The Under-Construction Building That Partially Collapsed Is Over A Year In The Making

By Kate Shepherd in News on Oct 23, 2015 6:32PM

Part of a high-rise under construction in the West Loop collapsed Thursday afternoon when a 10 -by-10 section of wet concrete wall collapsed and fell through to the ninth floor.

About 100 firefighters responded to the scene and crews searched through the debris at 150 N. Riverside until about 5:45 p.m. to make sure no one was trapped or hurt, according to the Tribune. There were no reports of injuries and all workers were accounted for, the Chicago Fire Department wrote in a Tweet.

"It was a minor form-work failure," Chris Phares, project executive with Clark Construction, told reporters at the site. "At this time, there are no injuries. We're currently securing the site."

The glassy office building, which is just west of the river, boasts of its proximity to Union Station and will be the tallest building west of the river at 54 stories when it's completed. It will add a western focal point to the city's skyline and a new highlight for river architectural tours.

It will feature approximately 1.2 million square feet of rentable office space, according to the plans. Here's a rendering with two views of what the building will look like:

150NRiverside.com

Construction on the building started last year but the foundation was not poured until February. It has progressed steadily through the warmer months. It's at about 20 stories tall right now, according to authorities. The project is using the largest steel sections in the world but those will be largely hidden from view when the facade cladding is put on, according to Curbed.

The building's PR outfit has been calling the construction site "the most spectacular engineering show in Chicago right now."