fernz

Seems like they are not doing a pedestrian-oriented type development like City center, too bad.

Not crazy about it, just another glass box. And why on earth would they place the parking deck facing the bayou?!

Who dares build highrises on the edge of the park? Keep all the parking lots instead and preserve these views of the other parking lots, please!

I'm ready to see some external skin work going up on Astoria. Curious to see how it will look

Looks like scaffolding is going up on the South side of the podium.

one of the rare occasions where the finished product exceeds the initial renderings. i'm surprised at how much i like this completed compared to how i felt when i first saw the renderings.

My thoughts exactly.

Besides, adding lanes of traffic does nothing in the long term.

I remember when I-10 was about to get expanded about ten years ago, the people opposing the project cited studies that showed that on average, roads go back to same level of congestion 7 years after expansion. Proponents of the project said that was nonsense, and a couple of years after the expansion they claimed victory bc I-10 was flowing so much better. Today, it's just as bad as it was 10 years ago.

Never mind that 610 itself was just expanded a few years ago.

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One of mine. Viewed through the fence around the Catalyst lot. 11/22:

That is good quality construction. Fein is one of the few developers using metal studs and fiberglass sheathing instead of wood studs and wood or paper sheathing. Hines did the same at the waterwall building.

If I was an institutional investor, these are the buildings I would want to buy.

I second this question! I see plenty of residential and retail activity when I walk past here every night, but only of the kind that discourages new investment in the area.

Priceless!

Very nice!

But why is ZC suddenly adding it to their website and also stating it will be done in two phases? Seems strange.

They have had it as part of their marketing material for a long time, maybe they added recently to the new website design.

Architects advertise their designs all the time, regardless of actual construction status. They should though update the copy and say the project was planned in two phases.

It looks plain and boring; which is actually a good thing for a RD project. Who's the designer?

It's actually better than in most houses. These buildings have much better insulation, plus you don't get solar heat from the roof.

Great improvement, thanks for posting Urbannizer!

I see they have two underground mechanical levels...how quickly we forget the lessons from Allison.

Obviously not, but Chevron will still pay them to design it. No company is above making money. Skanska wins whether this goes up now or a few years. How is that hard to understand?

Seriously? Skanska is NOT a design firm, they are a construction company. They only make money if they BUILD the tower.

Agree. Architects often post plans of studies for projects that are not built.

Definitely better than most RD projects, but the exterior does look cheap. I really like the interiors though.

The project moving forward is not the one on the subject of the thread. Can this be split into two separate threads?

No, ZC designed that project for Randall Davis several years ago, when he controlled the site where the Hanover project now is.

^^^ also makes it less likely for projects to start

Not necessarily, because it also means projects are more profitable. It does take them much longer to start though.

Its like playing dodgeball trying to get across Allen Parkway.

More like Frogger.

  

I guess all those cranes on the horizon are just mirages. Why does Houston have to be the only city in the world where projects get cancelled, scaled down and/or modified.

I'll tell you why. It's called low barriers of entry. It's very easy for anyone in Houston to get one of these projects off the ground, so you get a lot of B-class players. A market flooded with good and bad projects is more likely to have cancelled projects. Also, inexperienced developers are more likely to get into trouble before projects are completed.

In a city like NY or DC, you have much higher barrier of entry. Between low land availability, high prices, zoning, architectural reviews, profers, unions,etc...only top experienced developers play the game, and it's less likely that projects get cancelled.

Have you ever seen how many people cross Post Oak to get from the Galleria to Dillard's on any given weekend?

From a business perspective, Dillard's is absolutely not out of place.

Finally got a pic - they have done a lot more with the "hole" since I saw it last, they added the brickwork and filled in some dirt...Im wondering if it's maybe a pool ??

IMG_4548.jpg

It could be underground detention tank. They are common on tight lots where having a grassy hole is not feasible.

That's Hanover River Oaks

Will it look something like this?

I sure hope not. I think Pickard does much more elegant design than that.