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Luminare

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Everything posted by Luminare

  1. Luminare
    Somebody please be sure to post updates on this. Didn't get the opportunity to see the leaked images prior, so I'm looking forward to seeing the design in its entirety.
  2. Luminare
    These were my thoughts exactly.
  3. Luminare
    As you capture pretty well in these photos, there is something oddly captivating with this one.
  4. Luminare
    If it were some spec office building in some random place in the city, than I would agree with you, but we have seen with the building of the Texas Tower, and Discovery Green West that it really doesn't matter whatever the vacancy rates are like if the building is designed for a specific purpose and for a specific client, and designed with other things around it in mind then they will build it. This project is being built with a particular aesthetic, and clientele in mind. All they need is one or two big tenants and this will get built pretty quickly.
  5. Luminare
    Depends on the circumstances. Some portions of a project can only be done at night or in the early hours of the morning. If a project is behind schedule, or a project is trying to get ahead of schedule then they will go to overnight hours. In most circumstances there are no limitations on work hours unless construction is taking place in a neighborhood with deed restrictions that limit work hours, or if there are city ordinances which prevent working in the evening, night, or early morning. To my knowledge there aren't any in this area which would prevent a contractor from working a project at night, nor do they have to give advance warning. While providing advanced warning would build a better relationship with the community, it isn't something they have to do. I mean go ahead and check, but more than likely you won't get the desired result. Do understand though that this isn't legal advice, or industry advice I'm providing. I'm just simply stating what I know from my experience. If you are concerned, maybe just ask someone on the job at some point, and ask what their work schedule is or will be in the future and if they are going to continue with late hours into the night. You'd be surprised how open and willing foreman, subs, etc... are willing to help with questions or just chat about the project in general as most are very proud of the work they do and take it pretty seriously. From what I've observed in photos posted on here thus far, this project is nearing or getting pretty close to substantial completion. At the very least they will be moving from exterior work to interiors in a short while, so I don't suspect they will be pulling a lot of late nights. Hope that helps.
  6. Luminare
    wow. that is a very well done graphic presentation. More of these would be great. South Downtown really has come a long way from a place you would never even think about driving through or even leave your car at night to a place that is a destination and has a really distinct and interesting vibe. It still has a long way to go. It needs more people. More pieces to give it a broader range of appeal. What I do like about it is that the new construction with integration of the old feels very...Houston. In a good way. A rare moment indeed where something new and fresh doesn't feel forced or like everything else you have seen before. It really is coming into its own. It just needs a lot more, and I think it will get there.
  7. Luminare
    Well it won't be much of a shocker that more than likely this money will just disappear afterwards and never be used for its intended purpose. Then again that's never the point with actions such as this. Welcome to the world of Social Justice, where nothing makes sense, and your appeasement to it ultimately means nothing because nothing you do will ever satisfy.....except for all your money, reputation, and authority...maybe.
  8. Luminare
    In today's news people hold gun to someone's head demanding cash, or they will shot gun. Person with gun pointed at head hands over money to person with gun. More at 11.
  9. Luminare
    The bottom picture looks like a mockup wall to me. From the renders they have a lot of overhangs and when buildings are very streamlined and abstract, detail at corner conditions become really important as you don't have trim to hide any craftsmanship that is off. Then again I could be wrong and its actually a column, but looks like the beginnings of a mockup to me.
  10. Luminare
    KPF huh? That should be a source for optimism for anyone worried about what the end result might look like. KPF is a really good firm. I believe they did one of the newer towers at Hudson Yards. This tower and site is very well within their competence level. I don't know who the Architect of Record is as KPF is based in NYC if I remember correctly. They are a global firm, but I'm not sure if they have any offices in Texas.
  11. Luminare
    This is why its not odd why you see doctors becoming tenants in these type of locations. One person said that MKT is more focused on fashion, lifestyle, etc... well lifestyle is an entire package deal not just what gym you go to or patio bar you hang at. That includes healthcare too right? The type of person you are and what you care about also translates into what healthcare you roll with and what you are okay with in terms of doctors you normally visit. I see it in architecture. Its much more pronounced since living here in Utah. The mountain life, the valley life, the winter sports life, the hiking life, it really becomes all encompassing and translates to everything else. Why should healthcare be an exception, right?
  12. Luminare
    This building has been getting some nice coverage courtesy of Fox during the World Series. Talk about great scheduling when your point of substantial completion is during coverage of the World Series. Almost like they planned it.
  13. Luminare
    It really depended on the phase of design, building type, use, and type of construction. Paramount seems to have been finishing up design and was beginning leasing on the tail end of what one could argue was one of the best economic years in history (it certainly was for me, and the firm I used to work for in Houston), but on the eve of Covid. Condo's are a different animal than apartments since you are buying that floor outright, and sometimes units are custom to each client. When you get to above the $1 million dollar range of a residential project you often are working with very particular clients, and they aren't the kind of people that just order something on Amazon and hope it is what they saw on the image. These are the kind of people that want to go to showrooms and see first hand materials, finishes, furniture, and appliances. On the eve of Covid, and during the first few months of Covid, most showrooms were either restricted, closed, or operating at a reduced capacity, and any project that was in that phase of design, or was at the point of selecting interiors, or getting everything ready for leasing was either put on hold, substantially redesigned, or canceled. If your project was under construction then Covid didn't matter much. Covid was just an inconvenience for contractors. Paramount was simply design at a price point that just didn't work for the new economy we have post-Covid. Mimosa isn't as tall, isn't as lavish, and as probably at a stage of design where they could stomach a minor loss or afford to wait a bit. Same with Revere. Giorgetti got hit hard because its the same with Paramount, but at least it was finished building out. So they had a different problem which clearly people were not preoccupied with shell out millions for a condo with the Covid economy so uncertain. I think with the Houston economy getting back on its feet so quickly, and so many people with money relocating to Houston it will do fine, same with the Revere, and Mimosa. Paramount was a product of its time, and thats that. I'm sure at some point RD thought to himself...is this really worth it when I have other opportunities that won't require me to take a loss, and then say...yes I do, so lets just cut our losses. Whether it was Covid related or not doesn't matter. It probably did play a factor and that is enough to all things considered to scrap things and move on.
  14. Luminare
    Yes. Thats why in the post above you see in the description it says 3 levels of structured parking and 6 levels of residential.
  15. Luminare
    It is most definitely post-modern both in design philosophy, and post-modern as a philosophy in general. The only element one could even pretend this is linked to the International style is the continuous ribbon windows, but even that is merely a farce when it comes to post-modernism. In essence this style is an abstract reduction of the international style, but not for its aesthetics, but instead because its cheap and easy to build. Even your claim of booming and growth during this period is a farce as well because this period was highlighted not by object growth, but speculative subjective growth. These buildings were designed not with a client in mind, but a hypothetical, fictional, lowest common denominator client or market in mind. Its this era where we started to see the ultimate reduction in architecture as an art form. From one that is a personal service for a specific need, to purely an exercise in creating a building for the purpose of stuffing money into an asset or product, and nothing else. If these buildings get filled up, that's just icing on the cake, but their real purpose is simply to exist as an asset held by a development company. Its not like we have learned much from this period either as their degenerate cousins of today, the all curtain wall box building, has become the new template for speculative development (even more abstract than their predecessor one could argue...in essence a copy of a copy of a copy). It really can't even be compared to the Art Deco movement in New York, as that movement not only represented an actual aesthetic that made a marketed difference in the environment, but were also built with expressed purposes. In a way these stripped abstract nothings are the antithesis of not only architecture, but the Art Deco movement you described. If Art Deco was a true manifestation of the ideals of modernism, then these stripped abstract nothings were the manifestations of the ideals of post-modernism. Not saying you are wrong by the way. We each have our own opinion, but this is coming from someone who studied at a grad school where the International Style began in Dessau, Germany. Where I literally went and had beers or coffee on the daily in Walter Gropius's Bauhaus building, and have visited Le Corbs masterpiece, the Villa Savoye, in Poissy, Paris, France.
  16. Luminare
    New design is definitely better. Previous design they threw all the parking in back and only left a little part of it for actual rental space. This new seems to be first floor all retail with 3 levels of parking across the whole lot with two floors of office / retail on top. Considering the site constraints, and the amount of parking required, they did a pretty decent job. Seems like they are taking cues from 888 Westheimer. In general it seems architects are figuring out how to better incorporate parking levels w/ retail w/ general rental space.
  17. Luminare
    That is probably the most Bourgeois thing I've heard...since yesterday, but definitely at the top of cringe.
  18. Luminare
  19. Luminare
    I do it exactly this way. Probably one of the more efficient ways in terms of workflow.
  20. Luminare
    Are you saying that those absurdly, laughable, pathetic excuses for cornices don't tickle your fancy?! How dare you...
  21. Luminare
    Maybe its just really hard to build an ugly building. I will say I've been on some projects where clients, contractors and yes even architects seem to go to great lengths to make an ugly building, making it more difficult for everyone, all in the effort to save a few bucks. As for the money laundering, no experience in that. Last time I checked the IBC, money is not a substitute for Insulation, and will not get you the desired R-value to pass plan review, but maybe I'm missing something.
  22. Luminare
    Thats actually really good work on the shadow. As someone who uses photoshop everyday, I can certainly appreciate it.
  23. Luminare
    When I was still in Houston, I did a few walk's in this area. It still has a long long way to go, but your comment about how creative they are getting with the area is definitely one of the better places in Houston. This project is probably one of the more unique buildings of its building type. The EDI one is substantial, but its just there to fill up space. Its definitely coming together better than Hardy Yards which I think we can all agree has been an enormous disappointment. If the neighborhood gets more clever projects like the post office than this will be THE place to be in Houston.
  24. Luminare
    Ahh so thats whats going on the football field when they are talking trash to one another....no its okay, thats just "competitive socializing" *facepalms*
  25. Luminare
    In all likelihood it is, those are massive pieces, and I'm pretty sure it would be near impossible to get cut stone in those dimensions.
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