1010 Church Street (60 story/750', 500 unit residential tower, 7 story/60,000 sq. ft. YMCA addition), $350 million

[NissanvilleTitans]

Isn't the official start of this tower supposed to be this month?

[MontanaGuy]

From Tuesday afternoon, more work around the new YMCA.  I see that there's a new huge pile of rocks on top of a large hole that was dug out and then buried again on the fifth photo, it's confusing but there must be a reason for it. 

[Luvemtall]

The 4th and 6th photos show a big area that has been dug out , with barriers placed around it. The pile in 5th photo is what they took out from that dig, what they do with it is the question. 

[jjbradleyBrooklyn]

3 hours ago, MontanaGuy said:

From Tuesday afternoon, more work around the new YMCA.  I see that there's a new huge pile of rocks on top of a large hole that was dug out and then buried again on the fifth photo, it's confusing but there must be a reason for it. 

I did a bit of a search, trying to figure out why they do this with the holes. Below may provide some insight--

This is to make sure they know what the foundation is made of. For all they knew there may have been an old tunnel underneath that would have collapsed when the new building is put on top. London is built on top of an old marsh, this type of soil is very prone to sinking and uneven settling, digging down and reinforcing the foundation alleviates that.

It also ensures the foundation is uniform under the building to avoid a new tower of Pisa.

Given the age of the city it may have been to scour the land for potential archaeological finds (fervently hoping they would come up empty).

There are a few reasons why the footprint of large buildings are excavated and replaced.

• All of the old building must be removed - Typically, older buildings will have been built with weaker materials or less stringent building standards than are currently used. Depending on the age of the existing structure, complete plans may not even exist. This means that enough material needs to be removed to ensure that the soil can be assured to have the required strength for the new structure. Also this ensures that new piles will not be driven into old concrete, steel, or masonry.
• Pollutant or Hazardous Waste removal - Especially if the old building was a factory (recently or at one time), there might be hazardous materials in the soil. Environmental regulations have not always been as strict as they are now. A lot of bad things were just buried and forgotten.
• Historical artifacts - If the area is thought to have had any sort of history, digging below existing buildings may uncover some of this history. Historical societies love this, but owners and contractors hate the delay and added cost.
• Groundwater removal - If groundwater is close to the surface or close to the basement of the new building, additional excavation may be required so that a sealing layer of concrete or clay can be placed. This can seal the site so that it isn't a muddy mess while the rest of the construction finishes. Dewatering wells may also be installed.

If one side of foundation has soil packed more loosely than the other side, the foundation may cause the ground to sink, and building may crumble. Even if it has a steel-reinforced concrete foundation, the building may tip sideways, causing uneven floors, or wood to shift and split, even if concrete remains in same shape.

In my area we have a lot of caves, some hidden, that collapse under weight and cause sinkholes. Large buildings (Like a Tesco) have cracks in the walls EVEN AFTER the soil was repacked, and is still re-settling and causing NEW cracks 17 years later. One of the oldest houses in town has the foundation 17 feet deep, so that it hits bedrock. (5.1816 meters)

Repacking the soil with power-hammers, or using a DIFFERENT filler material that is less prone to settle over time, is also a common practice. As is digging deeper just to pour a thicker foundation (or a wider one with a smaller footprint on the surface, like a submerged pyramid).

In addition to the other answers, some soils (e.g. clay) expand and contract as their moisture content changes, and wet soil expands as it freezes. This movement is rarely even across site, and differential movement causes a building to crack.

Foundations are dug down to below an expansive soil and below the frost line to avoid movement. They are then built up with crushed rock or concrete, which doesn't expand with moisture or freezing temperatures.

[MontanaGuy]

33 minutes ago, jjbradleyBrooklyn said:

I did a bit of a search, trying to figure out why they do this with the holes. Below may provide some insight-

That was very interesting and now that I think about it I know that there are some caves of various sizes in the rock in this area.  In fact there was a pretty large one situated on a steep ravine right below the first house I owned in Nashville a few years ago.  It was also mentioned that there were older structures on the edge of the 1010 Church Street location where the old brick still exists and that's one area where I know that they've done a lot of digging and refilling.  Thanks for the info! 

[Luvemtall]

It makes a lot of sense, now that you mention it. 
there definitely was old structures on this site, and caves and/or tunnels are not out of the question. This is going to be a large building, unlike anything else around here so we might see things that we previously had not. 

[MontanaGuy]

From Thursday afternoon, there's more columns taking shape around the new YMCA area.  I wish I could get some photos from Church Street but it's all blocked off except for the corner across from the Alcove.

[MontanaGuy]

Monday afternoon, there's rebar and concrete forms going up next to the old YMCA today on the third photo.

[MontanaGuy]

Wednesday afternoon, nothing's happening today but I see that progress has been made on the wall next to the old YMCA with more rebar and concrete in place. 

[markhollin]

Looking NE from intersection of Church Street Viaduct and Upper 10th Ave. North (Platform Way):

[Armacing]

22 hours ago, markhollin said:

Looking NE from intersection of Church Street Viaduct and Upper 10th Ave. North (Platform Way):

So what does everyone think?  Will we see a 2nd crane raised and concrete poured for the tower before the end of 2023?

[MontanaGuy]

4 hours ago, Armacing said:

So what does everyone think?  Will we see a 2nd crane raised and concrete poured for the tower before the end of 2023?

That's just over four weeks which isn't that much time so I don't think we'll see it that soon but hopefully in early 2024.  Of course I'd love to be proven wrong! 

[Luvemtall]

Didn’t Tony G mention in a recent interview , that they were shooting for late November for vertical construction on the tower portion. I could be wrong of course, there’s still quite some projects to keep track of and they overlap in my mind sometimes. Anyway, we did have a few days of weather delays and logistics are not always an exact science. So fingers crossed that maybe we can still see at least the tower crane go up, that will be a great Christmas present!

[MontanaGuy]

9 minutes ago, Luvemtall said:

Didn’t Tony G mention in a recent interview , that they were shooting for late November for vertical construction on the tower portion.

Oh, I didn't hear that, it sure could be true though!  Of course there's only three days left of November after today but maybe in December.  I'm wondering if they are feeling the pressure of having to open the new YMCA in the fall of next year and are putting most of their efforts into meeting that deadline.  I would agree that a second crane going up this year would be a wonderful Christmas present!

[jjbradleyBrooklyn]

6 hours ago, Armacing said:

So what does everyone think?  Will we see a 2nd crane raised and concrete poured for the tower before the end of 2023?

I'd venture to say a 2nd crane may not be put in until Jan/Feb 2024. I'd love to see it come in by Dec, but based on the pictures and timeline I've seen here posted, the development seems to be a bit behind schedule? 

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to be moving a bit slower along now.

I'm super optimistic the tower will be built as planned, but cautiously so.  Hoping Tony & Co. got their financing finished before summer, since rates are now through the roof and many commercial and residential developments are pausing in this current climate.

Excited to see this one rise up!! And hopefully we'll be about halfway up with steel by fall 2024. 

[MontanaGuy]

From Wednesday afternoon, they're using the attachment that smoothes out the rocks in the third photo which I think is where the core will be located.  On the last two photos it looks like the inner wall of the new YMCA is mostly in place now.

Edited November 29, 2023 by MontanaGuy

[MontanaGuy]

From Friday afternoon, they've filled in another segment of concrete wall that faces the tower and they're getting ready to extend the height of the existing columns and walls in several areas.  They also cleverly positioned a couple of porta potties right where I took the first two photos so I had to squeeze in behind them!  

[markhollin]

Looking NE from intersection of Church Street Viaduct and Upper 10th Ave. North (Platform Way):

[MontanaGuy]

From Tuesday afternoon, not much has changed in the past few days.

[MontanaGuy]

From Friday afternoon, not much happening today.

[markhollin]

Looking NE from intersection of Church Street Viaduct and Upper 10th Ave. North (Platform Way):

[MontanaGuy]

Tuesday afternoon, slow again today but on that first crappy photo it looks like they're getting ready to lay some concrete horizontally.  It's hard to get a good shot through that red plastic fence.  

[Sean blackdog]

Today this evening. 

[MontanaGuy]

They've made progress in the past several days and they're working on the next level in several areas.  It looks like the center where I think the pool will be located will have a higher ceiling than the outer edges. 

[markhollin]

Looking NE from intersection of Church Street Viaduct and Upper 10th Ave. North (Platform Way):