The parking lot they tore up has nothing to do with this building.
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newstl2020 wrote:The parking lot they tore up has nothing to do with this building.
I don't know what parking lot you're talking about. The one I'm talking about is the one immediately to the left of their building and to the right of the new construction for the plaza. It's a small parking lot and is where the new tower will be located.
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That was just a gravel lot. You said that they have torn up the parking lot. So they have removed the gravel? The only actual parking lot surface in the area is the one located on the site of the future plaza. What exactly have they done? Have they begun excavation or have the just brought the gravel/dirt lot to grade?
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newstl2020 wrote:That was just a gravel lot. You said that they have torn up the parking lot. So they have removed the gravel? The only actual parking lot surface in the area is the one located on the site of the future plaza. What exactly have they done? Have they begun excavation or have the just brought the gravel/dirt lot to grade?
There was a small bobcat on site and it appeared that the lot had been leveled to grade, but I thought it had been paved, so maybe nothing has been done. I'll ride by again today and see if I can give any further information.
Drove by today and there is a backhoe parked on the fenced in spot where the tower will go. There were also several trucks pulling away. *May* be some work starting.
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MattnSTL wrote:Drove by today and there is a backhoe parked on the fenced in spot where the tower will go. There were also several trucks pulling away. *May* be some work starting.
Interesting. I rode my bike past there last night and the backhoe which had been there last week was gone. Hopefully this is a good sign if you saw it there again today!
Ladies and Gentlemen, a giant drill rig is parked in the Roberts' Tower footprint (not the plaza) and a large pile of steel girders has appeared on the southeastern portion of the site. Doesn't seem like the kind of stuff they would need for the plaza IMO. This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill......oh wait, it is a drill, but...........well, you know what I mean.
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I'm assuming they are going to need caissons for this tower, as we are in a seismic zone, but I might be incorrect. I realize this is a shorter building, so they might not be necessary. Does anyone have any conclusive knowledge of the foundation plans? For this height I believe the norm is a floating mat foundation, but once again with the seismic zone I have no idea.
The Seismic Design depends on the severity of the sub-surface rock motion and also the soil in which the structure is founded.
http://www.cement.org/masonry/PL377_seismic.pdf
http://www.cement.org/masonry/PL377_seismic.pdf
I would expect drilled piers. however, as stated above, the underlying soil conditions determines exactly what is needed. Could be steel pilings as well, but unlikely. A mat foundation for a building of this size would be out of the question.
Not sure how much of a basement they will be putting in, but I would think the steel will be driven into the ground so tieback walls can be put in place. These are the temporary walls you see on large projects.
Not sure how much of a basement they will be putting in, but I would think the steel will be driven into the ground so tieback walls can be put in place. These are the temporary walls you see on large projects.
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A mat foundation for a building of this size would be out of the question.
I thought that buildings below a certain height didn't necessarily need caissons and could use a mat. For some reason I had 700 feet in my head. I dunno where I thought that. Maybe I was thinking that they would still need caissons, just not ones driven all the way into bedrock? Coulda been it.
Drilled piers likely don't need to go to bedrock, but buildings only 5 stories tall get drilled piers these days.
Not sure what the fascination is with the foundation, but it will have caissons (drilled piers) to bedrock, and socketed into the bedrock because of the uplift this building will generate. IIRC, the bedrock in this area of downtown is around 75 to 85 feet below grade. Even 2 story buildings downtown have been built on caissons. Raft foundations are usually used in areas where there is a lot of variation in the soil on a site, the soil overall is "soft", i.e. cannot support the weight of the building, and/or the bedrock is too deep for caissons. They can also be used as part of the foundation system of a building, to support an elevator shaft for example, with caissons on the building perimeter.
I am much more interested in how the structural engineer plans on tying the new tower to the Mayfair Hotel. THAT is where things get interesting.
I am much more interested in how the structural engineer plans on tying the new tower to the Mayfair Hotel. THAT is where things get interesting.
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Seeing as construction is aparently set to begin soon, plans for how the foundation will be set-up (the first part of the construction process) might be nice to know as we would then know what to expect. I think it's cool to know what is going on at each part of the process. Thanks for the info though. Anybody have a recent pic they might be able to post?
Construction really is here. No drilling yet, but the rig is on site.
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So what do they do with a banner that size when they're done with it?
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I just got A LOT more excited. I hate to be a bother, but as I'm still in sh*t-cinatti it would be amazing if someone could really keep an eye on this thing day to day. I live in the city back home, so I was downtown everyday checking things out....a little like being in rehab not being able to do that now...
Good deal - that drill will definately be needed to start the caissons for the building. Once those are drilled in and we see re-bar on site, I think we can officially state "Under Construction".
Grover wrote:So what do they do with a banner that size when they're done with it?
Post it on the side of the tower as the new facade. Recycling to get LEED points.
