Devon Energy Center

[OKC@heart]

I am pretty sure you are correct in your supposition regarding the block out in the matt being for the Freight elevator pit. It would be required in order to have elevator service at that level and that was my thought when the earlier discussion was being had regarding it being for a point of entry for utilities in the building. Most of those will come in laterally through the basement walls. Good call, and thanks for your pictures!

[ourulz2000]

Any chance Devon could give some estimates on progress of the tower over time? (i.e. by August 1, 10 stories; by December 1, 20 stories, etc...)

[Urbanized]

I am pretty sure you are correct in your supposition regarding the block out in the matt being for the Freight elevator pit. It would be required in order to have elevator service at that level and that was my thought when the earlier discussion was being had regarding it being for a point of entry for utilities in the building. Most of those will come in laterally through the basement walls. Good call, and thanks for your pictures!

Hey, I said at the time that it was only a guess! And nobody else piped up at the time with any other ideas. But after looking at the drawing compared to the site, and thinking about the logistics (the only elevator access needed to the basement would probably be freight), I think you guys are right.

In my own defense, they'll still need at the very least a floor drain in the elevator shaft. So at least one piece of the building's mechanicals MUST be stubbed out in that hole in the slab.

[possumfritter]

I would like to see a day-to-day list of how much this project costs.

[Rescue_Company_One]

In my own defense, they'll still need at the very least a floor drain in the elevator shaft. So at least one piece of the building's mechanicals MUST be stubbed out in that hole in the slab.

Actually where I used to work the Frieght elevators had sump pumps at the bottom but no drain to the outside. Could be either.

[OKC@heart]

Actually where I used to work the Frieght elevators had sump pumps at the bottom but no drain to the outside. Could be either.

It is required by code in most if not all juridstictions to have a sump pump to prevent any liquid from entering the drainage system. The sump will go to a drum that can be emptied. often in an adjacent mechanical room.

Urbanized, there was no disrespect intended in my comment listed previously. That is not my way of doing things, and never is my intent. There are any number of ways that various aspects of the the facility can be constructed or addressed and so it is often a process of make a guess based on what I have seen before and then see if that is how they are going to do it. Sometime is is and sometimes it isn't. That is part of the fun in seeing how they do it. I can say that it is pretty rare to have the ability to see the process in a play by play manner as the building is constructed like this. How cool is this site! How awesome to see OKC grow!

[metro]

Any chance Devon could give some estimates on progress of the tower over time? (i.e. by August 1, 10 stories; by December 1, 20 stories, etc...)

A floor approximately every 4-5 days and the vertical should start first or second week in April so........

[Pete]

Anybody have any ideas on how they plan to connect the tower to the Colcord?

And for what the plans are for the space between the two buildings?

I believe the rendering below shows the approach from the Colcord... But I think this was before they decided to physically connect the two:

[cad_poke]

If you can find an archive of the planning department meetings, I believe it was presented late last year. I want to say October or November.

[metro]

Also, if I'm not mistaken, they are building the Colcord a seperate meeting/conference space.

[Pete]

Previous reports said a 3-story addition to the Colcord would be made on the western-most portion; that it would be glass and in similar style to the tower and other new improvements and that it would directly connect the two structures.

I'd just like to see the layout, as I believe there was also supposed to be some landscaped space directly next to the Colcord.

[Thundercitizen]

A floor approximately every 4-5 days and the vertical should start first or second week in April so........

So somewhere between about Halloween and Black Friday we should see the full height of the structure.
Weather permitting, of course.

[Head]

...as the building is constructed like this. How cool is this site! How awesome to see OKC grow!

My thoughts exactly.

[Urbanized]

...Urbanized, there was no disrespect intended in my comment listed previously. That is not my way of doing things, and never is my intent...

Ha! No offense taken, nor was there at the time. It's hard to discern tone in online messages a lot of the time, and I obviously didn't make it clear that I was joking with the exclamation points and such. I was just trying to make heads or tails of the site at the time, and like I said then was only making (somewhat) educated guesses. I have been around plenty of construction in my time, but never anything on this scale for sure. It's just fun to try and figure stuff out as it appears.

[jbrown84]

Anybody have any ideas on how they plan to connect the tower to the Colcord?

And for what the plans are for the space between the two buildings?

I believe the rendering below shows the approach from the Colcord... But I think this was before they decided to physically connect the two:

The northern edge of the Colcord lines up about with the northern edge of the tower itself. If anything it's a bit south of that. I would guess in this picture, the connection will be to the left of the sidewalk/plaza pictured.



The hotel will be actually connected to the tower and you will be able to walk from Hudson to Robinson through the podium into the Colcord. The "bridge" will contain much-needed additional meeting space for the hotel, and the space between the hotel and the tower will be a landscaped courtyard with fountains that will become fire pits in the colder months.

[Doug Loudenback]

As my friend and I were sitting looking at the site, he said he didn't think the whole in the mat foundation was for utilities specifically. He threw in the ideas it was probably for the mechanics of a freight elevator. After looking at the plans, it looks like he may be right. The area where that whole is lines right up where the two elevators show up on this area of the plans.

I recall watching what was intended to be the new 22 story Penn Square Bank being constructed in 1984 ... of course, events changed that and the building is the Valliance Tower today. My wife-to-be commented to me, "That's going to be a pretty skinny building," or something like that. Well, what we saw were just the portions of the building designed to be weight bearing and relating to the elevator shafts! What a hoot!

[DelCamino]

New pics from the west side of the construction site ( Mar. 25, 2010):

[Pete]

Thanks Del!

From the looks if the following photo, the fitness center will take up the 3rd and 4th floors of the western most section of the parking garage:

[DelCamino]

Thanks Del!

From the looks if the following photo, the fitness center will take up the 3rd and 4th floors of the western most section of the parking garage:

You're welcome, Pete. Thanks to you for providing us this site.

Your comment about the fitness center...that's what I understand to be the case. At least the plans submitted to the Downtown Design Review Committee reflected such.

[OKC@heart]

Great Images Delcamino! Thanks for making the day!!!

[metro]

Took these around 6:30pm tonight. Got new angles that haven't been posted, as well as in the ones with the Dolese concrete pumper, you can tell where they are starting to run utilities. They had some spool (attached to orange machine) spinning wire of some sort (I'm guessing electrical) down the pipe that connects to the "breaker type box."

[OKC@heart]

These are some great images thank you so much for posting these! It makes all the difference getting to see with more detail and up close. Wow what a huge exercise in coordination. Makes me dizzy and worn out just thinking about all of the simultaneous activity that has to be orchestrated correctly.

[stlokc]

Thanks to everyone for posting these photos...means a lot to out-of-towners like me. One question: I see all this massive parking garage construction. In St. Louis, a lot of the downtown garages being built have street-level retail and the parking starts on the second floor. Is that to be the case with any of these new garages? Seems like a good opportunity for some people-oriented development!

[gen70]

Thanks to everyone for posting these photos...means a lot to out-of-towners like me. One question: I see all this massive parking garage construction. In St. Louis, a lot of the downtown garages being built have street-level retail and the parking starts on the second floor. Is that to be the case with any of these new garages? Seems like a good opportunity for some people-oriented development!

Agreed....

[jmarkross]

Regarding parking garage retail storefronts..."if there are shoppers...they will build them."