PAC Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 MainPlace will be tunnel connected via the tunnel system across Main Street. This is the first tunnel to cross under the light rail since its completion.Im in Houston 2, and I think it will be connect to Houston 1 via sky bridge.edit: my office overlooks the lot, so I'll try to keep us all posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkjones98 Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 MainPlace will be tunnel connected via the tunnel system across Main Street. This is the first tunnel to cross under the light rail since its completion. Oh yea. I'm thinking of Houston 6. I can see the MainPlace lot as well. I'm getting all the construction confused! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HtownWxBoy Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 FYI - MainPlace is breaking ground on Monday March 3rd, two months ahead of schedule. Cap beam excavation will start the first week, with first drilling operations the following week. The site will ramp up to 3 drilling rigs by late March. Wow... how often does that happen! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAC Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Two pictures attached of the MainPlace model, which now currently resides in the Hines office. BTW - there are some absolutely stunning movies coming out soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Two pictures attached of the MainPlace model, which now currently resides in the Hines office. BTW - there are some absolutely stunning movies coming out soon....to the website, I presume? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HtownWxBoy Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 FYI - MainPlace is breaking ground on Monday March 3rd, two months ahead of schedule. Cap beam excavation will start the first week, with first drilling operations the following week. The site will ramp up to 3 drilling rigs by late March. So did they officially break ground? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAC Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 MainPlace broke ground last Monday. No ceremony required. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HtownWxBoy Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 MainPlace broke ground last Monday. No ceremony required. Kewl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChannelTwoNews Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 Some photos I was able to snap this afternoon... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HtownWxBoy Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 Great pics... this is going to be one of the nicest buildings downtown once it's complete IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Great Hizzy! Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 Are you kidding? Nothing ever gets built downtown. Those pics depict a mirage!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 I haven't heard much about this project lately. Wasn't the "official" groundbreaking supposed to be on Earth Day? What's the status? There is no crane yet, is there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 I walked by the site last night, and didn't notice anything but a huge mud pit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 I walked by the site last night, and didn't notice anything but a huge mud pit.That's okay. In a few days, it'll just be a bit dirt pit after it dries out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 Please do not tell me this project is going to stall and leave nothing but a huge hole on Main St. Please do not tell me that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsb320 Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 Please do not tell me this project is going to stall and leave nothing but a huge hole on Main St. Please do not tell me that.I don't think it's stalled. Somebody posted some pictures on another link recently. It showed Discover Tower and Main Place 'holes'. It looked like they were shoring up the perimeters with concrete piling. I'm not sure at what phase a crane will be erected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 I don't think it's stalled. Somebody posted some pictures on another link recently. It showed Discover Tower and Main Place 'holes'. It looked like they were shoring up the perimeters with concrete piling. I'm not sure at what phase a crane will be erected.Usually the ground pilons are set, then a foundation is poured for the crane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capnmcbarnacle Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 Usually the ground pilons are set, then a foundation is poured for the crane.They are in there everyday doing all kinds of stuff. I don't know enough about construction to give any kind of definitive answers but here's what I have observed...Disco Tower dug a big hole and then started putting in massive rebard and piers.Hines 47 never really cleard out the entire hole but worked with and around the exisitng structures already there (and they also have to make sure the Stowers building does not fall) and have also drilled a bunch of rebar and piers.From what I see everyday, Hines is doing about as much as Disco, it just doesn't appear as dramatic to the naked eye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trae Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 Please do not tell me this project is going to stall and leave nothing but a huge hole on Main St. Please do not tell me that.People are really overreacting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Great Hizzy! Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 Man, are they! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strickn Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 Man, are they!Well, considering the developer's record on Main Street in the past year or two, Hines will be happy to make MainPlace a skeletal, floodlit garage if that were to become a "smarter" investment. Which just goes to show that "highest and best use of the land" is a slippery concept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trae Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 Well, considering the developer's record on Main Street in the past year or two, Hines will be happy to make MainPlace a skeletal, floodlit garage if that were to become a "smarter" investment. Which just goes to show that "highest and best use of the land" is a slippery concept.Also considering that this is a completely different project from Shamrock, and has actually started construction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nate Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 Well, considering the developer's record on Main Street in the past year or two, Hines will be happy to make MainPlace a skeletal, floodlit garage if that were to become a "smarter" investment. Which just goes to show that "highest and best use of the land" is a slippery concept.This forum cracks me up. People just need to chill out.Hines is one of the best developers in the world. MainPlace is under construction. It will completed. When finished, it will the best office building in Texas and will likely command the highest rents in the state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkjones98 Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 (edited) My office overlooks the site, and construction workers are out there every day. In that regard, I don't know how anyone could say the project is "stalled." Edited May 7, 2008 by bkjones98 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totheskies Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 I'm riding my bike down there after work. I'll report back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 I'm riding my bike down there after work. I'll report backand with photos, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totheskies Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Alas, no. I'm getting a digital camera soon, and will start back with the photos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumapayam Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Alas, no. I'm getting a digital camera soon, and will start back with the photosYay! It's 1999 again?No digital camera. . . really? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 MainPlace is under construction. It will completed. When finished, it will the best office building in Texas and will likely command the highest rents in the state.Really? The best office building in Texas?People are really overreacting.How is that an overreaction, Trae?Yay! It's 1999 again?No digital camera. . . really?I roll with slide film. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Really? The best office building in Texas?Quite possibly. Considering location, technology, and interior and exterior structural design that's going into it, it really is going to be an awesome building. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChannelTwoNews Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 My office overlooks the site, and construction workers are out there every day. In that regard, I don't know how anyone could say the project is "stalled." I agree, and here are some photos from the ugly garage taken yesterday afternoon... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelguy_73 Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Move along, move along. Nothing to see here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Quite possibly. Considering location, technology, and interior and exterior structural design that's going into it, it really is going to be an awesome building.I have no doubt it is. However, I can think of several that have better views, and air-conditioned access to the Galleria is always a plus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trae Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 How is that an overreaction, Trae?It sounded like you were having a panic attack. "Please don't tell me this is true? Is it true? please don't tell me. Please". You see? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 I have no doubt it is. However, I can think of several that have better views, and air-conditioned access to the Galleria is always a plus.Williams Tower and its brethren are nice, but its technology is dated. This one is going to be tremendously more energy efficient, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totheskies Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 Alas, no. I'm getting a digital camera soon, and will start back with the photosCorrect. I just bought one on Sunday. I was downtown on Sunday and Friday... Main Place is still being dug out, but Discovery Tower has already laid it's foundation. OPP is on it's 32nd story as of today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 It sounded like you were having a panic attack. "Please don't tell me this is true? Is it true? please don't tell me. Please". You see?Don't take things too seriously. This is the internet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 Williams Tower and its brethren are nice, but its technology is dated. This one is going to be tremendously more energy efficient, though.Not sure energy efficiency alone makes something the best office building in Texas. View, location, architecture need to be factored in, and Williams trumps this one on all those. Plus, something in me kind of likes the way buildings of the previous generation flaunted cost-efficiency and practicality in the name of design. On Williams, they actually went with a less efficient elevator system so that the building could have a slimmer profile. It's kind of like those old GTO's and Mustangs... not the best mileage, but what a car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Impossible Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 Also keep in mind that a building like Williams has behind its design one of the most important figures in architecture over the last century. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelguy_73 Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 Williams Tower and its brethren are nice, but its technology is dated. This one is going to be tremendously more energy efficient, though.Definitely true, but I heard that Williams actually runs more efficiently today than it did when it was built. And I swear I heard Hines is looking into seeking LEED status for it, but I might be way off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumapayam Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 (edited) Wrong thread, did not know we had another Hines tower going up.I moved my original post there. Edited May 19, 2008 by Pumapayam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 Definitely true, but I heard that Williams actually runs more efficiently today than it did when it was built. And I swear I heard Hines is looking into seeking LEED status for it, but I might be way off.LEED certification for existing buildings has more to do with operational processes than it does with physical retrofit. The bar is actually set pretty low. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 Not sure energy efficiency alone makes something the best office building in Texas. View, location, architecture need to be factored in, and Williams trumps this one on all those. Plus, something in me kind of likes the way buildings of the previous generation flaunted cost-efficiency and practicality in the name of design. On Williams, they actually went with a less efficient elevator system so that the building could have a slimmer profile. It's kind of like those old GTO's and Mustangs... not the best mileage, but what a car.If you say so. I like El Dorados, personally, and have often fantasized about having one gutted and souped up for regular driving...but coolness aside, I know its a bad idea. So not a good analogy.But frankly, I'd prefer the views from the middle of downtown. If you'd ever been on the upper terrace of the Neils Esperson building, you probably would, too. Williams Tower is nice to drive by at night, but I certainly wouldn't want to office there.And as far as who designed it...I really don't care. The designer is irrelevant. It is the design that matters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 But frankly, I'd prefer the views from the middle of downtown. If you'd ever been on the upper terrace of the Neils Esperson building, you probably would, too. Williams Tower is nice to drive by at night, but I certainly wouldn't want to office there.For once I agree with The Niche! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 If you say so. I like El Dorados, personally, and have often fantasized about having one gutted and souped up for regular driving...but coolness aside, I know its a bad idea. So not a good analogy.But frankly, I'd prefer the views from the middle of downtown. If you'd ever been on the upper terrace of the Neils Esperson building, you probably would, too. Williams Tower is nice to drive by at night, but I certainly wouldn't want to office there.And as far as who designed it...I really don't care. The designer is irrelevant. It is the design that matters.Wow, this is a silly argument. When did I say anything about who designed it? No, I haven't been to that terrace, but I've been on the upper floors of just about every skyscraper downtown, and I know the kind of views you are talking about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 Wow, this is a silly argument. When did I say anything about who designed it?No, but Captain Impossible did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 (edited) Well, looks like some floors will be occupied by the accounting firm KPMG as soon as its completed. They will be relocating from the Bank of America Center.While Sarnoff may think this won't create a dent in the vacancy percentage in the CBD, it proves that companies that need room to expand are jumping ship. I'm sure the remaining tenants at BoA will grow into the vacated spot within a year or so after KPMG leaves. Chron Article. Edited May 25, 2008 by ricco67 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 Odd quote from the article: Architect Jon Pickard of Pickard Chilton in New Haven, Conn., said the building will have a contemporary design while keeping with the historical tradition of Main Street's classic architecture. What does that even mean? I wish that just once a reporter would call people out on this kind of marketing nonsense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 Odd quote from the article:What does that even mean? I wish that just once a reporter would call people out on this kind of marketing nonsense. It means the new building will reflect the subtle style and interplay that forms the nexus of downtown Houston's architectural heritage. It will be an homage to the pioneering spirit of the city's founding fathers and respectful of its mid-century aspirations while being LEED diamond pre-certified green eco-friendly hybrid 50% CF sustainable green roof friendly. Sorry... I read a Hines brochure yesterday. I certainly wouldn't want to office there. "Verbing weirds nouns" --Calvin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bach Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 It means the new building will reflect the subtle style and interplay that forms the nexus of downtown Houston's architectural heritage. It will be an homage to the pioneering spirit of the city's founding fathers and respectful of its mid-century aspirations while being LEED diamond pre-certified green eco-friendly hybrid 50% CF sustainable green roof friendly.Sorry... I read a Hines brochure yesterday.LOL -- a good chuckle to get the day started! Great humor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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