Jump to content

Specwriter

Full Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1,032

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    3

 Content Type 

Everything posted by Specwriter

  1. Specwriter
    It would be an attractive addition to the downtown skyline but it would also be partially obscured by other tall buildings. I like it where it is. For this Houston native and resident for 50+ years, it is awe inspiring to see it from say, the Sidney Sherman Bridge over the ship channel, and recall Houston's remarkable ascent as a major urban presence in my lifetime.
  2. Specwriter
    I've mentioned in other threads how outstanding the service and quality of the produce was. Central Market and Whole Foods don't come close to offering the customer service one would experience at Jamail's.
  3. Specwriter
  4. Specwriter
    Mercedes-Benz agencies (at least the one I use) seem to have taken a lesson from Lexus. The things I like about the service department (and it may be just because of the service writer I always request demand) is that, if there are repairs, they are done right the first time, my car is ready when they say it will be, and the service writer is very good about communicating with me. If he says he will call at 2:00 to let me know the status of my car, my phone rings at 1:59! The espresso bar, WiFi, etc. are nice but they would not make up for shortcomings in the items I named above. I'm not easily bought off.
  5. Specwriter
    The ceiling seats are long gone. IIRC they were originally put there for acoustic reasons. I'm sure there is something more sophisticated now.
  6. Specwriter
    Appears to have been worth the wait.
  7. Specwriter
    If Rice has the money, and I think they do, let them at it. It is a private school after all and I don't think the University will let its academic reputation suffer. Alumni loyalty for Rice is second only to that of Texas A&M - maybe even tied with A&M depending on how it is measured. I did not attend Rice, nor has anyone in my family, but I have often enjoyed watching football and baseball games there.
  8. Specwriter
    I remember that day very well. I could see the smoke from Humble where I was working that day.
  9. Specwriter
    Arche, you do realize I am joking about making snow inside the dome. I'm not sure how low the temperature in the Dome could go with the present set up. Does anyone remember the (awful) movie from the mid-70's "KIller Bees?" It starred Gloria Swanson and Kate Jackson! An indoor park (air conditioned of course) does present all types of possibilities for recreation - especially for people for whom our elevated summer temperatures and humidity pose a potential health risk. It is also a great opportunity to grow some flora that may, or may not, be native to the area. Now we are talking about a giant conservatory or green house as part of the attraction. Could we also include an aviary or would that present too many sanitary problems? ​ To some extent there have always been, and will always bee be, flying creatures in the Dome though. Does anyone remember the not awful movie from 1970 "Brewster McCloud" starring a young Stacy Keach and Sally Kellerman (who also played Hot Lips Hoolihan in the movie "M.A.S.H." released the same year.)?
  10. Specwriter
    There was also a row of windows along the bayou where you could look out and see turtles, gar, possum, and the occasional snake in the bayou or on the banks.
  11. Specwriter
    I'm in agreement with bringing in man-made snow. What my joke implied was to literally make it snow by REALLY cranking down the AC (as if it could be done) and spray a water mist in the air so it would fall as "snow."
  12. Specwriter
    "Alpine bio-dome?" Would that include a ski slope then? Heck, this is Houston. If we didn't invent air conditioning we perfected it. Make it snow in there! (I hope everyone knows I'm joking. I agree with the notion that whatever it becomes it is not over-thought.
  13. Specwriter
    Ah the Cedar Lounge . . . Rumor has it that it was frequented by at least a few of the priests from the nearby Catholic church. There is nothing wrong with clergy enjoying an occasional drink and I'm sure most appreciated the relative level of anonymity the dark space afforded. I'm also sure the bartenders were discrete as well. Who knows, perhaps Father X or some of his colleagues were looking to reform sinners as they enjoyed their refreshments. I was told it was called a pressure cooker club because the housewives who spent their afternoons there would rush home and throw something in the pressure cooker for dinner.
  14. Specwriter
    I got to drive a 300SE 6.3 about 5 years ago when the car was almost 40 years old. It had been well maintained of course. The experience was amazing. The ride compared well to any modern luxury car and the power was phenomenal. I got it up to a very super-legal speed on the highway and it seemed to just beg for more. It was also incredibly stable without all the electronic 'nanny' devices. The only downside: the car was pretty much good for 10-12mpg tops. Then again, if a person could afford a $15,000 car in 1970 gasoline prices weren't much of a concern.
  15. Specwriter
    I've had experience with a few projects where the building site was very "tight" so mock ups were constructed on nearby open space that was usually leased (on a short term) from the owner. If the mock up is to be tested there needs to be space around it to set up the testing apparatus. This has even been done in locations well away from the building site since only engineers, the materials suppliers, and the contractor (the owner too sometimes) have much interest in the outcome of the testing. Many designers are very conscientious and require that mock ups for aesthetic purposes be oriented such that they are exposed to the same daylight as the completed building. For example if the building has sunscreens on its west facade then the mock up of that facade would be oriented toward the west as well. This seems obvious but unless the requirement is clearly stated there is no guarantee the contractor will do so. He should not have to guess what is important to the designer.
  16. Specwriter
    It looks like it will be a mock up of the exterior wall. These are done for several reasons. Their primary uses are to determine if the aesthetics of the building are acceptable to the owner (the entity paying to have the building constructed) and to set the standard for the level of quality of construction for the entire building. More and more mock ups are also being constructed to test the building envelope (walls, windows, etc. and the interfaces between these components) for air and water infiltration.
  17. Specwriter
    Again, I apologize for hijacking this thread but Broadway extends to Brady Island in the Houston Ship Channel where makes a curve to the left and becomes Harrisburg. Immediately after that curve Navigation intersects Harrisburg by curving south and following the ship channel for a short distance. Paste the page below in your browser which shows that configuration. http://www.mapquest.com/#c51b4aac3621be53318a405b Art, you are correct about the origin of Telephone Road but, as near as I can tell Leeland stops at Hughes just west of Wayside.
  18. Specwriter
    Thanks, JM. That makes me feel much better. I did see the Falcon Landing wording on the site plan and it just didn't register in my mind. Also, I sent you a PM on another topic.
  19. Specwriter
    Off topic but right now Broadway is getting a $17 millon refurbishing (which it badly needs). Since this is many peoples' first glimpse of Houston, if they enter via Hobby Airport, I'm glad to see it happening. BTW, Broadway sort of turns into Harrisburg FWIW.
  20. Specwriter
    Ingrassia may be partially correct. GM's products improved but they way it did business (marketing, labor relations, customer service) did not. They bought SAAB and killed it (murder by incompetence - not understanding the car or its traditional customers); let Saturn wither on the vine when it had been, and could have continued to be, an alternative to lower priced imports; and scuttled two of the linchpins of its heritage: Oldsmobile and Pontiac.
  21. Specwriter
    If the structure supporting the tiles looked "kinda rusted" then the tiles needed to come off. Each one is certainly larger than anything I would want falling on my head. I'm glad to see work progressing on this building.
  22. Specwriter
    I believe you are correct, griff, and that is the shame of our society. I admit I don't know the answer to the homeless problem either. I think the homeless would be safer and better cared for if we put them all in a facility where their basic needs could be met. Alas, this sounds too much like an internment camp and would undoubtedly bring up questions of civil liberties, etc. Despite their economic, emotional, and social issues most of the homeless do possess a drive to survive. I believe that is why the gravitate to places where the have the best chance of getting some form of sustenance and shelter no matter how inadequate it may be.
  23. Specwriter
    I wasn't an architect when I first saw that cartoon; I believe I was still in junior high. As a current architect though, with my fair share of experience in the field, it is one of the funniest cartoons I have ever seen. Sometimes the poor contractor builds exactly what the architect drew and then gets blamed for not knowing better.
  24. Specwriter
    Ionic, iconic, ironic. Gotta love this language.
  25. Specwriter
    That's great news if true, JM. There are architects in Houston who specialize in renovating and restoring historic residential property. They have also executed sensitive and appropriate additions. I hope this is the case for the Weingarten mansion. It is a stately structure in need of a little TLC.
×
×
  • Create New...