urbanMSP

I don't know much about engineering either, but I've been watching large buildings being built in Chicago for awhile now, so maybe I can make some sense of it.

We're used to watching smaller low-midrise buildings being built, where they just drive sheet piles down below the level of the basements so they can excavate without collapse. Here, they aren't doing that (or if they are, it is a small part of what they are doing). They are driving support piles down to the bedrock, which takes much more time. It also looks like they are preparing to start drilling cassions-- steel-lined shafts that go down to the bedrock which are then filled with rebar and pumped full of concrete. Piling to support a skyscraper takes much longer than sheet piling to enable excavation.

I wonder when they are going to assemble the big tower crane...the base has been in for a couple weeks.

I know this is a bit late, but I thought I'd bring up the school conversation again. I'm sure a lot of you read the DT Journal's piece a few weeks ago on the issue of school options in downtown. There really aren't any. It's one of the reasons my wife and I chose not to buy a condo since we'd have to find other schooling arrangements for our two daughters.

I know we all like office/condo/apartment towers, but there's a lot more to the city than tall buildings. If anything, the school district should use the lot to expand the school so that downtown residents have a good school option. Who knows, they could come up with a 6-10 story school with mixed use facilities which could benefit the neighborhood.

I know this is a bit late, but I thought I'd bring up the school conversation again. I'm sure a lot of you read the DT Journal's piece a few weeks ago on the issue of school options in downtown. There really aren't any. It's one of the reasons my wife and I chose not to buy a condo since we'd have to find other schooling arrangements for our two daughters.

I know we all like office/condo/apartment towers, but there's a lot more to the city than tall buildings. If anything, the school district should use the lot to expand the school so that downtown residents have a good school option. Who knows, they could come up with a 6-10 story school with mixed use facilities which could benefit the neighborhood.

I think we'd all be happy with just about ANY public schooling expansion, because it would mean more for the city than most developments ever could! Not everything has to be big, tall or even beautiful to garner excitement.....the Whole Foods and Lunds were extremely popular. As is the prospects for a future DT park or green area. There's even a lot of chatter about renovating the Armory.

So I don't necessarily think it's all about towers and big [Richards] in this forum, but they're very easy to love.

I know this is a bit late, but I thought I'd bring up the school conversation again. I'm sure a lot of you read the DT Journal's piece a few weeks ago on the issue of school options in downtown. There really aren't any. It's one of the reasons my wife and I chose not to buy a condo since we'd have to find other schooling arrangements for our two daughters.

I know we all like office/condo/apartment towers, but there's a lot more to the city than tall buildings. If anything, the school district should use the lot to expand the school so that downtown residents have a good school option. Who knows, they could come up with a 6-10 story school with mixed use facilities which could benefit the neighborhood.

I think we'd all be happy with just about ANY public schooling expansion, because it would mean more for the city than most developments ever could! Not everything has to be big, tall or even beautiful to garner excitement.....the Whole Foods and Lunds were extremely popular. As is the prospects for a future DT park or green area. There's even a lot of chatter about renovating the Armory.

So I don't necessarily think it's all about towers and big [Richards] in this forum, but they're very easy to love.

Oh yeah, well I went to Super Tall High...

Yeah, looks like the big crane will be going up here the next day or so. They have the big crane assembling boom in the street, and I have seen a couple pieces of yellow tower crane go by on LaSalle today.

Correct.

Taller tower cranes build themselves as they go up-- because boom cranes can't reach them, and because they need the support of the building they're building to help hold them up.