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I prefer the current design. Its a more mature version than the previous. I like this idea of a beautiful glass object sitting on the edge of a very pristine "table" of stone. Not all updated designs are "value engineered" from my own experience. The glass on the bottom is the same glass on the tower portion. If VE was what they were preoccupied with then they would have done this throughout the entire building. Probably the most expensive part of this building is the structure. The "twist" and profile they have set up is actually going to be nice to see how they pull off including the illusion they are doing with the glass coming to an edge at the middle of the tower portion. Again if VE was so important then this would have been one of the first things to go. The crown also doesn't look like a VE either, but more of a simplification of the tower form itself. Honestly the top crown in the original has no relation to what is going on in the tower at all. The new design the crown looks more of blend of what is happening throughout. Also we have had the "updated" render for a couple years now? There hasn't been any changes since then that I'm aware of. Anyway, just an an opinion from an industry professional. I could be wrong.

Ngl the stone fits better from a pedestrian and curvature standpoint, looks way more inviting than the glass bottom version. There's nothing valued engineered about this project, just different design choices. The difference in between the glass and stone is how well it transitions from the high rise to the base, which the stone does a million times better. Honestly the stone is going to having a more lasting effect than the glass. In about 20 years the glass base will look dated but the stone will be timeless.

*rolls eyes*

The aquarium of the americas is great. Something else I had considered back when I used to get a little ridiculous with ideas (I still think the topgolf on the roof of GRB idea would have been great, haha.. they could have even built the structure for the bays on the Houston first parking garage to support the weight) was a satellite campus for moody gardens in downtown.

View from Buffalo Speedway & W. Alabama. Notice the CBD background.

A little crane jumping this morning

I'm not sure if anyone has had the chance to take pictures, but from i-45 there is a lot of steel going up on the roof of the building. It caught me off guard the first time I saw it, thought it was an entirely new building going up at first. It also looks like they are repainting the exterior.

Noticed the signage today. “ A new restaurant tenant is heading to mixed-use shopping center Highland Village. Gauchos Do Sul will take over the third-floor space formerly occupied by Up restaurant at 3995 Westheimer in late March. The outpost marks the second locale of Gaucho's Do Sul. The first, which opened in 2016, is located at 126 Vintage Park Blvd. in Cypress.” https://www.chron.com/entertainment/restaurants-bars/amp/Gaucho-s-Do-Sul-steakhouse-open-Highland-Village-15068390.php

Took a closer look last week. I like the double H logo.

I honestly think this needs to happen in Architecture as well. While there is a substantial argument to be made that there are a myriad of ways students benefit from getting a more general or isolated education in there various fields, many of the real issues we face today are from the fact that our institutions have become overly preoccupied with the abstract, and theoretical instead of what is actually happening in the real world. A way to help this is by bringing multiple disciplines together so they can have checks on one another and learn from one another, and push each other to actually apply there knowledge to what is actually happening in reality. In a way we need to start popping some bubbles or echochambers. People outside ones discipline can be incredibly useful to gain new insight into what one doesn't know or understand. Establishing more lines of communication is always better than cutting oneself off.

There are indeed two buildings going up at the same time. The 8-Story apartments at 3540 West Dallas, and the 24-Story tower with an address of 3705 Allen Parkway. Apartments on West Dallas: Tower on Allen Parkway:

View from Buffalo Speedway & W. Alabama.

Looks like it is used to fill rail cars.

I’m fine with the new crown, I just feel like the glass podium looks more alive from the street level than the stone.

A friend who bought a unit in The Revere was told their unit should be finished by late June. She wasn't clear if anyone else had started moving in, or if that was just her unit, or whether that's the entire project. She's not a sophisticated new const buyer. They bought about a year ago.

God the glass looked so much better.

Some Permits for the Hotel/Condo tower. Good chance this part is going up soon.

they can use a Whataburger cup to determine scale when HPD stops using Whataburger table tents to mark crime scenes...

Tower crane was assembled on Saturday.

Noticed something new today.

The north tower crane is being jumped 4 sections. It was running out of room. 1st pic shows it using a weight to balance the crane. They were installing the tie-in while I rode by.

IH 10 @ Waco, we don't see many from this side of town but it looks gorgeous from this angle.

Or even NY

https://imgur.com/Angjc5c Pic I took yesterday.

https://imgur.com/WrPHcP Pic I took today.

Last night's sunset

Agreed. I’m a fan of incrementalism and think if we can keep improving the public spaces and streetscapes while adding residential, retail will follow. To me, a bunch of connected small places and spaces in a walkable area is better than big projects like aquariums. That said, I’d love to see one or two public squares added downtown in key places. Similar to how Mexico City and many European cities have several plazas separated by only a few blocks.

Something like the Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans? Or better. That would be magnificent.

Agreed. We need a real aquarium, not a restaurant that confuses tourists into thinking it is one.

http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/32546-near-north-side-projects/#comment-546739 I found it thanks! They tore down all of the buildings belonging to Element. Saw this gem on reddit today..