I would like to setup a lawn chair in the center divider of Park Ave amongst the tulips and just spend a day watching the construction.
You could on the sidewalk part.
indicator that they are starting to get up high, the columns are starting to become boxes rather than laminate
Forgive me for asking, but what is a laminate steel column? I have personally never heard that terminology used in any of the AEC industries.
But as far as Im aware, the central/core columns have always been box columns, its the outer/exteriors columns that have been changing from box columns to the traditional h section columns the higher the building has risen and at different levels in relation to the setbacks.
central gridline interior and exterior columns so far have been almost entirely laminated (meaning a solid shape made up of stacked plates that are welded together), thus far. Once that capacity is no longer needed columns tend to move in build up plate shapes like boxes or WF in thicknesses that exceed available rolled sections. Then finally they move into rolled section sizes when requirements fall far enough.
Thanks for that explanation 
I did not think any of the columns or elements at this point were laminated though as its clear that even the fan columns are made up of 4 plates welded together to form a box (like those used in the former WTC). I hadn’t seen any indication that there were completely solid elements in this construction.
if you zoom in at the fireproofed columns above the fan nodes you will see the vertical shadow lines in the fireproofing. those are the outlines of the plates.
30HY also had a considerable amount of laminate plate work in its columns and nodes.
sometimes with complex connections at bracing or truss nodes, its much easier to just cut a shape out of plates and weld those plates together rather than trying to recreate some intricate geometry of intersecting members.
for columns, like these, its simply a matter of capacity.
i should add that the base nodes at the bottom of the fan columns and the top nodes above them are a different kind of solid steel element called a forging. So those, in fact, are solid single pieces of steel.
Thank you for that explanation, again 
I appreciate it! I did know about the forged solid nodes and I guess I did know about the laminated portions/columns, but did not realize they were called that (seems a no brainer though) as I’d never heard of the term used before but until now as it relates to steel.
But I think generally in my earlier post, the laminated columns transitioned to box columns and rolled shapes long ago and this is indicative of the different heights of the setbacks. The laminate columns have only been used (on the exterior portion) on the central 6 columns on the N/S sides, the 4 others have been boxes that have transitioned to rolled forms halfway up their respective setback and the same methodology for the laminate ones as you mentioned.
The three central gridlnes along each long axis of the perimeter should remain as solid columns until the top of the 2nd setback, then they will transition to box shapes.
at the 3rd setback they should transition to rolled shapes from built up boxes.
some of the internal core columns remain as solid plate until the 4th setback
That seems to be what is happening just not exactly at the setbacks, it appears that the 6 central long axis solid columns stop at the first setback and transition to boxes, they visibly become smaller unless they are still solid but occupy a narrower footprint.
Its about ~775’, the setback should push it past 800’.
Perhaps I missed a post, but have they resumed construction?
For about a week now if not slightly longer.
