With proper maintenance, the buildings should last indefinitely. A lot of modern skyscrapers can look pretty damn skimpy -- look at the World Trade Center for an example when it was constructed with a massive center core and an exterior supporting skeleton.

Hmmm, ok thanks for the input.

Judging by the height of the other buildings in comparison with the site, I'd say we're at 50 meters or about 1/4 the way up. :-D  What do you think?

Another floor of the core  just went up!

I wonder if they work 5 days or 6 days a week.  I don't think they work on sundays?

>ith proper maintenance, the buildings should last indefinitely

 

I heard once that the Empire State Building is expected to survive 400 years. 

Another floor of the core just went up!

 

This is the pattern I've noticed. They pour the concrete for the next floor on Wednesdays. Then

they jack up the form on Fridays and from then on to the next mid week work on the re-bar tying. Ergo one floor being done a week. At least for the core. For the actual floors they seem to be doing two floors at a time. Starting in the northeast side of the buiding putting steel beams from the outside wall to the core and then laying out sheet metal on the top second floor. The floor directly beneath it will be done at a later time. The two floor frame work routine raises & repeats in about a week and half.

Thanks for the explanation, DS.

I would say that this thing is up 2 or 3 floors from that last photo.

I would say that this thing is up 2 or 3 floors from that last photo.

 

More like two floors and one concrete core floor.

thanks for the clarification :roll:

^^ http://queencity.siteisight.com/

 

The progress after 6 months...at this speed they should be done this time next year.

 

http://queencitysquare.com/construction.htm

 

The garage is moving as well. 

The rain and stuff has delayed them, they are behind schedule this week.  I'm disappointed (jk). 

Could vulkane.com build the tiara? A local co. with some serious metal work chops. Checkout the website.

Can't wait to see this thing finished.  I think a lot of people that say the tiara is ugly will change their minds once they see the real thing.

I wonder what's wrong with webcam it's stuck on night time images.

I went to the Reds game today and grabbed a few pics, plus a shot from the KeyBank luxury suite which I was lucky enough to be in, low level directly behind home plate.

 

 

 

 

Great pictures, thanks!

From the looks of things (progress/pictures) they should be raising the main tower crane much higher very soon - correct? That's the part that really grabs the attention of people driving in/out of the city - especially at night!  8-)

QCS II Animation

 

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2434/3609501032_ae84af9d3c_o.gif

From the looks of things (progress/pictures) they should be raising the main tower crane much higher very soon - correct? That's the part that really grabs the attention of people driving in/out of the city - especially at night!  8-)

 

I was wondering about that myself.  The Tower's core has been steadily rising but the crane hasn't moved. 

QCS II Animation

 

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2434/3609501032_ae84af9d3c_o.gif

 

Doesn't anyone think this building is unusually fat (wide)...I don't know most buildings I guess are sort of thinner.  This one should house more space.  This thing is going to be a behemoth.

^It's pronounced "bohwemuth". (Extremely obscure Reservoir Dogs reference).

The World Trade Center towers were 208x208ft.  This tower will be roughly 200x100ft., and almost precisely half as tall.  So roughly 1/4 the floor area, or more likely 1/5 the total floor space. So the pair of World Trade Center towers were roughly 10X as large as this new building.

 

I went out of my way as a youth to go visit the World Trade Center on a school trip while the rest of the group "went shopping".  This was my only visit to the towers in my 5~ trips to New York before the terrorist attack.  The thing lost in the terrorist attack narrative is that these buildings were very high quality, with exterior and interior lobby materials that far exceeded the quality of imitators like our own Dubois Tower (5/3 Bank). Modernism gets a bad rap because outside of New York an Chicago, few Modernist buildings were built with quality materials, and materials & craft are more important than form.       

 

If QCS Phase 2 is any indication, I'm extremely skeptical that this new building will have any kind of presence.  I don't blame the architect because he is at the mercy of the people signing the checks -- people who likely cannot articulate aesthetic views of any sophistication, assuming they have any.  Typically aesthetes don't end up in business and people who are focussed on business aren't aesthetes.           

The World Trade Center towers were 208x208ft. This tower will be roughly 200x100ft., and almost precisely half as tall. So roughly 1/4 the floor area, or more likely 1/5 the total floor space. So the pair of World Trade Center towers were roughly 10X as large as this new building.

 

I went out of my way as a youth to go visit the World Trade Center on a school trip while the rest of the group "went shopping". This was my only visit to the towers in my 5~ trips to New York before the terrorist attack. The thing lost in the terrorist attack narrative is that these buildings were very high quality, with exterior and interior lobby materials that far exceeded the quality of imitators like our own Dubois Tower (5/3 Bank). Modernism gets a bad rap because outside of New York an Chicago, few Modernist buildings were built with quality materials, and materials & craft are more important than form.

 

If QCS Phase 2 is any indication, I'm extremely skeptical that this new building will have any kind of presence. I don't blame the architect because he is at the mercy of the people signing the checks -- people who likely cannot articulate aesthetic views of any sophistication, assuming they have any. Typically aesthetes don't end up in business and people who are focussed on business aren't aesthetes.

 

Some are, but like you said, they can't articulate it. What can you expect when you live in an age where buildings are products instead of monuments, and only extreme foci of wealth or public interest produce buildings of monumental quality.

materials & craft are more important than form.

 

:clap:  Totally agree, and no one ever seems to point that out (outside of this message board at least).

jmeck & civik: what are you guys talking about????

 

this building is a monument! have no presence?!? please... the $10 million Tiara crown.... entirely unneccesary, not funtional, purely symbolic and an aesthetic decoration. not to mention the quality of the clear cool blue glass..cincy needs an injection of glass buildings to freshen up the skyline.

 

I hate flat roofed skyscrapers... they symbolize static, dull, like a heart monitor - flat = death. up&down = life! this crown/tiara will make QCS a piece of art.

Does anybody else watch the animation/look at the model or plans and wish they would have turned the building 90 degrees such that the broadside of it would have faced Sycamore?

i like it that carew is wide n/s and QCS II is wide e/w

materials & craft are more important than form.

 

:clap:  Totally agree, and no one ever seems to point that out (outside of this message board at least).

 

Wait wait wait, I couldn't disagree more.  Modernism should get a bad rap because form should be placed first and foremost into consideration.  If all we care about is materials and craft, then all you'll get is a mish mash of starchitect building after starchitect building in which no cohesion is achieved, street level presence is an after thought, and block by block aesthetics are forgotten.  Modern architecture seems to be about the indvidual, form is about the community.  We ought to be promoting the community, not the individual in our streetscapes.   

Actually what we should strive for is postmodern, that is architecture that is sensitive to and gives a nod to its surroundings, but I think thats what you meant.

 

Nice points guys, but man I didn't think the WTC was so big (wide).

jmeck & civik: what are you guys talking about????

 

this building is a monument! have no presence?!? please... the $10 million Tiara crown.... entirely unneccesary, not funtional, purely symbolic and an aesthetic decoration. not to mention the quality of the clear cool blue glass..cincy needs an injection of glass buildings to freshen up the skyline.

 

I hate flat roofed skyscrapers... they symbolize static, dull, like a heart monitor - flat = death. up&down = life! this crown/tiara will make QCS a piece of art.

 

This is a monument:

 

 

This is an imitation:

 

These are well-crafted and well-proportioned spires:

 

This could be a party hat, but I do admit it remains to be seen. It might be very beautiful and I certainly do reserve judgement until its finished:

 

Well regardless, it's a much better looking roof then the other buildings we have with the exception of the PNC tower.  But, sometimes less is more.  When we see this thing way up high and the lights shining on it, we just might give it some oohs and aaaahhhhs.

Well regardless, it's a much better looking roof then the other buildings we have with the exception of the PNC tower. But, sometimes less is more. When we see this thing way up high and the lights shining on it, we just might give it some oohs and aaaahhhhs.

 

I agree.  They could've just as easily lopped off the "tiara" (geez, I hate that term!), left it a flat top and it would've still passed the UDRB, and we would've had a flatter skyline.

May 11, 2009:

 

June 1, 2009:

 

More at http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,19352.0.html

Don't this look like the carew tower without the tiara?

Anybody know what the hell is going on here:

 

http://queencitysquare.com/construction.htm

 

I mean why are they skipping levels in the back.. It's not complete in some areas.  Are some of these floors maintenance floors (EP) or what?  Looks funny.

BTW they will be jacking up the platform tomorrow! Yay! She's going to be ever so high!  I'm amazed at how fast this project is going considering it's only been like 6 months of actual construction while FT in New York has been under CO for almost a 5 years.

 

I believe the crane has lifted also, it looks a bit taller.  Only by a few feet though, but it's noticablly taller.

that webcam image makes curious to know what they are going to do with all the glazing on qcs I where it appears the two buildings will attach.  from any of the concept imagery i have seen i dont recall a setback that would provide any distance between the two.

They'll most likely knock that wall out in the smaller tower so you can just walk over to the bigger one from inside.

Well maybe from the parking garage at least;)

Well, here are some construction photos for the month of June.  Date taken 6/14/09:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can look at many more at :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26444938@N03/

 

That building is going to be done in the blink of an eye... once they start going vertical like that things pick up steam.

Any day now they'll be topping it off at this pace

To Be or Not To Be?

 

To be.

2 more floors and I'll be able to watch the construction from my balcony :)

Cincinnati skyline will look like a devil with the two horns (Carew Tower and Great American Tower) hehe! :lol:

To Be or Not To Be?

 

To be.

 

I think this rendering doesn't have QCS I

Yeah it does, just to the right of QCSII.  If this is to scale, it shows just how tall II will be in comparison to I.