Omaha Forums

Riverfront tower will be 93 levels, and contain 400 housing units and a hotel.
http://www.timeout.com/chicago/blog/che ... wer-091815

Downtown Chicago to add 10,000 housing units by 2016.
http://www.timeout.com/chicago/blog/4-s ... ine-091015

I'm not well-versed in how projects like this are proposed and come about, but how exactly does something of this scale happen?

I'm kind of meh on the design. Like, it just looks okay. Not bad, not good. Meh.

First, you need the demand from potential residents/users. Second, you need existing high density which forces property values higher. Then you need enough scale to sell/rent enough space to make it profitable. Plus, since the late 1800s, Chicago has sought to establish itself as the high-rise capitol of the world, more recently just in the U.S. competing against NYC, since other parts of the world such as Dubai, Kuala Lampur, Shanghai, etc. have surpassed the U.S. in high rise construction.

It's also easier to build these things in Chicago, the city doesn't put nearly the same barriers on development that NYC does, which is a big reason that housing is cheaper in downtown Chicago than Manhattan or Brooklyn.

GetUrban wrote:First, you need the demand from potential residents/users. Second, you need existing high density which forces property values higher. Then you need enough scale to sell/rent enough space to make it profitable. Plus, since the late 1800s, Chicago has sought to establish itself as the high-rise capitol of the world, more recently just in the U.S. competing against NYC, since other parts of the world such as Dubai, Kuala Lampur, Shanghai, etc. have surpassed the U.S. in high rise construction.

Professor Woland wrote:It's also easier to build these things in Chicago, the city doesn't put nearly the same barriers on development that NYC does, which is a big reason that housing is cheaper in downtown Chicago than Manhattan or Brooklyn.

Thanks

In other Chicago tower news... Twin towers with 1,440 residential units. The shorter one will be built first at 76 stories, 829 feet with apartments, and the second taller one is an undetermined height with condos.

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2015092 ... south-loop

Meh. Yay for Sears/Willis Tower ripoffs?

I remember seeing this proposal last year, this 2nd design change actually is a lot better than the first one. The official height is unkown at this point since everything is still in the proposal stage but supposedly it will be 1,200 ft including the parapet, which is not bad but the ceiling height(1,200/93=12.9 ft) is considered low for skyscraper standard. This picture is a hair too small but check out the pricing lol

How much fun would it be if the whole thing was a walk-up?