Coffey Architects’ Post

Seven incredible facts about the construction of the St Regis Chicago 🧐 1. Designed by Jeanne Gang, it is the tallest skyscraper in the world designed by a woman. 2. Measuring 101-story’s (1,198ft) the skyscraper cost nearly $1 billion to construct, one of the biggest price tags in Chicago’s history. 3. According to its architects, the tower "presents itself as three interconnected volumes of differing heights, moving rhythmically in and out of plane" as a result of the curvilinear design. 4. The tower has a notably smaller footprint than other supertalls in Chicago with a building height-to-core aspect ratio of 40-to-1. 5. The 83rd floor has been left empty to let Chicago’s famous winds whip through. This ‘blow-through floor’ reduces sways. 6. Unlike most buildings, the building's perimeter columns step inward and outward instead of going directly upwards. Each column projects about 5 inches outward or inward from the one below it. 7. The multicolored glass and low reflectivity reduces the number of migrating birds crashing into the tower.

"While mass timber is being built as a viable alternative to mid rise urban structures, here its use is aesthetic, a neat showpiece as the rest of this building (shorter than many of the other actual mass timber structures) is built as a standard steel-and-concrete building." https://lnkd.in/dtbRgv4Y

An excellent example of how investment in quality design, materials and systems can be a far better spend in the long term - a building awash with great detail.

Site: Egerton Place (#RBKC) - Appeal Consent Very pleased to announce that Simon Wallis and I secured the "Erection of a projecting glazed structure from raised ground floor to first floor at the rear of the building together with 1100mm high detailed handrail at raised ground floor" on site, following appeal. The application was initially refused in August 2022 due to its height, form and impact on the Conservation Area. The application was further taken to appeal and approved in August 2023. The Planning Inspectorate recognised uniformity to the front of the terrace group, but identified a lack of uniformity to the rear. The proposal would introduce a contemporary squared glazed rear extension to the rear, in contrast to the 1894-1897 architecture: "The extension design would deviate from the traditional, timber window design elsewhere on the building. Nonetheless, this would add visual interest to the building whilst retaining views of the traditional timber windows elsewhere on the building.". The Planning Inspectorate was in favor of the development, resulting in the appeal being approved. #townplanning #savills #london #londonproperty

Repost from Chris Reebals: "It is the light, it is the shade, it is the view, and the way it connects a home with its surroundings. Windows and natural light are more than just important, they are the life-blood. We design with window that don’t just penetrate a wall but become the wall. I’ve never been criticized for too much light!" . . . #blackstoneconstruction #blackstone #birminghamal #birmingham #alabama #commericalconstruction #commerical #construction #residentialconstruction #residential #architecture #blackstonebuilt #constructionindustry #buildingdesign #contractors #constructionwork #propertydevelopment #constructionsite #renovation #constructionlife #buildingsolutions #constructionmanagement

Where do I begin? In isolation, this is indeed an attractive tower design. What the issue is here however, possibly even more than the way that way that it impacts the heritage-listed Parcels Post Building at Sydney’s historic Central Station (which should be obvious), is the way that indigenous and built heritage has been used to justify this 45 storey proposal. I will allow others to look at the design, consider the quotes from this article (which come almost directly from the raft of documentation to support the proposal), and draw their own conclusions. - “The slender looking building… resembles the form of a “clustered pill” shape to symbolize an Indigenous Australian message stick.” - “Terracotta fins on the tower’s facade reference the character of the Parcels Post building” - “Toga Central will sit above the former Parcels Post building” (please note the massive support pillar) - “the curved facade seeks to mirror the conformation of the historical building.” https://lnkd.in/e6DaZVQT

🏠 Roof Trivia Time! 🏠 Did you know that the term "hip roof" comes from its shape resembling that of a pyramid? Hip roofs slope down on all four sides and are known for their stability and resistance to strong winds. This classic architectural feature has been used for centuries and continues to be a popular choice for both residential and commercial buildings. Are you familiar with this type of roof? #RoofTrivia #HipRoof #InExDesignsRoofing

In contrast with other public buildings of the era such as schools and hospitals, the budget allowed for the best of materials. There was granite cladding from the Isle of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea, Hoptonwood limestone from Middleton Quarry in Wirksworth, and Cat Castle Quarry was specially reopened to obtain sandstone. The interior was lined with wenge hardwood from Zaire, American white oak, Japanese sen ash, and most expensive of all, English brown oak was used for the shrieval chambers. In those days, people were only starting to ask if hardwoods came from renewable sources. Since it was considered important that there should be continuity of the grain pattern of the wood, each log had to be assessed to ensure that it contained enough timber for a particular room or court. Basic building costs for the five-storey building, at tender stage in December 1980, amounted to nearly £17.6m or £732.72/sqm. The final project cost in 1986 was approx. £30m. The courts have been opened to the public on 'Doors Open Days', and the tour of the various parts of the building is fascinating. Even though some of its occupants are by their nature not well-behaved citizens, and it remains one of the busiest courts in Europe, it still looks as good as it did when it opened almost 40 years ago. This cannot be said for many buildings of its era. Text extracts from ‘Charles Rennie Mackintosh & Co.’ by David Stark. Images courtesy of Architects’ Journal – 11th Feb 1987. #Keppie170 #Keppie #architecture #design #interiordesign #townplanning #anniversary #170years #Glasgow

Tea Staining! Very easily avoidable at specification stage - usually at almost no extra cost. Both poles seen here on the same scheme in Cork City this week but supplied by different companies. The 2nd one - a Kent Stainless traffic light pole which has the Kent Bright Satin Finish - started out as a 320 grit polished tube which was then electropolished for 5 minutes. The 1st one from another company ....?? could be the wrong grade of stainless or the wrong polish, or both. Most coastal cities have a tidal river mouth or estuary - salt in the air, plus salt is often used for de-icing. This along with pollution in a city Architects & Engineers - you can request one of our Stainless Steel Sample Books with the finishes seen here https://lnkd.in/dw9NwekK or we can give a dedicated CPD on Recommended stainless steel finishes for Urban Realm Enhancement Projects just drop us a line here or at info@kentstainless.com All grade 316L #stainlesssteel - all made in #wexford #urbanarchitecture #urbanfurniture #urbandesign #urbanlandscape #publicspace #publicrealm #streetfurniture #streetscape #landscapearchitecture #landscapedesign #landscapearchitect #landarch #wayfinding #signage #trafficlights #stainlesssteel

METROPOLIS’s November/December 2023 explores the critical mass of experimentation with both the materials and methods of architecture and interior design today.