Discovery West: Mixed-Use Development Downtown By Skanska

[jmitch94]

4 hours ago, samagon said:

4.5 blocks of surface parking lots in this photo. I wonder how long they last, and what will go in their place?

Two are future phases in the Skanska project if I’m not mistaken. 

[sapo2367]

On 2/25/2022 at 9:34 AM, BigFootsSocks said:

Indeed -- here are their preliminary plans.

[toxtethogrady]

Who's the hotel? Some player we don't yet know about?

[Triton]

4 hours ago, sapo2367 said:

Indeed -- here are their preliminary plans.

Wait, does the bike lane currently keep going up Polk St. and connect to Austin St.? This might be something new I hadn't seen before.

[sapo2367]

9 hours ago, Triton said:

Wait, does the bike lane currently keep going up Polk St. and connect to Austin St.? This might be something new I hadn't seen before.

There is a temporary bike lane there at the moment -- orange traffic barriers to separate it from the road. They added it b/c the section on Lamar is closed during the construction work.

[tangledwoods]

Quote

Tangled, I think I've seen you reply to construction questions in the past:

Don't they typically test the glass before putting it on the building? It seems like they are moving fast, doesn't it?

Long story short, yes the unitized system is always tested before getting installed.  What typically happens is you have a base system that has been lab "chamber" tested to perform to the required strength and water infiltration requirements.  Then as each project comes along and the gingerbread stuff like fins, extrusions, etc gets added the client can then decide if they want to pay for a whole new chamber test.  

The full pull lab test is VERY expensive and time consuming, most developers try and avoid it by using previously tested systems.  Not sure whos curtain wall this is (there are only 5-7 companies that do this kind of work).

They will also do in place performance testing to make sure things arent leaking.

[sapo2367]

[Big E]

On 7/18/2022 at 8:29 PM, toxtethogrady said:

Who's the hotel? Some player we don't yet know about?

They've never specified what hotel is going there. All we know is that building is mixed hotel and residential.

[wilcal]

On 7/18/2022 at 10:44 PM, Triton said:

Wait, does the bike lane currently keep going up Polk St. and connect to Austin St.? This might be something new I hadn't seen before.

On 7/19/2022 at 8:29 AM, sapo2367 said:

There is a temporary bike lane there at the moment -- orange traffic barriers to separate it from the road. They added it b/c the section on Lamar is closed during the construction work.

North Houston Line and Pole, hired by Centerpoint, keep parking their construction equipment in it. It has been very frustrating. I think the city is planning on keeping this connection after the project ends. 

[HoustonMidtown]

The bike lane is open back in it's original location now - no detour needed

Edited July 21, 2022 by HoustonMidtown

[004n063]

3 hours ago, HoustonMidtown said:

The bike lane is open back in it's original location now - no detour needed

Soooo I just went to check this out, and...not quite. The curved block from Crawford@Dallas to La Branch@Lamar is still blocked off. Not only that, but there are now construction vehicles blocking the entire block of the Polk lane from La Branch to Crawford.

If you are heading west, it's not so bad - just one block of mixed traffic. But coming back east, you basically have to dismount at La Branch, cross Lamar and then La Branch as a pedestrian, and then ride park paths to Crawford. 

It's not a long detour, but it's an annoying one.

[hindesky]

I don't see how they can attach anything between the hotel next door with such a tiny space. Assuming the material is secured from inside the new building.

[sapo2367]

8 hours ago, hindesky said:

I don't see how they can attach anything between the hotel next door with such a tiny space. Assuming the material is secured from inside the new building.

Man that is snug!

[Tumbleweed_Tx]

it will most likely be an unfinished wall 

[Luminare]

On 7/22/2022 at 1:41 PM, hindesky said:

I don't see how they can attach anything between the hotel next door with such a tiny space. Assuming the material is secured from inside the new building.

Now that is a fun color!

@hindesky to your point about the space between the hotel and this new building, they likely won't need to get back there at all. I don't have access to the Construction Documents, but in these situations that wall is simply a rated fire wall, and will most likely be made of CMU. I would assume it would be a Single or Double Wythe wall of CMU. Maybe they then put the Rigid Insulation on the interior side and then fur-out with 3 5/8" Aluminum Studs? Just a hunch.
 

Edited July 26, 2022 by Luminare

[aachor]

Has anyone seen any renders from the west?

[Nate99]

[monarch]

^^^ i for one, find it absolutely amazing... that SKANSKA can just arrive out of nowhere, and show us all... just how a state-of-the-art garage design can venture forth into actual fruition.  this looks like a very well designed/planned segment of this particular development in my view.  simply smooth... elegant... and completely beautiful.  well done SKANSKA! 

[bobruss]

 

 

                                                                         BIG

Edited August 2, 2022 by bobruss

[hindesky]

Jumping the southern tower crane.

[hindesky]

5 sections taller crane.

[hindesky]

[Nate99]

[j_cuevas713]

It's amazing how far we've come. I was walking to the train from an Astros game and I saw a group of young kids, probably in their early 20's, walking the same direction. I overheard their conversation, basically they felt like they were in a big city, and the vibe felt very urban. Just a few years ago nothing was really surrounding the ballpark but all of the investment is paying off. Downtown is getting so large and dense, it's really becoming a hub of activity the way it should be. I expect this tower and the other two that are planned to help spur the retail district around W Dallas. 

[BEES?!]

For real! I don’t know how old you are, but I remember going to ballgames in the early 2000s and downtown felt like a major ghosttown. There has been an absolutely bonkers amount of change there. 
 

We went to a game recently and took the purple/greenline and were talking to some older folks who grew up in Houston but moved away. They were astounded by how different (in a good way) that whole area was. They told me about riding their bikes as kids in the neighborhoods around TMC, and when I told them about Bayou Greenways, they were really excited. They were really nice! (Even if they were rooting for the wrong team! 🙄)

Edited August 16, 2022 by BEES?!

[j_cuevas713]

14 minutes ago, BEES?! said:

For real! I don’t know how old you are, but I remember going to ballgames in the early 2000s and downtown felt like a major ghosttown. There has been an absolutely bonkers amount of change there. 
 

We went to a game recently and took the purple/greenline and were talking to some older folks who grew up in Houston but moved away. They were astounded by how different (in a good way) that whole area was. They told me about riding their bikes as kids in the neighborhoods around TMC, and when I told them about Bayou Greenways, they were really excited. They were really nice! (Even if they were rooting for the wrong team! 🙄)

I'm about to turn 36 in October. I moved to Waco for 4 years and moved back in 2001. Downtown was NOTHING compared to today. That's so awesome though! There are a few projects in the works that I think will really put downtown over the top. 

[kennyc05]

1 hour ago, j_cuevas713 said:

It's amazing how far we've come. I was walking to the train from an Astros game and I saw a group of young kids, probably in their early 20's, walking the same direction. I overheard their conversation, basically they felt like they were in a big city, and the vibe felt very urban. Just a few years ago nothing was really surrounding the ballpark but all of the investment is paying off. Downtown is getting so large and dense, it's really becoming a hub of activity the way it should be. I expect this tower and the other two that are planned to help spur the retail district around W Dallas. 

 

19 minutes ago, BEES?! said:

For real! I don’t know how old you are, but I remember going to ballgames in the early 2000s and downtown felt like a major ghosttown. There has been an absolutely bonkers amount of change there. 
 

We went to a game recently and took the purple/greenline and were talking to some older folks who grew up in Houston but moved away. They were astounded by how different (in a good way) that whole area was. They told me about riding their bikes as kids in the neighborhoods around TMC, and when I told them about Bayou Greenways, they were really excited. They were really nice! (Even if they were rooting for the wrong team! 🙄)

Yeah it's a great vibe downtown on gameday it's great seeing all the orange around and I give Jim Crane a lot of credit. 

[Nate99]

If Craneville comes around, that's a whole step change in development, but I echo what everyone here says. I'm 45, when I was a kid in the 80's my step father owned a family business that was located more or less directly under were I took that last picture at the corner of Jackson (now ADLA, sort of) and Polk.  The Park Shops were at the outer reaches of downtown a few blocks away, but before (and even for a while after) the GRB, that area was nowhere anyone ever wanted to be. 

[hindesky]

[sapo2367]

[Nate99]

[cityliving]

[HoustonMidtown]

 

[hindesky]

[hindesky]

[sapo2367]

Looks like they have reached the first step in the building (on the right side)

 

Gives some perspective on how tall this will be!! We're only ~1/3 of the total height so far.

Edited September 6, 2022 by sapo2367

[cityliving]

[bobruss]

Looks like the Embassy Suites is being devoured!

[monarch]

7 hours ago, bobruss said:

Looks like the Embassy Suites is being devoured!

^^^ yes, and it looks as though he's really enjoying his meal... 😉

[august948]

4 hours ago, monarch said:

^^^ yes, and it looks as though he's really enjoying his meal... 😉

I heard a rumor they were going to paint the Embassy Suites blue...

[sapo2367]

[cityliving]

[phillip_white]

6 hours ago, sapo2367 said:

It looks like in two weeks your photo update will introduce the EMBASSY SUITES. Well done, Skanska.

Edited September 21, 2022 by phillip_white

[phillip_white]

15 minutes ago, cityliving said:

What’s up with all the dumb Embassy Suite jokes? Maybe in two weeks you won’t see any more photo updates from me, maybe that will stop the stupid jokes…

[sapo2367]

1 hour ago, phillip_white said:

It looks like in two weeks your photo update will introduce the EMBASSY SUITES. Well done, Skanska.

Yeah TBH I'm a little sad that I will still be able to see it haha. Meanwhile I definitely won't be able to see the astrodome anymore, which I was able to on a clear day before.

[hindesky]

[hindesky]

[cityliving]

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 29, 2022 by cityliving

[hindesky]

[Urbannizer]

https://3dus.us/portfolio-items/1550-lamar-street/?portfolioCats=44