arche_757

And why are costs so high? What is driving the costs upward? What is typically one of the biggest expenses of any company? I still maintain that oil/gas companies are their own worst enemies. But people in the oil and gas industry don't want to hear it - face it you guys work in a highly-highly flawed and screwed up profession. You damage yourselves every 8-12 years And my other point.... Why over produce? Why shoot yourself in the foot? US Oil companies are responsible (at least partly) for the most recent price slump due to the overproduction.

The Hyatt has what? 900? So we'll almost have 3. What the heck are people arguing over? http://www.cvent.com/en/company/cvent-top-50-meeting-destinations-united-states-2014.shtml http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/aug/19/san-diego-number-five-convention-city/ Looks like Dallas is #7 - not 5th.

^Those were my thoughts too regarding that commercial. Why cut the skyline like that? Also, why would owning a car make you a pansy? (too change a few words you used) I drive a car - I commute - it makes sense! And cars/trucks do not a strong man or woman make. The commercials sucked this year. Though I did like a few of the more touchy-feely ones.

Its a vicious cycle of overpaying people that the oil/gas industry started. Now you're forced to pay more than what person XYZ is qualified - or - should make. Why? Because that's what its always been. I have a friend who was paid in excess of $85,000 a year fresh out of A&M working with a degree that was suspect (some quasi-engineering degree without the ability to become an actual engineer). Now - that's great money for a starting position! Oil/gas could have offered same person a much lower starting salary and he/she would have taken the job. It absolutely overpays people! I don't work in the oil/gas industry - but my Father has since the 1960s... his wisdom is that oil and gas companies overinvest in their employees (particularly new hires/first time job types).

My point was: Why increase your expenses beyond the national inflation rate? Oil and Gas companies seem to do this gleefully. When that happens, whenever there is a downturn then they suffer because they've not saved enough money for a rainy day. My Dad has decades of experience and he thought the starting salaries for new employees at oil/gas companies was just crazy. His exact words were "I hope they enjoy it while it lasts" Why would any profession put such huge profit margins on working in said profession? Pay those who got you there well. Pay the rest a reasonable amount and they'll still be happy. In my experience you only pay people who you *REALLY* want absurd money. Average architects with 20 years experience make less money than oil/gas newly hired workers, and we have more schooling and require a more stringent set of licensing standards. If architectural firms nationally saw a 100% increase in profits I'll wager wages would increase, but not two-fold, three-fold etc?! Oil and gas companies have socked away money - and yes they take a lot to make money as the infrastructure is outrageously expensive - but still common sense dictates that you don't overpay people. Other industries by-and-large do not. Would you rather 1) work at a company getting paid a decent amount of money knowing that they won't have to lay off anyone during a major recession and you have great job security? Or 2) work at a company getting paid gobs of money knowing that you'll probably get laid off at the first hint of trouble and then have issues getting new work because you're a part of 10,000 other people just like you? I'll take number 1 please. I'd rather toil along for years and save my own money never really having to worry about my job than make 2-3 years worth of money in 1 year and then worry that I'll probably end up out of work for 2-3 years.

Yeah. Its a suburban hospital. Could be worse, could be a lot better.

Big surprise! But $4 million over?! Egads! Methinks the MRA has a solid need to get someone on the board that actually is in construction. $4 million over is so high that the people in charge ought to be shelved!

I still find it hard to believe that companies that made billions of dollars at $35 - 40 oil, are so strapped for cash now?! I understand oil platforms in the North Sea and Gulf of Mexico are really costly! I also understand that paying roughnecks with zero skills/zero education $100,000+ is so far beyond sanity that there is not a word around to describe it (I realize I'm generalizing a tad...but oil/gas has some crazy salaries for crazy positions that other industries seem to have figured out better). Of course if I had *just* graduated from college and was making what some of these inexperienced, wet-between-the-ears 20somethings are making I guess I'd expect my company to have a hard time moving forward when there is a sudden (and not like its the first time) bump in the road. That, and how absurd that these same companies grew like they did and overproduced oil so quickly!? And all during the wanning moments of a global recession that forced millions out of work nationally and globally - and nearly broke some countries (Greece, Spain etc.)! How absurd. Oil/Gas is its own worst enemy!

Le Meridien and aLoft are part of the same Starwood chain of hotels. I'm curious if they would put two hotels owned by them so close? Maybe? Originally Le Meridien was part of Air France - its hotel concept. Guess its been purchased and expaneded internationally? I couldn't care less if the only locations for the chain in the US are Baltimore and Oakland! We need hotels, need older buildings that are empty or only 20% occupied to be redeveloped! This helps the area between Main Street and the Convention "District"

^I see you *do not* drive a Porsche. ...or you're simply more subtle about it?

I'm not the least bit worried about location. It'll be what it will be. If its mixed-use then I expect it will be in an area that would accommodate a mixed-use development? If it was built Downtown on the old Post Office site - that's next to a freeway - would you still complain? Or are you only concerned with being adjacent to *certain* freeways? What if it is built north of Uptown Park? Off Woodway? What if it helps create a mixed-use zone for that whole area? Why would that be a bad thing? I don't understand your rationale. Also, if it was built in Hempsted in the middle of a field... so what? Plenty of good corporate campuses built in parklike settings away from other objects/buildings etc. Look at Exxon - things popped up around it, but at the time it was off by itself.

Well enough that most of the corporate types don't hire architects like her. They hire PickardChilton. That's ok. The people who hired her are apparently fans of her work, and better students of architecture than most! What are you worried about? Starchitects can't *only* work on museums, airport terminals and stadiums! Lets see what she wants to do in regards to a mixed-use corporate hq + retail/hotel property - and then worry about (when/if it looks like crap).

Yeah. And oil "rebounded" to $53 so far today... Consider that these companies were hugely successful with oil at the price it has been just a decade or so ago and it makes you wonder. From what I've read the first cuts are coming from points in the Middle East...then moving west as needed?

Its safe to say the boom is over. So to answer the thread question - no. But, I don't think its all doom and gloom like people are saying. Bad for the oil field production people but things could pick-up quickly unless the national economy tanks. I don't think we're looking at a repeat of the 1980s crash. At least we should hope not! Kiss any transit or livability projects good bye if that happens. I think the better discussion to have is: How else should Houston diversify its economy following the latest slump in the oil patch?

^because lots of tall stuff is getting built and people here love the tall stuff, and the slowdown will greatly reduce the number of tall things being built! Without trying to sound condescending... In all honesty - people here have seen all the proposals that are likely going to get scrapped. International Tower (Stream/Essex) and a few others like 5 Allen Center are likely gone - and I think that's what people are more upset about. We'll have to wait another 3-4 years (maybe much less?) to see other proposals come down the pike.

I was under the impression they *might* have to lay off employees? Not that they were for 100% certainty.

Big old surface lot!

Actually, if the City did relocate the Police HQ over that way - then the current building they are in off Dallas Street can be either torn down (no real loss of architecture) and the plan to keep pushing retail along the Dallas Street corridor can continue. There are buildings MUCH older than 800 Bell not only *in* Houston, but around the country and elsewhere in the world that hold more sensitive government functions than a city police hq. If buildings that are hundreds of years old can be brought into modern times with security/technology features then a 50 year old modern highrise that currently houses the 2nd or 3rd largest company in the world can!

Flights that long typically can be pretty bad, though you can do things to make the time go by faster. My experience (and advice): plan on getting up and standing/walking a bit every 2 hours or so (long enough you can watch a movie in between), bring a book you've been waiting to read, or . As for Oz and Kiwiland? Have fun. There is a lot to do!

Really? What if its a "game changer?"

How the f*** did this get burrrrried? Imagine the sounds of joy and glee that would come from this forum if this happened... and... ...wait for it... ... ...we got a "W" out of this development! You could hear Monarch's hyperbole-isitcal outburst from Dallas if that was the case!

It impacts it alright. Otherwise we would be in pandemonium right now. Funny.... the big oil companies made a TON of money over the past decade or so, yet the first instant of trouble they cut jobs. Perhaps they ought to rethink *how* much they pay people. I have friends who are entry level that make obscene amounts of money considering just how dumb and green they are! Stupid!

Read it again. Some guy named Vladimer is a furniture designer. She's been hired to design the HQ! So that's another Pritzker Prize winner ...possibly? Though it could end up as nothing with the price of oil what it is?

The what?!

Just go drive around in your car. You'll feel better! I wonder if the original press release with the retractable roof design (for Alessandra) was all just marketing for Gensler? They may have splashed that out there (with some consent from Midway) with the intent of getting a glitzy new design on the front page? And I do think you're missing a few balconies for the individual units, and some floors of parking under those residential floors!