Margaret M. Alkek-Williams Center For Dance At 601 Preston St.

[Zippy]

Could you expound with details about the 40% cost savings for the project if it is a non-profit with particular tax exemptions?

Guess you never owned a private business, hm?

[rsb320]

There are some additional examples of the new DT Ballet Building on Swamplot today. I must say, I like the designs much better than the one posted here.

[swtsig]

There are some additional examples of the new DT Ballet Building on Swamplot today. I must say, I like the designs much better than the one posted here.

the one posted here was some random building in san antonio built in the 80's, i believe... how that became associated w/ the HB building is beyond me

[rsb320]

the one posted here was some random building in san antonio built in the 80's, i believe... how that became associated w/ the HB building is beyond me

Good, because it's YOUgly.

[jayshoota]

Only 6 stories but still looks nice. link

Edited December 4, 2008 by jayshoota

[uhlaw09]

Two (Apparently) Differing Renderings of Houston Ballet's New Building Downtown:

(courtesy of Swamplot)

Edited December 4, 2008 by uhlaw09

[citizen4rmptown]

Two (Apparently) Differing Renderings of Houston Ballet's New Building Downtown:

(courtesy of Swamplot)

What if, i may be wrong, these are the same building , but are rendered from different views.

Besides it is unlikely that they have two different designs, i mean unless its a contest there should only

be one final design, and even if the architect made 2 designs he wouldnt go public about it.

Seriously when was the last architect that asked our opinion about a project?

But i may be wrong. Also the rendering with the glass part shows a concrete wall, and the

rendering with the concrete(or what ever it is, im not an expert) shows glass. But , my theory

on why the glass isn't portrayed in the same hue is that the 1st rendering is in the sunset..

[uhlaw09]

What if, i may be wrong, these are the same building , but are rendered from different views.

Besides it is unlikely that they have two different designs, i mean unless its a contest there should only

be one final design, and even if the architect made 2 designs he wouldnt go public about it.

Seriously when was the last architect that asked our opinion about a project?

But i may be wrong. Also the rendering with the glass part shows a concrete wall, and the

rendering with the concrete(or what ever it is, im not an expert) shows glass. But , my theory

on why the glass isn't portrayed in the same hue is that the 1st rendering is in the sunset..

Yeah, I'm not 100% sure about it either. Swamplot speculates that they are different renderings. Giving it a close look, I think, will reveal that the two aren't consistent.

Edited December 4, 2008 by uhlaw09

[Highway6]

What if, i may be wrong, these are the same building , but are rendered from different views.

Besides it is unlikely that they have two different designs, i mean unless its a contest there should only

be one final design, and even if the architect made 2 designs he wouldnt go public about it.

Seriously when was the last architect that asked our opinion about a project?

But i may be wrong. Also the rendering with the glass part shows a concrete wall, and the

rendering with the concrete(or what ever it is, im not an expert) shows glass. But , my theory

on why the glass isn't portrayed in the same hue is that the 1st rendering is in the sunset..

The top photo is taken of the block from Smith between Preston and Prarie... the left side is on Smith St while the right side is Preston St.

The bottom photo is taken from across Smith st at the park with the circular sidewalk... and you're seeing the Smith side of the bldg.

So the left side of the top photo is the same as what you are seeing in the bottom photo...... so yeah.. I agree that it's 2 completely different design schemes.

I think we would be lucky to have either one though... they're both very nice looking.

Edited December 4, 2008 by Highway6

[photolitherland]

This building looks great and would bring more people into downtown hopefully. I like the top render best. It reminds me of the Bill Clinton Library in Little Rock except that its glass. I hope this gets built, too bad its not taller, but whatever. I still like it. A city needs differing types of architecture and this is a real nice design that will add a lot to the street level on that side of town.

[UrbaNerd]

Very nice. I actually was able to see some preliminary drawings and renderings when I visited the Gensler office a few months back. Sorry, I wasn't able to obtain any "leakable" info.

[The Great Hizzy!]

I'm not sure I'd like it taller. I actually like the symmetry of the current design given its height. It would also seem to fit into its enviroment at this height as well.

[H-Town Man]

Assuming that the skybridge is the same in both renderings, then the renderings are inconsistent.

I like the top one; the bottom looks like a federal courthouse or something.

[LTAWACS]

nice

[rsb320]

And don't forget, this (whichever rendering) building will eliminate another surface parking lot.

[swtsig]

big fan of the top rendering... very nice.

[Houston19514]

And don't forget, this (whichever rendering) building will eliminate another surface parking lot.

Bravo!

[Subdude]

Assuming that the skybridge is the same in both renderings, then the renderings are inconsistent.

I like the top one; the bottom looks like a federal courthouse or something.

Not really. The top rendering is looking north up Smith, the bottom one east across Smith.

I like the one on the bottom. The top one looks like a rather unimaginative glass box. The second looks almost like it has a brushed metal facade. In climates like Houston's I'm fascinated by the idea of building with as few outwardly facing windows as possible, which puts me at odds with most of current architecture.

[lockmat]

..

Edited December 6, 2008 by lockmat

[H-Town Man]

Not really. The top rendering is looking north up Smith, the bottom one east across Smith.

I like the one on the bottom. The top one looks like a rather unimaginative glass box. The second looks almost like it has a brushed metal facade. In climates like Houston's I'm fascinated by the idea of building with as few outwardly facing windows as possible, which puts me at odds with most of current architecture.

Yes really. I realize the renderings are from different angles. However, if it is the same skybridge in both renderings, then they must be inconsistent, because the facade on Smith in the first rendering (with the sunlight hitting it) is different than the facade on Smith in the second rendering (facing the viewer).

Edited December 8, 2008 by H-Town Man

[Highway6]

Not really. The top rendering is looking north up Smith, the bottom one east across Smith.

H-Town is right.. You're still seeing the Smith Street side of the building in each photo.. and its obviously not the same facade on that Smith side. This inconsistency would point to 2 different design concepts.

Really.

[Montrose1100]

Well that looks a lot better then what was originally posted.

[rsb320]

They are moving dirt today on this property. No more cheap surface parking. Anybody got the lowdown on the construction schedule?

[editor]

Changing thread title to "New Houston Ballet Building."

[Urbannizer]

So which design was chosen?

[Houston19514]

They are moving dirt today on this property. No more cheap surface parking. Anybody got the lowdown on the construction schedule?

Wow. That's pretty sweet if they are actually starting construction on this one.

[rsb320]

So which design was chosen?

I don't know, but I hope it's not that ugly suburban looking thing in post #1.

Edited July 22, 2009 by rsb320

[shasta]

I don't know, but I hope it's not that ugly suburban looking thing in post #1.

The suburban building wasn't even the design. Go to the next page to see the design.

Does anyone know what lot this will be on.....kind of odd that they are breaking ground in this economy (if the are). Maybe they met all of their minimum financial requirements just before the slowdown so that's good news for downtown!

[rsb320]

Actually, it looks like they are just excavating half of the block. The line runs parallel to Smith and Louisiana. They are even taking out the sidewalks and curbs. Wait, they may just be creating an access drive.

[gto250us]

Hey this rendering is better.

Designed by Marshall Strabala, Director of Design of Gensler, a global architecture and design firm, the Houston Ballet’s new 6-story, 10,219-square meters (110,000-square foot) facility will house practice facilities and executive offices. According to the Houston Business Journal (Aug. 4, 2008), the building is planned for Houston’s Central Business District, on Smith between Congress and Preston, and kitty-corner from the Wortham Center, where the Houston Ballet holds performances.

Strabala is based at Gensler’s Houston office.

Edited July 22, 2009 by gto250us