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Simbha

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Posts posted by Simbha

  1. This is a Reuters news pieces on an interesting demolition practice being used in Tokyo: 'internal' demolition. The video is interesting in and of itself, but there's also a Houston sighting in here (although it's not labeled as such).

     

     

    At the 1:08 mark, you can see the former Prudential/Houston Main Building in the TMC being demolished. It's used as an example of how many other cities (e.g., Houston) can use traditional demolition practices, but Tokyo needs something different due to its building density.

     

    As noted, I think the entire video is worth watching.

  2. My guess is that they don't want to go public with what might be a shot-in-the-dark or crummy idea. If HCSCC's initial appraisal of it deems it worthy of consideration, they'll probably release them from the NDA provisions to allow them to go public with it. If not, we probably won't hear any more.

     

    What confuses me is... Which actual entity at USC is putting forth a proposal? USC is an educational institution. I can see a USC architecture student team - or even a faculty cohort - doing this, but that's not 'USC'.

  3. One of my concerns regarding these proposed developments adjacent to Discovery Green is the shade cast upon the park. IMO, one of the things that makes Millennium Park in Chicago (a common comparison) so wonderful is that - in the middle of the city - the park is an open greenspace with no shade cast upon it by nearby highrises. I wonder if this development will make Discovery Green less desireable to some people.

  4. I spent an hour and a half circling campus in the ridiculous heat getting these pictures. I REALLY hope it cools down by the next time I go around and take another set. :P

    Insperity Center (yes, that's what the new business building is going to be called http://swamplot.com/...ner/2012-08-31/):

    DSC_0197.jpg?t=1346456567

    It is my understanding that the building itself will NOT be named "Insperity Center"; instead, an institute within the building will be named the Insperity Center, and the building will retain the official name of the Bauer Classroom Building.

    Having said that, I believe the exterior of the building - in the relevant area outside the formal Insperity Center - will have lettering stating "Insperity Center," so this may be a moot point since the students may just call it the Insperity Center anyway.

  5. I'm surprised I wasn't able to find this on HAIF. I ran a few searches, but nothing came up. Apologies if this is a repeat thread...

    Swamplot reported in May that the Univ. of St. Thomas will be building a new performance arts center near the Menil campus. The article indicates that the building will be four stories and just under 100k square feet. Here's the accompanying rendering:

    http://swamplot.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/st-thomas-performing-arts-center.jpg

    University of St. Thomas's Performing Arts Center Moving in Next to Menil Campus

    • Like 2
  6. This thread reminds me of a story...

    Some years back - maybe around a decade ago - I was driving along in the southwest part of the city with a splitting headache. I spied a retail drugstore in a strip center and decided to stop in for something to relieve it. I parked on the side of the drugstore and walked up to a door which I thought was an entrance. I opened it and stepped inside - into a dark lobby, behind which people were playing slots and video poker. A very large, muscular man was seated on a stool in front of me. In a low, deep growl, he asked, "Can I help you?"...

    Me: Umm... This... isn't... the drugstore.

    Him: Nope. It's next door.

    Me: Oh, sorry. My mistake.

    I turned to leave when he called out to me...

    Him: Hey!

    I turned back very slowly... "Yes?"

    Him: You didn't see nuthin'

    Me: Iiii didn't see... nuthin'

    I never did get that headache medicine... :lol:

    • Like 1
  7. Thought I'd throw this out there. It's the same rendering provided by ChannelTwoNews earlier in this thread - which appears on the sign at the site - but this is a slightly higher-quality version which appears on the AD Players website itself.

    capital-graphic.jpg

    Not to overtly solicit money on their behalf - I have no affiliation with AD Players and have never even been to one of their performances - but this won't happen without donations. If you want to see this become realized, I encourage you all to directly contribute whatever you can: http://www.adplayers.org/capitalcampaign.html. It's a nice looking building and I think it would really enhance the uptown area.

  8. The more companies move here and the more workers come here the better.

    In the long-term, yes - but we also have to be wary that infrastructure development doesn't necessarily move at the same rapid pace as the private sector's decisions. Overly rapid expansion could have negative effects on quality of life for existing (and new) residents.

  9. The fact that they announce layoffs before ground has even broken for the Hobby international terminal amply demonstrates that these actions are for revenge, not competitive pressure. They simply want to punish Houston for deciding against their wishes.

    Or, as has been pointed out by others, they were planning to do this anyway - and are now using the Hobby happenings as a scapegoat.

    • Like 1
  10. Also, if the whole park is given over to uses that require a great deal of upkeep/management...if it is anything like where I live, you'll regret it. The novelty wears off and things deteriorate. The parks department can only handle so much.

    I'm pretty sure that the golf course requires more upkeep/management per acre than most of the rest of the park. That's the nature of golf courses. I could be wrong, though...

  11. On a side note - since we're on the broad subject of Hermann Park - I'd really like to see that we somehow make the north corner of the park (Mecom fountain, etc) much more pedestrian friendly. I'm not talking about the areainside the park itself, but rather the walkways to get to the Bloch Cancer Survivor's Plaza, Mecom-Rockwell Colonnade and the Fountain itself. Maybe replace the standard painted walkways with brick inlays as is done over by the Sam Houston statue. That would make it more appealing IMO - and extend the sense of what constitutes 'the park'. This is particularly relevant to the roundabout/fountain. I see people walking to the fountain all the time, but there is currently NO designated pedestrian crosswalk to get there from the park. I'm not sure how to accomplish the latter or where to place a crosswalk, but this would be a good addition IMO.

    • Like 1
  12. You can walk through the golf course on the improved paths that they've cut through it. I do so often. Also, the jogging paths along the perimeter of the golf course are very pleasant, as is the aesthetic.

    If I could play frisbee golf on the golf course, I'm not sure that I'd want to. It's quite isolated. You'd find me somewhere closer to where the people are in the first place. And that's my concern with intensively programming the entire golf course. It'd spread out the people and reduce its aesthetic of urban vibrancy in the core part of the park, but it would also eliminate the sense of lush serenity on its eastern periphery. It'd reduce contrasts to a middling something. Does that make sense?

    I can't speak to the trend, but I'll say this much. If I go to a zoo and the lions are sleeping in a little nook or cranny that isn't visible to me, that's not entertaining. If the giraffes are so distant that I need binoculars, that is not entertaining. Zoos exist for the sake of my entertainment, not so that animals can be stress-free or so that I can make-believe that they exist in a natural environment and that I'm on a research safari.

    If that's cruel, then it is what it is. And you know something, maybe there is something to be said for a larger enclosure. But if we're going to do this, let's do it right. Take several plots of several thousand acres each from the Barker or Addickes reservoirs and convert them to African savannah. Install large herd animals. Make it an adjunct to the zoo. When it floods, herd them into an enclosure on high ground. I'm perfectly serious about this, btw. It'd take the Houston Zoo to a completely different level. Simply taking over the golf course couldn't have the same effect (and would come at a higher opportunity cost, IMO).

    There is something to be said for the alternative view of relocating the zoo to another greenspace instead of taking over the golf course. (I realize Niche is actually suggesting an adjunct, but a pure relocation should at least be considered, if we're fantasizing about what to do.)

    I personally don't care for the golf course. Why? Because I don't play the game. I'd much prefer the course be made into something else (not sure if expanding the zoo's a great idea) - but, I also recognize that this is just my opinion. My (actual) suggestion would be to convert the space into a botanical gardens - likely, an extension of the rose gardens that are already there (but, improved significantly). There's talk of establishing a formal botanical gardens in the city, and I think this would be an ideal location. But, again, I recognize that it's just a selfish desire to have something I'd enjoy more than the golf course.

    • Like 1
  13. This is basically counter to what most people think make the nation's best zoos more appealing and humane. Large, natural environments are the trend. San Diego and Ft. Worth are good examples.

    Agreed in principle, but hard to say without being granular about the species of which we're speaking. For obvious reasons, a large, varied nest of mice needs far less land than a single elephant (assuming adequate food is provided by humans).

  14. Not sure what this is meant to imply, but I'm guessing you're pointing out that the Houston Zoo is smaller in area than many other zoos in the country.

    Yeah, it's not the biggest zoo - but it is efficient and has a large assortment of animals. And, it's well-visited. Is larger better? I'm not sure...

    Let me point out that (according to Wikipedia) the Houston Zoo has over 6,000 specimens from over 900 species. In my opinion, variety is more important than number of animals, so here's a comparison of the above-listed zoos which are larger in area by number of species:

    Columbus Zoo: 700 species

    San Diego Zoo: 800 species

    Smithsonian National Zoological Park: 400 species

    Bronx Zoo: 600 species

    Audubon Zoo and Aquarium: (Not available)

    Phoenix Zoo: (Not available)

    Fort Worth Zoo: 435 species

    At least based on this sample, the Houston Zoo isn't doing half bad. Of course, being smaller than these, it begs the question: Is the Houston Zoo of sufficient size to comfortably house these animals? I have no idea; this isn't my area.

  15. Houston Zoo

    55 acres

    San Diego Zoo

    100 acres

    Fort Worth Zoo

    64 acres

    Columbus Zoo

    580 acres

    Bronx Zoo

    265 acres

    Audubon Zoo and Aquarium, New Orleans

    58 acres

    Philadelphia Zoo

    42 acres

    Phoenix Zoo

    125 acres

    Smithsonian National Zoological Park

    163 acres

    Baltimore Aquarium

    6 acres

    Not sure what this is meant to imply, but I'm guessing you're pointing out that the Houston Zoo is smaller in area than many other zoos in the country.

    Yeah, it's not the biggest zoo - but it is efficient and has a large assortment of animals. And, it's well-visited. Is larger better? I'm not sure...

  16. From the Chronicle:

    The existing Dome can be used to host concerts of all sizes, as well as football, soccer and hockey games etc etc, and yet there hasn't been sufficient demand these last 15 years. So how does spending another $500 million change all that?

    The Dome is currently unable to do these things because it's not fit for occupancy. Bringing it up to code would cost millions due to the crumbling infrastructure. That's a significant proportion of the estimated remodeling costs, too.

    Unlike some others on here, I'm in favor of preserving and remodeling the Dome. As I've mentioned previously in this thread, I'm a member of a coalition that's developing a concept which could be a viable major (not sole) tenant of a revamped Dome. One of our colleagues presented the concept at the HCSCC/Reliant Park board meeting yesterday. Since this meeting was open to the press and public, there's no more point in being covert...

    The concept fleshes out the notion of a STEM institute to be housed in the Dome, as a technology institute to be housed (essentially) in the upper-level ring concourses, while the ground floor would be maintained as a multi-purpose space managed by Reliant Park management and used for indoor festivals, large-scale conferences and regular events (such as part of the Rodeo). The technology institute itself would consist of five major components: exhibits, education (housed together as a tech museum), a technology social policy institute, a neutral space for technology/applied STEM-based multi-institutional collaborative research, and a technology commercial incubator.

    I hesitate to say too much more, but I'd be happy to answer any questions - either here or via PM.

  17. Just getting to this thread...

    I recognize that IAH is a United hub, but they're not the only airline that has international flights to and from the airport. So, isn't there already competition for United in international Houston-based travel?

    Admittedly, I don't really know how all of these arrangements work, so could someone explain to me why this is such a big deal?

  18. I've got two today...

    The first is from The Onion: "No One Can Remember Seeing Houston Astros For At Least A Week"... http://www.theonion.com/articles/no-one-can-remember-seeing-houston-astros-for-at-l,28015/

    The second is from a 1999 Bollywood film called Sirf Tum, during a song-and-dance routine called Dilbar Dilbar. The clips feature the Niels/Mellie Esperson Building, Tranquility Park, and the Waterwall (there's also another shot at around 4:18, but I can't tell from where)... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMo-hhBdHtI

  19. Nothing really new here, but this article from the Daily Cougar nicely sums up the development of the new dorms on campus.

    http://thedailycougar.com/2012/04/16/double-vision-dorms/

    They should build an observation tower (akin to the Space Needle or Tower of the Americas) on campus.

    One early plan for the business school area included a clock tower. Nothing as tall as you're suggesting, though - and I'm not even sure if it included public access to the top. Regardless, it's my understanding that it's dead.

    I'd settle for an observation tower in Houston, period. After 9/11, most office building observation decks severely limited their access. I'm not exactly sure how preventing tourists and the like from visiting observation decks prevents crazed people from destroying buildings with planes, but... hey, whatever it takes.

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