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Luminare

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  1. Luminare

    METRORail Green Line

    Luminare replied to a topic in Transit

    They need to do a media blitz on this now! Make sure that people understand how this works! They have a few months before it opens, so plenty of time to let people know.
  2. Luminare
    Or maybe we just wait until there is an official announcement? Crazy idea I know.....
  3. Luminare
    This was done through a process called Digital Fabrication. In other words it design was carried out using digital tools to create the geometry and then after a process called rapid prototyping you eventually come to a form that you like. At that point you explore what kind of materials you want to build out of and then you machine it. I haven't had any real experience with this, but it's something that I'm currently exploring right now. You can always do something much simpler. The important thing is how much space is this taking up, what is the budget for this thing you want to build, what do you want it to look like, and what plants are you putting into it. All very important questions. EDIT: just realized this was from 2012! Curse whoever brought this back from the dead lol. Still would be an interesting project. Also wanted to point out that when I was talking about Digital Fabrication I was talking about the examples in those pictures which were obviously done using that process of design, but you can achieve the desired affect using other means.
  4. Luminare
    darn pay wall. I feel like they could have done a lot more with this site. Sure it's good to blend in with the area, but they could have done something a lot more interesting than this....
  5. Luminare
    You might not be too far off! If that is Corten steel then I approve! Your other observation is interesting as well. It looks like it only takes up maybe 1/3 of the block.
  6. Luminare
    Exactly it's called Controlled Growth and many zoned cities are able to do this. In Houston's case we could essentially be preemptive and spot early growth in a new area. Then you put those incentives in place which weed out undesired development. It would cause a temporary slow down in that area, but that means the next step would be to begin needed infrastructure/utility improvements. Then you organize public input, then roll out the targeted incentives. There of course would be trial and error in this design, but it's how the city could get around the legal hurdle of trying implement zoning. For our case though it could be a very compelling way to move forward as it's more of a "light touch" approach rather than resorting to the heavy hand of city ordinances and zoning. It's more flexible too as overtime as incentives end new ones can be implemented to serve current needs meaning it will evolve with the community. Finally it works on a psychological level as you are implementing a reward system. A system that is seen as having "goals" rather than "restrictions".
  7. Luminare
    That's great and I see them as an emerging city too, but they are still technically a suburb of Houston as they are in Houston's ETJ (Extra Territorial Jurisdiction) and until they have that little sign in front that says "The Woodlands: Incorporated since (insert year here)" Then they can have all the delusions of grandeur they want, but they are still a suburb and they are still thought of by many in Houston as a suburb! St. Paul and Minneapolis are each independent cities. Dallas and Ft. Worth and Arlington, and Irving, and Denton, etc... are all cities. I know that you understand what I'm talking about, but devils advocate is only solidifying my argument. Another thing I should add too is that while top officials in The Woodlands might see The Woodlands as a new city, most of it's population still sees itself as a large suburb tucked away in the forest with the "city center" or "lakefront" or "hugh's landing" is an anomaly. Until it's serious about making it's full transformation into a real city those areas remain the exception rather than the rule. The Woodlands is the textbook definition of an Edge City or Fringe City or Satellite City or whatever nomenclature they wish to use tomorrow it's one in the same.
  8. Luminare
    I'm very familiar with that, and yes this whole thing has never been about the "truth" or "facts", but this all comes down to how TCR properly educates the public about this. I mean go back to my wsj article where it clearly in the title makes it known that this is entirely private without public funding. Other people can believe whatever they want to believe, but until TCR publicly comes out and says they will be taking public funding then it's nothing, but white-noise.
  9. Luminare
    What collapses this argument in an instant is the fact that this isn't a government project or even labeled as one. The only part that is labeled as a government project is the Environmental Impact Study and subsequent studies by the Federal Railroad Administration all of which are required by law for any rail project public or private, but that doesn't mean that the project is a government one. In fact many of these meetings or studies are merely for find recommendations or impact to surrounding environment...that's it. the EPA or FRA doesn't have any authority to take land from people as that isn't their department. If this were a public project then that info would be passed those authorities who would proceed with eminent domain. It's a cute story you got there, but most of what you put there is exactly why they are going private. Lets also not forget that many who are in the TCR company have worked for federal or state politics, or companies which are providing the tech. They know the in's and out's of not only legislation, but tech they are dealing with as well.
  10. Luminare
    I think I've said this before that probably after they wait and see how this one turns out is when they might do some more focused DLI's. Maybe not a blanket one, but specialized one's targeting different areas of downtown. I would like to see them do one for the East End or Midtown. It also be a great weapon for city planning. Oh zoning....we aren't going to use zoning, but we do have these incentives and if you add retail here or maybe some more public space here then you get this particular incentive. If they are smart they can use these incentives as a tool to craft entire blocks or neighborhoods creating a more focused whole. It will still be no zoning, but it will be a more focused approached. EDIT: I also say this because these incentives are influencing a particular direction the city wants downtown to go. Yes the companies are getting a great deal, but it's the city that benefits as a whole by applying subtle "nudges" move Downtown in new directions.
  11. Luminare
    Sure they have Exxon and a couple others but they can get in line along with Katy, Cypress, Tomball, Energy Corridor, Cinco Ranch, Pearland, Clear Lake, Kingwood, etc..... They aren't entitled to anything! If they are lazy enough to not even provide their own city services and spread like weeds while leaching off the City of Houston then they don't have any argument even if they have Oil Companies to talk for them. I like the Woodlands I really do and I'm interested in this Springwoods thing, but lets not get this twisted. The Grand Parkway was going to happen and it was Exxon that placed their campus ON the Grand Parkway. It wasn't TXDOT moving the Grand Parkway or going faster to accommodate them. If you or others want to play on that conspiracy or coincidence then go ahead, but they planned their campus accordingly. They are already placed at the end of Hardy which gets them most of the way their. Besides this isn't what this rail is marketed towards. If they want to use it then that's great, but its for people who want to get from Center to Center not from Outskirts to Outskirts etc... This the beginning of the system not the end of it and their will be opportunities in the future, but they need to stop being selfish brats and know that their are others who could use it as well. /end rant
  12. Luminare
    I think the word you are looking for is tone. It's not a particularly good idea to push for "themes" unless you are running an amusement park. There is nothing worse than forcing a particular culture to happen. You would think it would happen automatically just by simple proxy, but that kind of growth has to be organic. If you want that sports "feel" then design buildings or spaces that help for the congregation sports fans. Of course por favor gracias I knew what you meant, but thought this needed to be pointed out.
  13. Luminare
    Thought this was kind of ironic/convenient lol.
  14. Luminare
    Until they incorporate they aren't as important as they think they are.
  15. Luminare
    Actually the much better choice would be the Utility route. Honestly they will probably do a combination of both, but the Utility easement is straighter, it completely bypasses Montgomery County, completely misses all of northern Houston, it goes down along part of 290 before splitting off down hempstead hwy. They will encounter much less political opposition if they were to go the Utility route. I also was looking at the route via google earth and if they went the Utility route they would have most of the easement they require before they even start the project. I would say they would have at least 85% to 90% of the easement they need to get there.
  16. Luminare
    http://www.wsj.com/articles/texas-group-races-for-high-speed-rail-1423592965
  17. Luminare
    This is one of the biggest fallacies of the internet, instant gratification! Foundations take such a long time to prepare and I'm sure they had to deal with a lot of unknowns when they initially dug down. Not to mention they are squished between the street and the existing parking garage. Once you get the foundation done the rest sort of falls into place.
  18. Luminare
    Do they have to go through the Feds to get this done? I'm not too familiar with the this whole process.
  19. Luminare
    The plan is pretty bland. Would be nice if someone could dig up some renders or elevations of what will actually go there. I remember you posting that at some point. I still don't like that damn cul-de-sac! At least my worst fears are gone. When I saw the bell tower looking logo I was thinking that some dumb cheap suburban style apartment buildings were going to go here!
  20. Luminare
    I'm re-quoting this far back because I think it's interesting that this is all still being done by Cypress Real Estate. They were the same ones who brought this forward last fall. Now lets put together the info that the bids were approved right around August. If you look closely you can see that the roads that they are going to build correspond pretty well with what is shown here. Strangely enough this might actually be alive after we left it for dead (not like this isn't a common thing here at HAIF when stuff doesn't get constructed on OUR time). Of course their is a real possibility that it might be scaled back some, but maybe, just maybe it's not going to be as bad as we all imagined this being at one point. Lets keep our fingers crossed.
  21. Luminare
    Parking levels are around 9-10 feet because they don't need the extra 2-4ft clearance for HVAC, plumbing, drop down ceiling etc.... Most people forget that the ceiling you are looking at is not the bottom of the next floor, but just the bottom of the drop down ceiling. You still have the clearance space that extends 2-4 feet to the next floor!
  22. Luminare
    Hmmm I was initially disappointed at first as well, but when you put both of the old and new side by side....this building had zero chance of a proper restoration! Sometimes what is there simply can not continue and needs to be replaced. The brick on the old one was a terrible shape. It looked like it had been painted over multiple times and probably had problems internally. I wouldn't be surprised that when the GC and architect were at the site and taking brick out if all the sudden some of the bricks started to fall apart. The biggest thing they probably had to overcome was the envelope of the building. I mean to fully restore this and bring it up to code???? pfffft talk about nearly impossible. Lets also really really examine this building in the historical context. Is it the architecture that makes it important because I would argue that it's not. What's important is the idea of the building and the past that it represents. If this is the case which I'm sure Lake | Flato came to that conclusion then it would be more faithful to the original to simply completely redo the exterior. It looks like they kept the original super structure because it seems that the brick is not load bearing which means that it's even more expendable. There has to be a balance between the more militant historical preservation meaning we must protect everything simply because it's been there for a long time, or destroy it and building something new. True preservation has to take the middle path. In this case, a complete restoration wouldn't have been a good idea so it was chosen to instead go for a faithful recreation. I'm sure in the end we will be more thankful for the direction they took this as it will give the building more life and extend it's importance and building life span.
  23. Luminare
    Moral of the story. If you want to keep what you got then take better care of it.
  24. Luminare
    I'm guessing the "anti-suburban" shift was at me? Whatever dude. Sorry if that type of discourse is a bit to harsh. At least I'm attempting to take a true theoretical position that actually takes into account possible implications for the future. What has the other side brought to the table....nothing. Zero. Nothing at all to further the discourse or ask the real questions that need to be asked about HSR and it's affects on the landscape and city. Nope all anyone wants to do is talk about what they can get out of it now, or the demands of now when this project won't even be completed until 2021 in which we could be looking at a very different city. Unless there is an update on this thing I'm done with this thread. Never thought that the coolness of the potential of HSR could be discussed in such a dull, bland manner or among a more cynical group of people who only ask for the bare minimum and who don't want to push it as far as it can go and really explore what could be possible. Experiment people! I mean there are Rural and Suburban stations that do work if that's the way some people want it, but there is not even an attempt at that either! Nope, instead lets just dump it at NW, slap a parking lot on there and call it a day. Yawn. Peace, I'm out.
  25. Luminare
    This is a project that can help change that paradigm and help initiate real reform in parking policies here in Houston by the very fact of it's existence it would need to have it's parking capacity reduced in order to facilitate the proper layout of the station and the surrounding complex that will inevitably crop out around. It should be utilized as a helpful nudge in a proper direction for the city (which btw is the direction it is going, but needs a major project like this to help solidify its trajectory). Is it so hard to ask to bring the conversation from the minute particulars and hypothetical details and elevate it to something that is more conceptual and big idea in nature? Is that really so hard. It isn't real yet! By bringing in constraints such as parking requirements, sizes, blah blah blah you are already encasing it in a rigid box. Break the d a m n box! Look at this project in the lens of not 5 years out but 10 to 15 years. You put it out in the suburbs and I guarantee you it will die! The suburbs are an ever flowing and fickle beast that expands and contrasts and in Houston's case at extreme levels. The station though is a permanent thing. It can't migrate like the Houston population does in the suburbs. That's why its best to put it in a very well defined urban landscape. One that will embrace it and treat it as an essential element. In the suburbs it will become a fad and then die just as quickly as it started.
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