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arche_757

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Everything posted by arche_757

  1. arche_757
    Looks the same. Doubt the design - overall feel of the design - will change all that much. They've gone public with a lot of images, and had meetings with HISD people and the community at large with these renderings. Things can be tweeked but doubtful they change too much. Only "value engineering" will drastically change the scope and scale of the design. Looking at the plans - this building is mixing 100 ideas and concepts into one space. That is a challenge for any architect.
  2. arche_757
    Who knows if they had a specific vision? They did have required spaces and special uses for the building. I feel like (my opinion) the architecture was molded a bit by the clients more so than the designer may have liked? Or the budget just didn't allow for everything the architects wanted to do (most likely), and they scrambled together as many elements as possible. Plus, this is a school - schools seldom ever have the money needed to really churn out a fantastic design. Architecture is a thankless profession.
  3. arche_757
    Here, Here! A "school for the performing arts" shouldn't ever be "just ok" or "better than an asphalt parking lot" I'm not saying this product is trash - very much like Subdude mentioned, this thing (and it is a thing) is an incoherent mess. A "hodge-podge" of assembled rectangular forms and oversized letters incorporated into structural components and shade canopies makes a building, but not a great one. Frankly I am not surpirsed. I'm not going to bash the architect, Gensler produces nice work. They're hands were tied here no doubt, as they client probably got a tad too involved in the architecture of this building. At least we will have Holl's MFA addition! Perhaps he can invigorate our overly corporate influenced architecture in town?
  4. arche_757
    Your welcome! It is a topic that has been talked about - quite a bit - but just been a few years.
  5. arche_757
    Not a fan of this product being played out for us. But then the existing one is ugly as well. For a school dedicated to the arts, and firm as big and broad as Gensler - this should be much better.
  6. arche_757
    2007 2008 2006 2005 Those aren't relevant any longer. And for those of us who weren't really around 6-9 years ago those topics aren't "new" or "beaten to death" Folks, remember that until the last 4-5 years Austin didn't have very many "tall" buildings either. SA's biggest non-tourist employment sector is either healthcare or Department of Defense. All of those work outside of Downtown. Don't expect DoD to be building any 40 floor towers!
  7. arche_757
    Multi-family?
  8. arche_757
    Sure, sure! The secret is out! IronTiger prefers leotards to regular pants! My "proposal" was aimed at the Village Arcade, and not the rest of the Village. Adding a few stop lights (or is it lites?) and a larger parking garage would help. Doing away with some of the entrances along Kirby/University/Morningside will also allow safer pedestrian areas.
  9. arche_757
    You're correct. But in the long run Houston will have a bigger system. Eventually the masses will demand something, and local politicos who don't listen will not be in office very long. The "good old boys" while still around, are slowly being replaced. The rest of us just have to bide our time.
  10. arche_757
    3rd attempt at replying! Of course it is Friday the 13th! So after sketching around a bit, I think the Arcade could be made more impressive and certainly change its focus a bit from having every single store with drive-up parking. Further, I do believe that alleviating the traffic problems would be possible if every entrance and exit didn't exist as it does now. Particularly facing University. I think I like the idea of closing Kelvin to Times Blvd. Rework Amherst (maybe even putting a light on Kirby) and focus that as the new entrance to the parking area for the west arcade. The east arcade open up the parking area from Times (since you don't need a lot of space, and you'd take valuable real estate away by leaving the parking garage access where it is. Put a light at Times Blvd and Kirby too. Tear out the old Arcade(s) and link them via some kind of interesting colonnade (that could pay homage to Rice down the street) with canopy covers here and there along the southern side and form that into a two 3 floor buildings with multi-level garages contained therein. Closing off Kelvin, and putting in new lights on Kirby will instantly reroute some traffic, making it easier to walk around. Limiting access to the parking structures to Times and Amherst would open up the focus towards Morningside and University a bit. Sounds drastic, and it would change the Village a bit, but all in all I think it wouldn't be too damaging. I'd also demo that existing spa and make that a larger park space perhaps? Maybe even put some parking under it? I think it would leave enough of the original Village intact, and would help some businesses by moving more people down less busy streets, while allowing more pedestrian spaces on the University and Morningside Frontage. Maybe a bit too grand?
  11. arche_757
    Hey Allen, welcome. I guess the first question to ask is in which part of town are you currently living? As the best seafood is found over in Clear Lake and Galveston areas - fresh from the Gulf and easy to buy in bulk from the area shrimpers/processors. However, if you live in Cypress that may not be an easy trip for you. In that case you may be better off buying at one of the nicer area grocers?
  12. arche_757
    So? In 50 years which Metro area will have more transit options (excluding Disney) Orlando or Houston? I'm putting all of my money on Houston. We have an inept transit agency + a booming population that will demand options as we site mired in traffic from one end of town to the other.
  13. arche_757
    I believe this topic started as a question on the most unfriendly areas in the City of Houston, not metro area. We all know unincorporated areas of Harris County would probably take the cake if the Metropolitan area were being discussed.
  14. arche_757
    The Village needs to form a district (perhaps there already is one?). That district would then charge member fees, which would be applied towards landscaping/beautification projects. Parking requirements and landscape requirements need to be addressed by this district - beyond what CoH mandates. This would go some distance to alleviating the concerns of a someone like a Luminare. Eliminating just 1 out of 10 parking spaces and planting a tree or other landscaping would drastically change that district too. Plus the addition of another parking garage - as mentioned before - would be helpful.
  15. arche_757
    What you're saying is this: Rice Village Arcade - and the Village shopping areas within a few blocks are dumpy. You want them gone. I would argue there is PLENTY of space immediately north of the Village that would allow 4+ floor residential above retail spaces that wouldn't destroy the character of the Village. Which is casual, welcoming and upscale without the pretentiousness of the Galleria or Highland Village. Rice Village was - and should remain - Houston's "accessible" shopping district. I'll agree there can be some remedies made without ruining The Village - one thing would be to close say a block of a lesser street like Times. Doing that might offer a small park space to be developed between some of the existing shops. The problem is mitigating the impact on existing shops. Many of the Village's shops are quite old, and have been around for many years. We had better see a better development than Hannover at the Village with its nominal retail space if that is the case.
  16. arche_757
    Your argument: Rice Village is too low density, lacks residential, lacks a "sense of place" and doesn't have any neat modern buildings. A better argument: Rice Village is a successful shopping center that could have more products like the Hannover development(s) without completely destroying the unique shops that form the backbone of Houston's most unique, albeit somewhat archaic shopping center. A centralized parking garage that is easy to use and big enough for all the visitors to the area would help alleviate some of the parking problems. You also argue that parking in front of stores is bad. Sort of. Parking in front of stores with 11 rows of parking is bad. What the Village has isn't necessarily bad, it can be improved in places and surely the stretch down Rice Blvd would be better if some of the newer centers had addressed some of the walk-ability issues with more "elegant" design. The problem is in assuming that all the Village is bad.
  17. arche_757
    ^^What Luminare? You're approach is a little too academic on this. Plus, you simply want to raze the entire Village and redo the whole area? Blasphamy. You know not what you speak of. The Village has plenty of space for "snazzy" new, glassy, modernist shopping. Leave the few interesting buildigns and hodge-podge of shops alone. Like the old saying: If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
  18. arche_757
    Forgive my ignorance, but, what is the probability that the 38 floor component of this project moves forward? I'm hoping that big hole will finally get infilled, and something worthwile go up.
  19. arche_757
    Some of us like to see buildings of note, survive the wrecking ball. This building and Central Square should be demolished. Together. Perhaps even in tandem? Imagine the spectacle the city could make of it?
  20. arche_757
    ^Yep. Main Event is driven towards the correct demographic. D&B will get people to go, but I still think their model of business (strictly catering to adults) is asking for financial trouble down the road. Not sure why someone like Main Event or D&B don't go to Galveston, or as mentioned Kemah? Lots of tourists during peak holidays, and busy enough the rest of the time.
  21. arche_757
    One could argue that they don't have a flawed business model, just a flawed business. However, they couldn't have known in 1980something when they opened that in 20 years people would have video game systems at their home that were 1000 times more sophisticated than what D&B could offer. I do think that D&B should examine their business model though. They bought their main competition - which was an ailing company too boot - and now are just about it. I still do not see who on earth would buy stock in them? Any way... that image was in that one rendering (on the Chronicle), so I suppose perhaps they'll expand to 3 locations? Honestly they would be better off opening at Kemah or Galveston than the north side of Baybrook.
  22. arche_757
    Would it not make sense for Hines to put out on the street (Chronicle) that they are increasing the building height by 4 floors? Seems like it would. That said: IF the building did increase in height we could assume the crown would be roughly the same dimensions above the height of the main roof (listed above by Avossos)? Currently that would be 59' The above has a 14.3 foot floor-floor (approx) which would be a 743.6' building (with 52 floors) + a 59' crown = 802.6'
  23. arche_757
    ^That happens I've found if enough time/people have posted after you. No worries. I was merely asking. Swtsig and Urbannizer do seem to have quite a bit of knowledge that most others do not have. I just thought it was curious that the post seemed to allude to the fact that without Swtsig (which I always hear as "swisstig" in my mind!) anything else was just speculation, and only they could produce 100% accurate information on any given project.
  24. arche_757
    I wouldn't say that. Any neighborhood will be easily walkable provided it does not have Westheimer (or similar) roads running right down the middle of it. Take the neighborhood between Rice - Bissonnet from Morningside - Main... of all that area mentioned only Rice and Bissonnet would be what I consider "unfriendly" towards pedestrians. Even Main south of the Montrose Oval is pedestrian friendly with big sidewalks and plenty of room for walkers, the rest of that area is easily walkable and not at all a hazard to pedestrians. Since most of Houston is low scale, single family homes in neighborhoods with big leafy trees (Houston proper) I would say much of it is much more walkable than most of us think.
  25. arche_757
    Does anyone recall the height of the "crown" of this building? It was pages and pages back, but I'm not sure if some recall how tall it was projected at being? Also, are we to assume some of the top floors (say 50, 51, 52) on this tower are included in the total floor count and include the architectural crown? Curious what "insiders" might say. I think this building would look better being taller.
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