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fernz

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Everything posted by fernz

  1. fernz
    I hate to disapoint you, but they have stores in urban locations such as upont Circle in DC, and they do not sell CDs. Joe Muggs does have good coffee though.
  2. fernz
    ricco, did you get a chance to see who the architect is?
  3. fernz
    It looks great! Thank you Highway6! If anyone has more pics, please share...
  4. fernz
    I guess it could always happen. It sure sounds more official, the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart makes it sound like it's not quite a Cathedral....just a "Co-Cathedral". Anyway, can anyone take a picture of the construction for those of us not living in Houston? The Archdiocese web site seems to be updated very infrequently these days. Thanks!
  5. fernz
    Yeah, right! The only reason this group is hard to please is b/c everyone believes anonymous posts that don't disclose their source. No one bothered to challenge the athenticity of this list... Books a million is a good tenant, but really HP is not much better than what you get between Bayou Place and the Houston Center...
  6. fernz
    Where did you get this info???
  7. fernz
    Randall Davis has such a succesful track record that he has a hoard of investors following him anywhere he goes - of course when I say succesful I'm talking about the investor point of view, and NOT the architectural point of view!!! That rendering from the ZCA postcard shown above is over two years old. In the meantime, he must have done his due dilligence, refined his market study, talked to his investors and his lenders, redesigned the building to look like the newer rendering (based on the market response) and finally launched his website and presales effort, which is probably a requiremnt from the lenders. As ugly as most of his buildings are (yes, that is my opinion) at least he knows what he's doing. I would say that if he's gotten this far in the course of two years it means the project is definetly not dead.
  8. fernz
    Most likely metal panels. Either painted aluminum or, if they get fancy, zinc.
  9. fernz
    Here is the exact quote: "This glorious cathedral will stand as a powerful symbol of the transcendence of God, and as an affirmation of the existence and importance of faith in a secular and disbelieving world. The Cathedral will serve as a soul and conscience of the city, reminding us of the importance of the spiritual amind the bustle of the commercial and corporate worlds - of the fact that God exists and faith matters."
  10. fernz
    The building has three rose windows. One each at the North, East and West facades.
  11. fernz
    I know what you mean, and I sure do hope that the vision becomes reality. However the Diocese, and especially Bishop Fiorenza never wanted the building to stand out as a beacon (although I bet the architects would've loved that). His primary goal was to build a Cathedral of the apropriate size to hold the major events held there, and simbolically, he wanted the Cathedral to stand in the middle of the secular center of the city as a reminder of the importance of the religious life coexisting with the secular world. He specifically didn't want to Cathedral to be a grand, ostentatious building. A perfect example is that he specifically asked the architects not to do a tall dome, and most importantly, not to do a gold leafed dome. When Mr. Ziegler suggested to do a gold color painted dome (assuming the issue was cost), the Bishop said he didn't want to even give the illusion of a gold dome. Yes, a Meier designed cathedral (or pick your favorite star architect) would've been a wonderful addition to Downtown, but that is not what the Bishop had in mind.
  12. fernz
    Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion and, obviously, opinions will vary. In this forum alone, some people have complained that the building is too modern and some have compalined that it is not modern enough. Without adding to the varying opinions, I will quote a studio teacher from school, who very likely got this from Philip Johnson: "Great architecture comes from great architects working with great clients." I will not get into the debate of whether this design constitutes great architecture, that debate should happen five or ten years from now, but I will say that the client's wishes and opinions should not be ignored, nor should be those of the community. And to that, I will add this picture, which shows a couple of satisfied clients, and will remind every one that during the design phase the architects and the Diocese were very involved with the Houston catholic community and with the Downtown community. I don't know how to post a picture, look at the second image at this site: http://www.zieglercooper.com/cathedral_building.htm
  13. fernz
    You are only talking about the architectural meaning of the word basilica. In the cannonical sense, the designation of a basilica has nothing to do with the form of the building, but with its artistic and historical significance, as well as the importance it plays in the liturgical and pastoral ministry of the diocese. Basilica is a title assigned by formal concession or immemorial custom to certain more important churches, in virtue of which they enjoy privileges of an honorific character.
  14. fernz
    Urban economists have gone down this road before, there are several studies trying to answer the question "What would a city without zoning look like?". Of course most of these studies point to Houston as an example, and the answer in most cases goes along the line of "market forces will shape the development of a zone-free city and the end result is a city with no zoning would not be very different from a city with zoning." The reason housing is booming in the suburbs and not in the city center is indeed market forces. Land prices in the suburbs allow for far cheaper housing. Even when you add the cost of commuting, most people (as evidenced by market sales) would rather live in the suburbs at suburb prices. It's not even a question of detached housing versus condos, look at the success of condo projects in places like the Woodlands, Sugarland, Clear lake and West Houston. That said, public policy can and will influence the market. If the county and state hadn't spent so much money in raods and infrastructure in the suburbs, development costs would be greater than they are and the gap in cost of housing between the city and the suburbs would shrink. The seemingly endless land supply in the exurbs and the continuous investment in road expansion is one of the reasons housing in Houston is far below the national average.
  15. fernz
    The L.A. Cathedral is a great example of modern religious architecture. I know of course a lot of people prefer the old-style and decry the death of classic church design, but that is not new and thankfully has never stopped architects from trying different things: The term Gothic was first used by art critics, during the Renaissance, who were referring negatively to the style of art and architecture that did not conform to the Classicism of Greece and Rome. The critics came up with the term because they thought the Goths had invented the style. They were incorrect in their thinking that it was the Goths who, in their opinion, were responsible for the destruction of the good and true Classical style. The people of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries recognized the originality of the style and referred to it as "opus modernum" (modern work)." Why "Gothic?" Because that was the term applied to a style of architecture (dominant from the C12 through the C15) that was itself regarded as crude and primitive in contrast to the beauty, symmetry, and formality of classical (ancient Greek) architecture"
  16. fernz
    I agree, it looks very 2000's. Is that a bad thing for a church being built in .... 2006? I still can't understand Houston's obsession (and most of the US for that matter) of wanting churches to be built in some sort of neo-whatever style. If anything, this Cathedral is not modern enough! What would the gothic cathedrals be like if they had been built to mimic previous styles?
  17. fernz
    For the latest pictures, visit the Archdiocese website: http://www.archgh.org/cocathedral/photos-other.htm
  18. fernz
    Thanks ricco67. I am not involved in the project, but I do know some people who used to be and they kept me informed of the progress.
  19. fernz
    That is not accurate. There are several strip windows going all the way to the ground, separating all the curved chapels from the main walls. Clerestory lighting was in fact a design element. Some lower windows were removed beacause there were concerns they would be too distrcting from the interior. If you visit the architect's office you will see several models that were used for the design, some of them for the dome only. It is my understanding that it was the Bishop's desire to have a shallow dome, because of a particular church that he likes in Italy that has that type of dome.
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