[Triton]

rsb320, on Thursday, July 17th, 2008 @ 4:49pm, said:

What do you mean?

You didn't look at the photo, did you?
1-45 is completely different in the photo.

[UrbaNerd]

Triton, on Sunday, July 13th, 2008 @ 1:21pm, said:

What in the world?? I think it's San Antonio in the background.

Edit: Oh wait, you know what I just realized? The whole entire picture is a model! It's not even a real photo of Houston. I just thought the colors on the buildings had been changed, but no... if you check the textures around all the skyscrapers, they all have a tan-fake sidewalk. How weird.

Simcity 5, anyone?

[PAC]

FYI - the videos are up and running on the MainPlace website. Enjoy!

[Highway6]

PAC, on Monday, July 28th, 2008 @ 4:05pm, said:

FYI - the videos are up and running on the MainPlace website. Enjoy!

That entire downtown environment is modeled and rendered... very impressive.
No quick and easy shortcuts like using a helicopter for Hines!

[lockmat]

pretty dramatic. Hines really sets the bar high. This must be one of the most prime spots they've got with two rail lines intersecting there.

[The Great Hizzy!]

That video is great. Very well done.

[tigereye]

swtsig, on Wednesday, July 9th, 2008 @ 4:55pm, said:

the video is very well done... this is gonna be a very nice building.

People, please look at the beginning of the video again..... DID HINES INADVERTENTLY TIP ITS HAND ON ANOTHER PROJECT?

In the beginning of the video in which Hines points out all its projects/properties downtown, why does El Paso Tower have a 2011 completion date listed?

Is there a renovation in the works for El Paso Tower?

[sevfiv]

^While I didn't see it on the Hines' listing of projects, it is mentioned here:
http://www.hines.com.../southwest.aspx

[sevfiv]

Wow - dramatic video...looks nice though.

I just hope that MainPlace pumps some life in to the sad sad state of the Stowers building (all done up and nowhere to go...way to go Spire Realty).

I think that would at least undo some of the bad karmic retribution Hines might have for committing building-icide on that block...

[Trae]

Do those cars not stop for red lights?

But really, I like how they put METRO and things in that video. Made it pretty realistic.

This post has been edited by Trae: Tuesday, July 29, 2008 at 12:41 AM

[tigereye]

sevfiv, on Monday, July 28th, 2008 @ 11:08pm, said:

^While I didn't see it on the Hines' listing of projects, it is mentioned here:
http://www.hines.com.../southwest.aspx

Well, obviously construction work has yet to begin on El Paso Tower's renovation. I work next door and pass (street level) by or through (via tunnel) El Paso on almost a daily basis and I have seen no signs of a renovation on going. But then again, completeion of the project according to Hines is for 2011 so they have 3 more years still....

Anyone know what Hines has planned for the renovation of El Paso Tower?

[PAC]

El Paso is basically gutting the entire building, and redoing everything from the structure out. I believe the building is also getting a new, all glass lobby which is supposed to be spectacular. Hines is acting as the Project Manager, with Gilbane as the General Contractor.

[PuroAztlan]

PAC, on Tuesday, July 29th, 2008 @ 9:08am, said:

El Paso is basically gutting the entire building, and redoing everything from the structure out. I believe the building is also getting a new, all glass lobby which is supposed to be spectacular. Hines is acting as the Project Manager, with Gilbane as the General Contractor.

Well there ya go.

[rsb320]

Nice video, but where's the retail component?

[CasaNova]

Man that suxs, I was eager to see the videos and either they are currently not working or I can't access them from work. All I see at the site is Videos Coming soon! Is there is anothe link to view them? Suggestions are welcomed.

This post has been edited by CasaNova: Tuesday, July 29, 2008 at 10:44 AM

[rsb320]

CasaNova, on Tuesday, July 29th, 2008 @ 10:43am, said:

Man that suxs, I was eager to see the videos and either they are currently not working or I can't access them from work. All I see at the site is Videos Coming soon! Is there is anothe link to view them? Suggestions are welcomed.

This works for me - http://www.mainplace...com/Videos.html

[citizen4rmptown]

is the buffering on the vids supposed to be that slow or is it me...

[lockmat]

citizen4rmptown, on Tuesday, July 29th, 2008 @ 4:19pm, said:

is the buffering on the vids supposed to be that slow or is it me...

it's just a tad bit choppy at home but fine at work for me.

[ricco67]

Just saw the video for the first time. I have to say that that is a rather impressive video. Have to give it to them, they really know how to spin things.

[Subdude]

citizen4rmptown, on Tuesday, July 29th, 2008 @ 3:19pm, said:

is the buffering on the vids supposed to be that slow or is it me...

It was super-slow buffering for me as well.

[ricco67]

Subdude, on Wednesday, July 30th, 2008 @ 12:55am, said:

It was super-slow buffering for me as well.

I had the same problem and was losing my patience and figure that it was just a routing problem (plus I'm on wireless) so I just hit reload, that seemed to do the trick just fine.

[ChannelTwoNews]

Photos from this morning... Laying rebar around the recently poured office tower footprint.

[ricco67]

ChannelTwoNews, on Thursday, August 21st, 2008 @ 4:17pm, said:

Photos from this morning... Laying rebar around the recently poured office tower footprint.

Awesome pictures, I appreciate it. I was driving by yesterday and was damning the fence for not giving a good street level view.

I guess the foundation is about to be poured in the next couple of weeks?

[CHiPs]

ricco67, on Thursday, August 21st, 2008 @ 4:55pm, said:

Awesome pictures, I appreciate it. I was driving by yesterday and was damning the fence for not giving a good street level view.

I guess the foundation is about to be poured in the next couple of weeks?

Great shots!...is the white building (hotel?) next to it staying?

[roadrunner]

CHiPs, on Thursday, August 21st, 2008 @ 5:01pm, said:

Great shots!...is the white building (hotel?) next to it staying?

That is the Stowers Building, that was recently renovated into office condominiums, if I remember correctly. It will be built around.

[PuroAztlan]

ChannelTwoNews, on Thursday, August 21st, 2008 @ 3:17pm, said:

Photos from this morning... Laying rebar around the recently poured office tower footprint.

This is going to be a MASSIVE concrete pour.

[HtownWxBoy]

PuroAztlan, on Thursday, August 21st, 2008 @ 5:14pm, said:

This is going to be a MASSIVE concrete pour.

This is going to be an AWSOME building! he he

[citizen4rmptown]

just imagine two years from now

[marc]

^^^^Yeah, i know what you mean. i was in H-town this summer and hardly recognized some parts of it. My GOD, that's A LOT of rebar. i definately want to see the finished product, but like waiting for Christmas or a big vacation, the waiting is half the fun. Watching it slowly but surely rising on the skyline is a bit of architectural foreplay.

m.

[HtownWxBoy]

I still don't understand why that "garden" area near the top doesn't face Main Street (since it is Main Place)... the views would be so much better... maybe b/c it would be facing away from the sun? I would think that would be a good thing, especially in the summer.

[texas911]

Nice pictures. Thank you Gerald Hines for investing in Houston.

[rsb320]

marc, on Thursday, August 21st, 2008 @ 6:21pm, said:

^^^^Yeah, i know what you mean. i was in H-town this summer and hardly recognized some parts of it. My GOD, that's A LOT of rebar. i definately want to see the finished product, but like waiting for Christmas or a big vacation, the waiting is half the fun. Watching it slowly but surely rising on the skyline is a bit of architectural foreplay.

m.

That's exactly what I thought.

HtownWxBoy, on Thursday, August 21st, 2008 @ 6:26pm, said:

I still don't understand why that "garden" area near the top doesn't face Main Street (since it is Main Place)... the views would be so much better... maybe b/c it would be facing away from the sun? I would think that would be a good thing, especially in the summer.

The other side will face the park(ish). To see Main St, you'd have to be right up to the edge looking down to catch a view.

[HtownWxBoy]

rsb320, on Friday, August 22nd, 2008 @ 12:45pm, said:

The other side will face the park(ish). To see Main St, you'd have to be right up to the edge looking down to catch a view.

True... but I still think the view would be better... get to see more buildings and stuff... just my opinion. :-)

[Jax]

Quote

True... but I still think the view would be better... get to see more buildings and stuff... just my opinion. :-)

I agree. The park is nice on the ground but it's not that interesting of a view compared to some of the cool architecture in the other direction. Also when you look towards the park you might see all of the refineries along the ship channel which isn't exactly pretty. Maybe if the weather was right you could see the bay or the Gulf, or is that just too far?

[wernicke]

Jax, on Friday, August 22nd, 2008 @ 6:31pm, said:

I agree. The park is nice on the ground but it's not that interesting of a view compared to some of the cool architecture in the other direction. Also when you look towards the park you might see all of the refineries along the ship channel which isn't exactly pretty. Maybe if the weather was right you could see the bay or the Gulf, or is that just too far?

Kind of funny... One Park Place advertises the view of the refineries as a bonus:

Houston-based Finger Cos. is developing One Park Place. The building has a selling point that no other city can claim, said Marvy Finger, chief executive officer: windows looking out on lights shining from miles of refineries and petrochemical plants after sundown.

"You're really viewing a Christmas tree at night,'' he said.

link

[RedScare]

wernicke, on Friday, August 22nd, 2008 @ 8:02pm, said:

Kind of funny... One Park Place advertises the view of the refineries as a bonus:

Houston-based Finger Cos. is developing One Park Place. The building has a selling point that no other city can claim, said Marvy Finger, chief executive officer: windows looking out on lights shining from miles of refineries and petrochemical plants after sundown.

"You're really viewing a Christmas tree at night,'' he said.

link

I agree with Marvy. From a distance, the refineries are cool. Up close, they are as well, though the smell may influence your opinion.

[Jax]

Haha that's cool. To each his/her own.

[RedScare]

Jax, on Friday, August 22nd, 2008 @ 8:08pm, said:

Haha that's cool. To each his/her own.

And you advocate for LED screens on Houston Pavillions, and lights on downtown buildings, right?

[Jax]

I said I wouldn't mind either. My biggest complaint about having a view of refineries isn't the lighting.

[TheNiche]

Jax, on Friday, August 22nd, 2008 @ 9:02pm, said:

I said I wouldn't mind either. My biggest complaint about having a view of refineries isn't the lighting.

If not the oz-like nightscape, then what is it? The billowing, streaming clouds of steam eminating forcefully from the stacks? The occasional flare that lights up the night sky in a massive fireball for hours on end? The pointy steel spires that frame the San Jac Monument?

The petrochemical complex, IMO, is itself a form of architecture that is Houston's very own. No other major city has what we have, and what we have is beautiful.

Regardless of your view on petrochemicals, pollution, symbolism, or whatnot, looking at them just kicks total ass.

---------------------------------

Getting back on topic, people should bear in mind that even though the rooftop garden faces away from the skyline, that doesn't mean that people can't enjoy the view. Only the view will be from behind glass curtainwall and isn't going to be interfered with by obnoxious visual blight like trees or other people gawking and socializing.

Moreover, if it is the symbolism of refineries that bothers you, perhaps the symbolism of trees and a garden in the sky along the side of the building with views of the refinery would offset your concerns.

This post has been edited by TheNiche: Friday, August 22, 2008 at 9:49 PM

[Jax]

I'm not saying it really bothers me, I'm just saying I would prefer the city view, that's all. I think the possibility of seeing the gulf or the bay on a clear day would be cool though.

To each his/her own.

[ChannelTwoNews]

PAC, on Tuesday, July 29th, 2008 @ 9:08am, said:

El Paso is basically gutting the entire building, and redoing everything from the structure out. I believe the building is also getting a new, all glass lobby which is supposed to be spectacular. Hines is acting as the Project Manager, with Gilbane as the General Contractor.

This may be deserve it's own thread since it looks like they've kinda started. Through the netting, the lights inside were a bit easier to see since I guess the windows on those floors have been removed. Here's a photo from this afternoon.

[GovernorAggie]

TheNiche, on Friday, August 22nd, 2008 @ 9:47pm, said:

If not the oz-like nightscape, then what is it?
---------------------------------

I love the look of the Ship Channel at night! From the 610 bridge it reminds a little of the Machine City from the third (awful) Matrix movie that Neo "saw" while he was blind.

[Dominax]

http://www.hines.com...il.aspx?id=2077

http://www.mainplacehouston.com/

MainPlace Houston

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

Hines is developing MainPlace, a signature 46-story office tower located in downtown Houston at 811 Main Street. Slated to receive LEED Silver Pre-certification, MainPlace will contain approximately one million rentable square feet. Designed by the nationally recognized architectural firm of Pickard Chilton, MainPlace will be clad in horizontal sunshades of glass and aluminum that will wrap around the building’s curved north and south façades. A signature feature of MainPlace will be a dramatic 39th floor sky garden recessed into the building’s form that reveals planted terraces and a five-story crystalline atrium. Vertical transportation will be provided by 18 high-speed elevators, and three elevators servicing the nine-level parking garage, which will contain 1,130 parking spaces. Construction activities, by the general contractor, D.E. Harvey Builders, will commence immediately with the first tenants occupying the building in late 2010.

Address
811 Main
Houston, TX

Location
Downtown Houston - on Main Street on the block bordered by Fannin, Rusk and Walker streets.


Hines' Role
Developer


Architect
Pickard Chilton


Net Rentable Area
Office building:
940,000 sq. ft.
(87,326 sq. m.)

This post has been edited by Dominax: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 at 2:06 AM

[houstonmacbro]

Nice. I am really looking forward to this tower gracing our skyline.

[wernicke]

I don't get it? Doesn't this new thread offer the same information and renderings available in the main thread?

[editor]

wernicke, on Wednesday, August 27th, 2008 @ 7:46am, said:

I don't get it? Doesn't this new thread offer the same information and renderings available in the main thread?

Nope.

[Pumapayam]

editor, on Wednesday, August 27th, 2008 @ 9:09am, said:

Nope.

I think Dominax was under the impression that we were unaware of this project? Go figure.

Nice merge banner.

[PAC]

Harvey's web cam is up and running.

http://cameras.harveybuilders.com

[Montrose1100]

TheNiche, on Friday, August 22nd, 2008 @ 9:47pm, said:

looking at them just kicks total ass.

Your damn right! A nice view for the late workers, facing that direction.