. I wish it could be taller like its original plan.
Building got out of hand for a while there. I don't get into that part of the city much these days, but it's still pretty dead compared to pre-COVID. I did see an interesting info-graph from Visual Capitalist re. Tech jobs in the US and CA. I was surprised at the fairly significant drop in Chicago. When I was still doing SW Engineering, things were booming in the city. I didn't dig into it enough to find out why.
@@stringlarson1247 Too many people still work from home. You wouldn't be able to tell by the traffic, though. That has gotten significantly worse in the past 5 years.
Thanks, looking forward to more vids!
I miss my city, left when I was young after my father passed 😢and haven't been back since.
2:26 u say eye sore but i loved seeing the massive hole in the ground :D i took a few people to see it when they visited. good times
I don’t understand this mediocre mindset . This particular location that once had the world’s tallest building planned for it, the Chicago spire has been reduced to a tall building in Nashville.
This is not the Chicago Way, this is uninspired , boring and playing it safe
Go for gold here, get a 2200 foot tower made here or somewhere else in the city and return some architectural towering luster back into our skyline
Kudos to New York, they are really showing some balls and inspiration
I hope Chicago will also revisit The Illinois by Frank Lloyd Wright
That was merely a Visionary idea of Wright. There was not real plan with financing sought and in Grant Park of all places.... Wright did many plans for planned cities more like suburbs etc never built and today not very urban if you look it up. Wright was not a fan of a concrete jungle of density.
@@davidw7Also part of the Illinois plan. By concentrating everyone in one tower you could have more preserved land.
@@txquartz Still this was never a true proposal seeking investors or any approval processes. It was purely Visionary by Wright. He also did his vision of a utopian city or actually suburban kind of new hybrid. Also under visionary. These concepts though could have inspiration to others for aspects that could become reality. Chicago did get supertalls, but only its first the former named John Hancock Center (still called that many times) that became half office/retail and top half residential. Chicago's next two would be strictly big business built as their Glory Tower to themselves.
Why I also commented that being in Grant Park was a concept that again... never would be built there and good ole Montgomery Ward would be rolling in his grave if it was.
Still Chicago did embrace high-rise to skyscraper living... failing for the poor, but highly successful for the wealthier along with NYC of course. Manhattan had little choice. Chicago had as it was not islands.
Another vision was a airport in Lake Michigan type imagining. Seems Tokyo did get a airport in water built for it.
Wright was never known for projects but one high-rise and many sprawling homes that was his key legacy and of course... elements of interior including furniture.
I can't quite figure this building out. The downtown real estate market for Chicago has collapsed. These buildings are in a really inconvenient location. They're boring and uninspired, almost on the border of being ugly. I would not buy a unit here if I was in the market. Whoever is holding the bag for these towers is taking a big risk.
From my experience in Lakeshore East, most denizens are rich overseas students
@@txquartz A lot of doctors and medical professionals in that area.
The design of the Chicago Spire clashes badly with surrounding buildings and skyline. I like the current design. It fits much better with the area and looks better overall than the other design.
As a Chicago resident for over 30 years, I agree we have amazing skyline. Wish our politicians make more money sense budgets.
It’s going to be so great to have even more $7,000/month apartments.
Poor boy
@ I make more in a month than you and your parents make in two years, chubby.
It’s not even expensive to live in the city
stop voting democrat
I wonder what constitutes affordable rent here
30% less than market rate
Probably 60% of area median income - that's what the Chicago Affordable Requirements Ordinance (ARO) requires.
@@lbarrow8989 so unaffordable... cool so 100% of this building is for the top 1%... the affordable units are for the less affable top 1%...
Perhaps 10 years ago people were moving to the city. However, since then...and especially since Covid, I don't think that is the case. Further to that point, I think you would've found evidence if the claim that it is the "most moved to city" were true.
My guess is this thing won't be full until at least 2030, maybe even 2035.
I'll take that bet
Chicago taxpayers foot a large part of the bill for these buildings through TIF funding. This is where half our taxes are put aside and given out to developers and friends of the mayor. The money is supposed to go to schools and for a "rainy day"...
Chicago is over a billion dollars in the hole in their budget but they have 2 1/2 billion sitting in TIF funds that they won't touch . It's pouring rain outside!!!
Don't be swayed big big media in regards to the crime problem. its bad, but not as bad as they make it out. I travel between Memphis and Chicago. Statistically Memphis is the #1 most violent city in the USA, Chicago was out of the top 15. but you rarely, if ever hear about Memphis.. In fact, St Louis, New Orleans and Nashville rank worse than Chicago.
I was visiting 500 Lakeshore Drive and looked at an apartment that was facing this construction site. Man am I glad that I didn't go for it. I had no clue what they were building there, but it already looked like it was going to be noisy af in April this year.
Dodged a bullet there. Watching this, I can't help feeling bad for those folks facing east.
Lets build more buildings as people are leaving due to the fact this city has become a shit hole city that no sane people would want to live in! Crime and excessive taxes equals misery!
Tell us how you really feel. What part of the city do you live in, btw? Exactly.
Too much Faux News for you.
Great video! My statements to follow are unrelated to the great quality and time invested in your research.
Even before watching this I knew it seemed like we were getting a twin tower type of building. Not sure if that is needed, they’re nice and I’m glad the rich will have another choice to live. I hope they survive the crime rate.
This is just in time for the next great financial crisis. I would be ironic if it goes the way of the Chicago Spire.
The buildings need to be taller. 1300 feet and 1000 feet. They are not game changers for the skyline.
It seems so crazy to me that hotels would be controversial - instead Chicago has miles and miles of countless apartments for rich people and professionals - and but now one hotel with a good view for everyone else - a hotel is accessible to nearly everyone at least once in awhile - so so crazy for. Chicago to wall itself off from everyone but the wealthiest and those servicing them rather than ordinary people to experice the amazingly beautiful waterfront - a waterfront that was supposed to be completely open to all - this contrasts so much with the expansion of the riverwalk end other improvements - nothing is better for the commercial viability of the city than making the city fully accessible to all - Chicago a generation ago had so many more hotels with beautiful views which one by one have seen their views destroyed blocked by one more skyscraper for the rich.
0:20 - - ha! Is that a bunny🐰 airline I see ?!
1:51 - - Irish bank crisis - Dec ‘08 - financial scandal
2:23 - - what is that?
1:06 - - fordham spire - July ‘05 - carley
1:28 - - chicago spire - ‘06 - kelleher
Young college graduates moving to downtown chicago was true pre pandemic, McDonalds University in Oakbrook, suburb of Chicago, actually had to move large portion of it's labor force to downtown because they couldn't hire enough college kids looking to live in the suburbs or commute there, they left mostly paper pushing, backroom divisions there, because older employees were happy to live and work in the suburbs. I know during pandemic and during BLM terror months, many people and businesses relocated to the suburbs, that was nationwide trend, not sure what the trends are now.
Fascinating. But what do they consider affordable? Will the 127 'affordable units' be in the Vortex or in the basement where they can serve the tidy folks above?
Such a cool design
I like these towers but I wish the Gateway Tower was built on the site instead
Those towers are far more realistic and cover the need for more housing and improvement for the aere. In addition it is viable and belivers a great product with It's stepped terraces.
lol no
Hard to get excited about the SOM buildings considering what was originally planned for the site. We'll have two more glass towers that will fade into the background. Sad the city allowed these designs.
The first design of the new buildings was already a let down and now they have gone and shrunk them.
These are more than some cities get and still far from a glass basic box. Price-points met and far more construction cost vs Asian cities with migrant laborers. It will be a great addition still and add more downtown housing. Unlike NYC. Chicago does not need to do skinny's with no parking and no surrounding landscaping or plaza. Though I would love more super-talls for Chicago.... I felt this spot right on the lakefront basically... was not in need of a super-tall as I would rather that more inland and taper outward. Still it is 70+ stories.
NIMBY's and the Alderman going with it to kill the hotel and podium portion and the revised plan had the pandemic hit.... added more delays yet here we go at least with one tower. Most 2-tower concepts sadly have a second tower not built. Still, all depends on leasing the first tower and unless its completion has a downturn in the economy and Chicago's.... It should be a total success.
Cities have a record of so many planned buildings never built. Chicago and others have had so many cancelled once economic slowdowns come. Even a Miami to NYC and Houston have including super-talls.
When younger I was gong-hoo for build it now and taller and let down. Now I see is as a small miracle to see plans go to completion and ALWAYS find the result better than I thought it would be.
The Crash had Chicago lose at least 2 super-talls and a mega-tall in the Spire. Trump Tower was scaled back after 9 11 and it was half-way up for the Crash of 08. Another 20 stories up stopped in its tracks taking a few yrs to get completed as a smaller different tower in Chicago.
Some are applauding a super-tall or taller of Oklahoma City. Yet it will be a miracle if it gets built as a super-tall as smaller towers come first and economy of the future will decide for a super-tall there not now.
I am happy it is not merely a glass box. Yes it could have been and it still will not be merely background as all from the lakefront to on Navy Pier and driving Lake Shore Drive and on the river will see it in its glory.
A possible final tower for across the river in Lakeshore East on the lakefront/LSD is to be 80+ stories. IF it still gets built. Something will as the final tower in that 40-yrs ongoing plan that was to take 10yrs and have on architect do all the glass boxes of Mies Van Der Roe. NOTHING generally happens as fast as we want and a miracle as planned when over time. OLDER WE REALIZE hope for more and realize.... you get it only with a miracle unless you have all the oil money and migrant labor like in Dubai and no price-points to design more into a tower.
They look like the sort of building someone would build in Omaha or Des Moines or Charlotte, not Chicago. They're the sort of thing the "biggest used car dealer in the state" would build to try to bring notoriety to his home town.
awesome
I can’t believe you went to Chicago and didn’t want to hang out with me
Besides the crime issues, Cook County and Chicago in general is a poorly managed city, just like IL is a poorly managed state. I lived in Chicago for the first 22 years of my life. The city is already almost $1B in debt and is struggling to pay it off, I don’t see how focusing on building several new skyscrapers over the last 4-5 years with the projects in various stages is good for residents. There’s a host of things that need fixing beforehand. Also Illinois is bleeding residents because we’re one of the most-taxed states across the board, especially for corporations.
Aww shutup
The Cadillac state pension plan is a huge albatross on IL taxpayers.
A lot of people disagree with what you wrote. And the crime? Yeah, most of that is very specifically regionalized... not anywhere near here.
@@RaskusArhaus OMG, you're bringing facts into this? They'll just call it fake news because they don't feel like its accurate. Its all about their feelings. Snowflakes are like that.
The crime is 50% less then the 90’s
I feel like almost every major city in the world is trying to build their own Twin Towers
Imagine living in Downtown Chicago and having concerns about a skyscraper's effect on the neighborhood because it has hotel rooms and condos. NIMBYs never cease to amaze me with their entitlement.
FYI: “Waterfront” isn’t really part of the lexicon here. “Lakefront”? Sure. “Riverfront”? Yeah, that works provided something’s actually on the banks of the Chicago River. But no one ever refers to anything as the “Waterfront” in Chicago.
The reduced height is disappointing.
It is not disappointing. From the standpoint of actually serving the needs of a community, having a handful of 100 story buildings surrounded by sprawl is terrible. It's better to have many reasonably-sized skyscrapers that fit together to form an aesthetic skyline to create neighborhoods of dense high-quality housing.
Alright! The Chicago content is coming out
I wonder how much these apartments are going to cost. I wouldn't be surprise if a 1bd went for nearly $5k/month. I live near there.
Current owners of high end real estate are being pummeled on price when they go to sell...Citadel's Ken Griffin sold his $34 million condo at 9 Walton for $19 million, a 44% loss in 7 years....
Billions for a single building but can’t help its poor
we've tried here they keep taking and committing crimes with no accountability
awesome!
Neighbors didn't want condos so they got rentals instead. Yeah, that makes sense.
They did not want the podium and hotel that would bring in more visitors as that was what the NIMBY's got the Alderman to reject the original play to eliminate the podium and hotel as otherwise it would stand today begun pre-CCoviid. There already are large hotels in the area.
Nimby's hurt many projects and lengthen the approval process, though sometimes the improvements required or added to get a project thru is a good thing. The tower will still be stunning despite a aluminium exterior minus terra cotta accents originally due to changes and no doubt some cost cutting.
@@davidw7 I get the hotel part. I don't get the condo part when everything there are condos
I too wanted a super tall skyscraper, but i think our skyline is too sophisticated, it would stick out and take away from our other buildings, maybe a nice tall lighthouse off navy pier :)
Sadly this is the impact of quick bucks for developers and builders (*correction: no benefit to builders just a change to what they build, only quick bucks to developers a one time quick profit to one person) over long term far greater benefits over the long term for hotels which give back huge economic dividends forever - and give access to all of the beautiful views along the waterfront….
You need to explore what's happening for building the Chicago Bear's stadium.
The fact that David Childs still has a license to practice architecture astounds me. The garbage that is called One World Trade Center is that at the very least such a missed opportunity. An eyesore and a dereliction of vision and taste to be more specific. Sorry in advance for what you are going to get Chicago. You deserve much better.
100k subs within a year if you keep up this quality content 🎉
I keep seeing a giant Mario jumping up and down those stair like tops
I wounder what they mean by " affordable " units......price ?
"Dusable park" is polluted with thorium from a light bulb factory which was on the site 100 years ago.
Meh. So what. You can scrape the top 2 feet of soil, dump it in some inland landfill, and put down new soil. As long as people aren't digging trenches on the site, it'll be fine for joggers and dog walkers.
The rich got so much richer and the middle class going downhill.
No way not again
0:21 hopped on a Frontier flight*
"The two buildings will provide a total of 635 new apartments, including 127 affordable units." Does this mean there will be 508 unaffordable units? What is the cost of the monthly rent of an affordable unit?
Why the hell am I watching a two-minute commercial for gold???????
I wish they would have been able to complete the Spire
Chicago needs more housing!
So no actual purchase options, how unexciting. Looks like they needed that hotel integration to make up profit for completely "sold" units where they can't make rent. Now without the hotel integration all thsts left is more rentable units and no long term living spaces. Im a ",young professional" and none of my friends making around 100-115k a year want to pay more than 2k in rent a month. I make 103, work in the loop, and still live all the way out in uptown paying 1.5k a month rent. We are thinking about saving for our future because of how hell the economy and housing market has been. The only thing we can control is our own investments and savings!
According to sources
I like the architecture more than the spire
We left Illinois 6 years ago for West Virginia. I much more greatly enjoy the hills and trees of West Virginia than the pavement and buildings of Illinois.
k
Aww shutup
🤣
I think only one tower will be built.
I always wanted to know how they expected to build such a tall tower off of such a small hole lol
127 affordable units? Why affordable units on lakefront Chicago property? Everyone deserves to live like a 1% I guess.
Too much crime
I hope they have housing for poor people... Oh they don't? What a waste of money.
education has nothing to do with it
These towers' designs were butchered by Related and the city to some extent. David Childs' original design was an iconic masterpiece. Unfortunately Chicago's political corruption and Related's penchant for value-engineering reduced these buildings to have only a fractional semblance of the elegance and homage that was intended. The difference is quite striking, leaving us with buildings that will hardly impact their surroundings let-alone make a statement that Chicago is still relevant on the architectural world stage.
We are not Dubai with migrant labor brought in and oil money to not have the price-points and architects can do far more... and cost of leasing residences or offices in a building here is a must to consider. The glory days of a Corporate Office tower is also over as our mega-corporations rather suburban glass box office parks for-the-cheaper.
This will still be a grand addition to Chicago's skyline and not just a basic glass box. Still, it needs the second tower for balance that will be only if economic factors call for it and we should know how that goes... a miracle can happen and I give it better than 50/50 for the second tower as right on the river is a big plus.
When younger... I was also all for build it all the super-talls. Build the Spire even if i would rather it have been inland more. Recessions to Crashes a 9 11 even all killed towers over decades in sooooo many cities. Scaling down is also almost standard as you plan big and..... Still NIMBYISM did the scaling back and the Alderman agreeing or it would have begun before the pandemic and taller vs finance or economic downturn issues for many.
I agree 100% Related is a questionable company as is their construction arm. Check out the many Florida buildings flaws and designs. Related is not taking this as a serious landmark building. Get it done, get paid and get out
@@davidw7 My critique had little to do with height and was more about the removal of terracotta, the lessening of the set-backs in number and proportion. The loss of a distinctive crown and the removal of the bay-windows on the front elevation.
The staggering of the cascading waterfall set-backs were more pronounced and irregular while also originally began about a third of the way up. Now they appear crammed together and are comprised completely of glass without any decorative treatments. This will cause a lot more reflection and the building will fade into background rather than pop like if the contours were defined with terracotta.
We don't have to look to Dubai or China with essentially slave labor to hold ourselves to a lower standard. Plenty of buildings in NY, London, The Netherlands, etc. still have remarkable designs with materials like limestone, brick, terracotta, bronze, brass & copper. Chicago has seen a race to the bottom forever trapped in an age of minimalism by disciples of Mies that have degraded the skyline beyond belief.
We can hope for nothing more than broad boxy towers comprised of glass curtain walls with aluminum accents. While these aren't simple boxes they are now just better than average rather than stunning, era-defining and world-class.
@@stitch6157 The terra cotta you FAILED to use and add now. It is basic... nowhere close to a Wrigley Building fancy and glass is the same. Really looking up you see not much of it... so if one wants to use it.... use it first 10 to 20 floors. Same with granite... which for somee is just lower level.
This is not those past eras.... even post Mies Van Der Roe era .... and Post Modern that was a good one. Still glass exteriors rule more than not. If not more a box.... you are doing good. PRICE-POINTS MATTER. Paying and great to say SPEND THAT EXTRA .... if your rant is a couple hundred $$$ more it matters.
Also I stand by on the lakefront... a extra-tall is not necessary as it would make the rest look smaller. The height it is will still stand out as BIG.... it will fit in better as tall but not something that just should have been inland more and taper out to the lakefront.
One thing Chicago does wall is a general taper-effect in skyline views and not be seen as NYC Which is a hodge-podge of buildings that are not the same look as if FALLING-INTO-PLACE.
This building will be fine. It will be a success and no use expecting what the US is not doing.... that is glory towers as those nations with a need to showcase wealth seek and use MIGRANT LABOR vs Chicago's highly paid Union Laborers.
@@davidw7 Again, plenty of modern buildings in the western world utilize limestone/terracotta etc. Sculptural buildings with ornament aren't only possible with migrant labor. Brooklyn tower utilizes brass. Steinway Tower utilizes terracotta and bronze. 35 Hudson Yards has limestone fins. NY has had a renewal of neo-classical towers.
This would be possible in Chicago as well with developers that cared more about the city's legacy and contributing an iconic structure to the landscape. The problem here is that maximizing ROI dominates design today, especially in Chicago where banal blue-glass boxes have dominated the last decade.
Terracotta panels are absolutely more visible than aluminum. The original design was an homage to terracotta's widespread use historically in Chicago. The panels were white and wide enough that they would have provided a contrast with the glass to give the tower definition from most angles and in most lighting conditions.
With more glass and smaller aluminum panels the building will wash-out under many distance/angle/lighting conditions. The ratio of glass is much greater now and with silver aluminum panels they'll blend with the glass making this effect even worse. It will come off very flat to people viewing it. Salesforce, 110 N. Wacker, BMO, 1000 M. & One Chicago all have this same problem. Their minimal details essentially become invisible and the towers simply reflect their surroundings and the sky which reduces their visual impact.
You can see this clearly in renderings and videos from David Childs concerning this project. Look at before & after's. These buildings were made much less defined and dramatic. David Childs wouldn't have designed the original iteration if he didn't feel they were superior and what a city like Chicago deserved. You can hear him speak about the process and his inspiration.
I recall that one of the complants of the Spire was that it would cause traffic congestion! Now they want 2 tall skyscrapers? Doesnt make semce to me! So what happened?
Been to Chicago twice on work trips. One in Joliet and UC south of Downtown and one on the South West side and 1. Chicago is an underrated city. 2. The River Front would likely look better without a bunch of skyscrapers encroaching on it and 3. Yeah bruh if you mind your business people really don't bother you
Is this the city that I was told for years that is so scary and horrible?
They should’ve built these two towers a bit more taller
You would have to be crazy to live in a 150 story building.
it was never an infamous eyesore . except by maybe by those who wanted to develop it.