CasualObserver

They cleared the land and brought in heavy equipment this weekend. Looks like they are finally ready to start. Sadly took out some very large live oaks.

20 minutes ago, zaphod said:

That's cool!

Go figure Friendswood of all places would have infill like that.

About 15 years ago Tony Buzbee bought up a lot of old town Friendswood and bulldozed some old buildings because he and the city were going to build a walkable downtown. Well, 2008 hit, then he moved out of town to River Oaks and sold all the properties. There is now a bit of redevelopment, but this is the first truly walkable development planned.

Mixed-Use Development in Downtown Friendswood. 4-story apartment building with 11,000 sqft GFR. 9,000 sqft for office space. 112 Class A apartments. Tannos Development Group.

Http://editions.communityimpact.com/view/714238831/17/

48 minutes ago, Texasota said:

Agree to disagree? This thing looks like a cheap piece of crap that will age extremely poorly. The first floor actually bothers me the least, but it has *zero* relationship with the rest of the building. The windows don't even line up!

I love classic design, but I agree that this was not that good.  I admire the attempt, but the lack of skill set is apparent.  We need some builders/developers to sponsor some scholarships to the American College of Building Arts.  Cough..cough..Randall Davis...cough...cough.

Exactly.  I was wondering if a worksite is left idle for 2,3,4.. months (due to the virus) does there come a point that the building site degrades to a point where the repair costs rise and the project is no longer financially feasible.  If they are exempt, then it's a moot point.  If I was building a home I would be a little upset if it sat in the rain for 2-3 months, half built and exposed to the elements.  I'm not any kind of expert on big commercial buildings, so I was asking.

Does anyone know if leaving a construction project like this unfinished begin to cause damage to it?  Standing water? Rotting forms? Rust?

On 3/5/2020 at 3:40 PM, ArchFan said:

The former "tallest Holiday Inn in the world" may be there until it collapses under the weight of so much concrete and oxidizing rebar.  Unfortunately for me, I won't live long enough to enjoy that sight :-)

Here's my plan.  City puts a sign out front that says anyone who sprays graffiti on the building has to take a brick or chunk of concrete home with them or they go to jail.  It will be gone by summer.

57 minutes ago, Luminare said:

 

There is just a lot detail wise that looks...off and always has since they released the images of the design. It definitely came out better than I thought it would. The white stone is what saves this in my eyes. I actually like this more when looking at it further away, but its up close were things look weird and not proportioned correctly. Had a project last year where we started designing a house with Georgian detailing, and learned a lot while reading extra on the side. Particularly I would have liked to see Quoins on the sides. I think that would have made the edges a lot more pronounced, and solid. Right now the building looks like its just floating.

I do like Quoins.  Were you thinking at the corners or along the windowed arches?  Right now they give off that Kroger Signature Store from the 90s vibe to me.  Some more interest on the arches would have broken up the sameness of the floating section.

On 2/4/2020 at 11:44 AM, Houston19514 said:

 

How many parking spots are there going to be?

Has the city ever considered a Parking variance ordinance that would cut the required spots by, say 50%, within 1,000 feet of train stop?  Effectively, it's a deregulation, so both the pro-transit and pro-business people may like it?

You can't expect a non-profit group to just recklessly barge ahead with a plan that started a mere...check notes...11 years ago.

I feel your pain.  I joked with a friend recently that we need to start a real estate business where we ask cheapskates (like he and I) where they like to eat and where they live.  Those kinds of places seem to get redeveloped every time I turn around.

37 minutes ago, Montrose1100 said:

I was at Local Foods on Sunday and wow this area is just so awesome. Looking south on Kirby with all the developments, a totally new and urban Houston. This will certainly add tremendously to this area. 

 

Suppose Shanghai River's days are numbered. Guess I'll have to frequent more often.

 

 

I feel your pain.  I joked with a friend recently that we need to start a real estate business where we ask cheapskates (like he and I) where they like to eat and where they live.  Those kinds of places seem to get redeveloped every time I turn around.

I'm not an architect, so I wondered if anyone can answer this question.  When the developer says, "Architecturally, it would be significant. The buildings would be timeless, not ready to be torn down in 30 years."  ...and then I look at the render and there isn't a single design element from more than 5-10 years ago (to my eyes). What confidence can he have that this building will be timeless?  Is it quality of materials?  Notoriety of the designer?  The only 30-year+ office building in Houston that I hear people note is the 700 Louisiana building which is an obvious homage to much older elements.  I'm not saying he's wrong, but how can someone predict this?

Am I the only one who tries to rotate the camera a-la-google-street-view on every ground level photo on HAIF?

Looks like they are building the smaller tower first.