Omaha Forums

Another quarter in the jar, MTO.

You'd better get a horse tank ready.

We really need someone to explain what they are doing besides moving dirt from one place to another. Normally some of that might be to create a surcharge but that doesn't appear to be what they are doing. This week they did take out the part of the temporary parking lot across from DJs.

hatwate wrote:We really need someone to explain what they are doing besides moving dirt from one place to another. Normally some of that might be to create a surcharge but that doesn't appear to be what they are doing. This week they did take out the part of the temporary parking lot across from DJs.

I don't think there was ever a surcharge on this site and there probably won't be. For a building of this height/load a surcharge would be unrealistically tall. They will probably put the building on piles in lieu of a surcharge. Right now they could be overexcavating to bring in new structural fill. They might be stockpiling soil that's being removed for future use as backfill for foundations.

Lillian Bean wrote:

hatwate wrote:We really need someone to explain what they are doing besides moving dirt from one place to another. Normally some of that might be to create a surcharge but that doesn't appear to be what they are doing. This week they did take out the part of the temporary parking lot across from DJs.

I don't think there was ever a surcharge on this site and there probably won't be. For a building of this height/load a surcharge would be unrealistically tall. They will probably put the building on piles in lieu of a surcharge. Right now they could be overexcavating to bring in new structural fill. They might be stockpiling soil that's being removed for future use as backfill for foundations.

I don't know the details on what exactly they're doing with the dirt on this project. But I do know, for the last 6 months at least, they've had the dirt on site piled-up about 3-4 feet higher than what they'll need to meet sidewalk/street level, especially along Shirley Street. It's possible 3-4 feet of surcharge is all they needed to compact the subgrade sufficiently for basic needs. But I agree, for a 10 story building that close to the Little Papio flood plain, they'll likely need some sort of deeper pilings. Hard to know for sure without seeing the structural drawings, unless we just wait and watch closely what they do.

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Looks like some cranes have arrived:

That's a big |expletive| mud hole.

Exciting! I love the new design. It makes sense that they chose Aksarben Village, if not choosing downtown, with a desired headquarters building of that kind of architecture. That design fits in an urban-style setting, and on straight streets & sharp street corners best (over suburban-style settings & meandering roads), imo. Really great building.

RockHarbor wrote:Exciting! I love the new design. It makes sense that they chose Aksarben Village, if not choosing downtown, with a desired headquarters building of that kind of architecture. That design fits in an urban-style setting, and on straight streets & sharp street corners best (over suburban-style settings & meandering roads), imo. Really great building.

I thought both renderings were pretty bland compared to their other work.

PotatoeEatsFish wrote: I thought both renderings were pretty bland compared to their other work.

I'll be honest to say that I slightly had that same thought, too -- but, I felt their choice was 100% appropriate for that tight lot in Aksarben Village. With the nice rigid lines & clipped-off, inward angled corners, I think the building has enough trendy design style to make a neat & sharp statement for the firm on that block, while fitting nicely into, and not fiercely competing w/, all the new & great design around it. I feel that is right for that specific area.

If the firm were building on a big open space of land w/ a big lawn, then it probably would be more appropriate to make a bigger, showier statement w/ their headquarters, imo. Also, they design buildings for firms likely a lot larger than their own, so they are able to "hang more bells & whistles" (or use their designer "bag of tricks" more) on buildings & complexes that are larger, than a medium-size building for their own medium-size firm. That's likely why the kind of work you've seen outputted by them, and what you're likely expecting, seems better to you, than the plan of their new headquarters, imo.

That's one thing about architecture & Omaha that I find frustrating. Because our city doesn't demand the biggest buildings (usually), designers are somewhat limited. Sometimes, they may try to "hang" too many "bells & whistles" on a smaller or average-size building, imo. For example, I like the C&A Industries building in the First National Business Park. But, I feel that building couldn't have handled ONE more designer feature. It is only 6 stories, or so. If that building were taller, lets say 10-15 stories, with those same features, it would be awesome, imo. At only 6 stories, it is maxed-out on embellishments & features, imo. Same with a house. If a house is 2000 square feet, you can only embellish the house w/ only so many design perks. If it is 6000 square feet, a designer has way more availability to create something wonderful, striking, and complex.

That's my take, anyways... I'm happy about their decision to build in Aksarben Village, and I love their new urban-looking headquarters.

By the way, PotatoeEatsFish, this is what I mean. I took the C&A Building in West Omaha (image courtesy of Google Maps Street View), and I did a little copy & pasting.

In Omaha, a company is only so big, so the building is always smaller & shorter -- and that usually means the architect/designer is limited in how much they can "wow" anybody with their design. If you passed this same company & building in suburban Dallas or Atlanta, the company & building would likely be bigger/taller, therefore the same building would be more striking & impressive, imo.

(The architect of this C&A Industries did a great job, imo -- enough so, that this is one of my favorite buildings in suburban Omaha. Yet, I wouldn't dare "hang" one more "bell & whistle" on that 6-story building, or it would be "hanging too heavy" with them, imo. Stretching it much taller, it makes more sense to me, with all those slick, outer design features. But, unfortunately, the designer/architect, who's head is often full of neat ideas, can't always include them all on a smaller building.)

LOL (at saying "deep" to my measly period). It wasn't taking my submission, so I pushed "submit" again, and it created two twin responses... lol

I think about all this "deep" stuff, even passing by buildings in Omaha (like this C&A Industries one), because I used to my design my own buildings (sketching them on paper, and I also built them for a friend's train set, and even for my own model city at one time). I was always planning on being an architect growing up.

Basically, as I pointed out: The smaller the building, the less you can really do -- just like a house. Starting at around 6 stores (like this building) and up, you are able to create a unique base, a body, then a unique top -- like you see on this building. So, the body can simply be stretched-out with more height (like I did in my example), while keeping the base & top intact. If the building is only around 3-4 stories (like so many in Omaha are), you can't really justify a unique base, a body, and a unique top. You can usually only get by w/ only a body, or maybe a base & body. If this C&A Industries building were only 3-4 stories, they couldn't have fit all those unique features into it. However, as I've shown, starting at 6 stories and up, they all can work.

Anyways, I would love that C&A Industries building that tall in Omaha, off West Dodge Road. Driving on the West Dodge Expressway near Boys Town, it would give me goosebumps, if that building stood that tall off Dodge. It just is a sharp building. Even at 6-stories in Omaha, it is sharp building. But, like I pointed out, with all those outer slick features, the building "wows" more, and its slick features are more pronounced, if it is stretched taller (imo).

PotatoeEatsFish wrote:

RockHarbor wrote:Exciting! I love the new design. It makes sense that they chose Aksarben Village, if not choosing downtown, with a desired headquarters building of that kind of architecture. That design fits in an urban-style setting, and on straight streets & sharp street corners best (over suburban-style settings & meandering roads), imo. Really great building.

I thought both renderings were pretty bland compared to their other work.

Their primary business is budget-conscious government entities. You can't come balls-out on some crazy design that is going to turn off that business. Architecture is a very limited amount of the work that they do and arguably, they do not need to impress architecture clients with their own building - that's what the portfolio of work is for. So the goal with the new building is to show off a little bit of architecture chops while still keeping the budget reasonable to keep the budget-conscious clients interested. Also, the building needs to fit the area. The designer who did the one on 120th and Blondo missed the mark. That strip mall has always looked out of place (in my opinion). The HDR building will impress but also fits the Aksarben Village area nicely.

guest2017 wrote:

PotatoeEatsFish wrote:

RockHarbor wrote:Exciting! I love the new design. It makes sense that they chose Aksarben Village, if not choosing downtown, with a desired headquarters building of that kind of architecture. That design fits in an urban-style setting, and on straight streets & sharp street corners best (over suburban-style settings & meandering roads), imo. Really great building.

I thought both renderings were pretty bland compared to their other work.

Their primary business is budget-conscious government entities. You can't come balls-out on some crazy design that is going to turn off that business. Architecture is a very limited amount of the work that they do and arguably, they do not need to impress architecture clients with their own building - that's what the portfolio of work is for. So the goal with the new building is to show off a little bit of architecture chops while still keeping the budget reasonable to keep the budget-conscious clients interested. Also, the building needs to fit the area. The designer who did the one on 120th and Blondo missed the mark. That strip mall has always looked out of place (in my opinion). The HDR building will impress but also fits the Aksarben Village area nicely.

I didn't know they were behind that 120th & Blondo strip plaza. Interesting. I, too, have always felt that was a bit "off." I get what they were going for, but I just felt it was not a right choice. It is similar to the ultra-modern, abstract-looking one at 168th & Dodge -- which had some later alterations I noticed. I think because it was "too much" and too wacky, or something. Maybelocals complained... Not sure.

RockHarbor wrote:

guest2017 wrote:

PotatoeEatsFish wrote:

RockHarbor wrote:Exciting! I love the new design. It makes sense that they chose Aksarben Village, if not choosing downtown, with a desired headquarters building of that kind of architecture. That design fits in an urban-style setting, and on straight streets & sharp street corners best (over suburban-style settings & meandering roads), imo. Really great building.

I thought both renderings were pretty bland compared to their other work.

Their primary business is budget-conscious government entities. You can't come balls-out on some crazy design that is going to turn off that business. Architecture is a very limited amount of the work that they do and arguably, they do not need to impress architecture clients with their own building - that's what the portfolio of work is for. So the goal with the new building is to show off a little bit of architecture chops while still keeping the budget reasonable to keep the budget-conscious clients interested. Also, the building needs to fit the area. The designer who did the one on 120th and Blondo missed the mark. That strip mall has always looked out of place (in my opinion). The HDR building will impress but also fits the Aksarben Village area nicely.

I didn't know they were behind that 120th & Blondo strip plaza. Interesting. I, too, have always felt that was a bit "off." I get what they were going for, but I just felt it was not a right choice. It is similar to the ultra-modern, abstract-looking one at 168th & Dodge -- which had some later alterations I noticed. I think because it was "too much" and too wacky, or something. Maybelocals complained... Not sure.

Randy Brown designed the 120th & Blondo buildings. It is based on deconstructive design theory. No relationship with HDR and in my opinion, much more interesting and impactful design.

ryan311 wrote:

RockHarbor wrote:

guest2017 wrote:

PotatoeEatsFish wrote:

RockHarbor wrote:Exciting! I love the new design. It makes sense that they chose Aksarben Village, if not choosing downtown, with a desired headquarters building of that kind of architecture. That design fits in an urban-style setting, and on straight streets & sharp street corners best (over suburban-style settings & meandering roads), imo. Really great building.

I thought both renderings were pretty bland compared to their other work.

Their primary business is budget-conscious government entities. You can't come balls-out on some crazy design that is going to turn off that business. Architecture is a very limited amount of the work that they do and arguably, they do not need to impress architecture clients with their own building - that's what the portfolio of work is for. So the goal with the new building is to show off a little bit of architecture chops while still keeping the budget reasonable to keep the budget-conscious clients interested. Also, the building needs to fit the area. The designer who did the one on 120th and Blondo missed the mark. That strip mall has always looked out of place (in my opinion). The HDR building will impress but also fits the Aksarben Village area nicely.

I didn't know they were behind that 120th & Blondo strip plaza. Interesting. I, too, have always felt that was a bit "off." I get what they were going for, but I just felt it was not a right choice. It is similar to the ultra-modern, abstract-looking one at 168th & Dodge -- which had some later alterations I noticed. I think because it was "too much" and too wacky, or something. Maybelocals complained... Not sure.

Randy Brown designed the 120th & Blondo buildings. It is based on deconstructive design theory. No relationship with HDR and in my opinion, much more interesting and impactful design.

Oh, interesting. Don't get me wrong, I totally "get it." There's a time & place for that unique design.

The "off" comment: There's that oblong section jutting off the rooftop (pointing towards 120th) that's maybe a little too much for a mere, smaller strip plaza, imo. However, whatever...that is just my taste. We can all see things differently & think differently about the same thing.

I know this, though: I like that plaza a lot better than the one out at 168th & Dodge. I'm relieved they changed something at that plaza so it wasn't so strange. Seriously, it was like a large metal shard, or something, jutted out of the rooftop. It was totally odd & strange & unbalanced. They finally just cut it off one day. (lol)

I totally get modern & abstract style, some design chaos, and that "deconstructive" term you mentioned. Yet, it still needs to be tasteful... And, honestly, I don't feel Omaha (or any town really) should get too many of those brow-raising style plazas. Maybe one, or two...

I really like the design, clean and modern. I think it will look fantastic once it reaches about the same height as BCBS.

Construction fence is going up around the site today. I would think the crane would be going up fairly soon, although nothing on site yet for it.

skinzfan23 wrote:Construction fence is going up around the site today. I would think the crane would be going up fairly soon, although nothing on site yet for it.

Keep us informed! I'll need to make sure to head out there during construction (sadly I don't get to aksarben nearly often enough)

Sorry, I work in AV, but all these little details I forget to post also...

Noticed that the first pieces of the tower crane arrived today. Should see it start going up in the next week or less.

Any ideas why they have and are spending lots of time maintaining the dirt pile in the NE corner of that block? If I am up to date there isn't any current plan for that corner that would require a surcharge.

hatwate wrote:Any ideas why they have and are spending lots of time maintaining the dirt pile in the NE corner of that block? If I am up to date there isn't any current plan for that corner that would require a surcharge.

So it looks presentable??

Crane is going up on the SW Corner. It is already impressive at even the first couple pieces.

^^^ Yep, my phone is cheap.

Also snagged one yesterday:

A few more pieces to the crane arrived today.

Something's up.

Thank you for the photos!

Seems like they are taking forever to assemble the tower crane. They put up the base on April 19th but there still are no other pieces on sight yet over a month later. For comparison's sake, the Hyatt Place in the Old Market installed the base on June 20th and the crane was completely assembled 3 weeks later on July 6th.

skinzfan23 wrote:Seems like they are taking forever to assemble the tower crane. They put up the base on April 19th but there still are no other pieces on sight yet over a month later. For comparison's sake, the Hyatt Place in the Old Market installed the base on June 20th and the crane was completely assembled 3 weeks later on July 6th.

Bet the crane is on another job running over on schedual. Guess the base was set based on project plan and now they wait.

nebugeater wrote:

skinzfan23 wrote:Seems like they are taking forever to assemble the tower crane. They put up the base on April 19th but there still are no other pieces on sight yet over a month later. For comparison's sake, the Hyatt Place in the Old Market installed the base on June 20th and the crane was completely assembled 3 weeks later on July 6th.

Bet the crane is on another job running over on schedual. Guess the base was set based on project plan and now they wait.

Without seeing Kiewit's actual project construction schedule, and with a company as large as Kiewit, it's really hard to believe the project would be held up at all waiting for crane parts to become available. It seems much more likely they're still doing foundation work or waiting for steel fabrication and delivery. They might have taken the opportunity to simply set the crane base before they actually need the rest of the crane.

GetUrban wrote:

nebugeater wrote:

skinzfan23 wrote:Seems like they are taking forever to assemble the tower crane. They put up the base on April 19th but there still are no other pieces on sight yet over a month later. For comparison's sake, the Hyatt Place in the Old Market installed the base on June 20th and the crane was completely assembled 3 weeks later on July 6th.

Bet the crane is on another job running over on schedual. Guess the base was set based on project plan and now they wait.

Without seeing Kiewit's actual project construction schedule, and with a company as large as Kiewit, it's really hard to believe the project would be held up at all waiting for crane parts to become available. It seems much more likely they're still doing foundation work or waiting for steel fabrication and delivery. They might have taken the opportunity to simply set the crane base before they actually need the rest of the crane.

Who knows.. Maybe George Little is contemplating a HQ move back to downtown ...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

Just ride your bike down the trail from 60th and Spring towards the west, you will go right by Kewit's yard. Its been a while, but last time I went by there were 2 or 3 tower cranes sitting in there.

The structure around the base has CH1 on it. Do you suppose they will be having more than 1? Based on the UNO garage construction, it would seem they might have one just for the garage.

Some iron going up . . .