If We Build It, They Will Come

[marc]

I hope this post fits here. I couldn't find one to match exactly what i had in mind, so here it lands.

If you could construct any highrise, anywhere in Houston....

Where would you put it?

What would it look like?

What would its dimensions be?

If you are able, provide a rendering.

Let's see how it goes.

Personally, i would LOVE to see something with a spire in DT which is 1000 ft. or more. Houston seems to have missed the spire phase and i wish we had at least one (no i don't consider the antenna on One Shell Plaza much of a spire). I know some cities have overdone it (i.e. Chicago and Atlanta) but at least one signature tower with a spire would be nice.

I would like to see a 600-800 footer in UT. BUT, nothing with the brown, tan, yellow, earth tones. Although they look nice in UT, i feel we are getting too many cookie cutter looking highrises there. Something with a blue-green glass facade or nice crown.

Maybe a 40 storey highrise off of Sam Houston Pkwy near Westeimer or Richmond; something that, because of its location can be seen for miles. Also, a 30 storey condo tower in the NW mall area and a 30 storey on the opposite side of Greenspoint at the SH and 1-45 interchange (the west side of the FWY) .

Let's here your ideas.

[Trae]

Looking at a map of Downtown Houston, I would put the tower along one of these surface parking spaces on the Red Line, about two blocks down from the Pavilions site:

It wouldn't have a spire, but the top would look like the top of Philly's Comcast Center:

I would make the bottom three floors retail, then on top of that, we would have a third of the building commercial, then the next third a hotel, then the next residential. Then, have two top floors for an observation deck.

I would want the building to be between 1,050-1,150 feet. Then have about 90 floors. So, 3 floors would be retail at the bottom, then the office would be 29 floors, then the hotel would be an additional 29 floors, then the residential would be another 29 floors. Then, add two more floors to have the observation deck. That would put the building at 92 floors.

I will do it . I promise. I just got to get my ass in college first (got three years left).

Edited October 28, 2006 by Trae

[marc]

^^^ Very cool, Trae. Exactly what i was looking for. I hope more people answer the post. I always like new perspectives. Are you an architect student? Or are you going into business and become more of a developer? And yes, i love that Philly is getting the Comcast Center. It actually is one of my favorites going up right now. I also favor the Frost-like towers (Austin, Charlotte, and i think, in Nashville). Would one call that a crown, a spire, .......... look them up and you'll see what i mean. Something with the top lit up at night. Thanks for responding.

[Trae]

I'm 16. I want to go into business, real estate, and architecture once I get into college, though.

I have them narrowed down:

1.USC

2. UGA

3. Houston

4. UCLA

5. Texas

6. GA Tech

7. A&M

Edited October 28, 2006 by Trae

[MexAmerican_Moose]

go to Houston trae....gotta represent the H..anyways here are some renderings that i made

[Trae]

Where did you make that at?

[MexAmerican_Moose]

i made it in like 30 minutes using Autodesk Inventor

[houstonfella]

Vision: that is important. You guys have it. I can see those buildings working in downtown Houston very well. Keep the faith, bro.

[TheNiche]

I'm 16. I want to go into business, real estate, and architecture once I get into college, though.

Just so you're aware, screen architecture schools for their teaching philosophy. Some, like UH's, teach architecture as an art school. On the other end of the spectrum, A&M teaches it as a profession.

Both have their merits, but having taken a couple architecture classes at UH as electives, I wasn't impressed with the art school approach. Lots of interesting ideas, but usually ego-driven instead of client- or market-driven. And even when the ideas are intriguing, I personally observed a lot of poor craftsmanship by students and insufficient quality control enforcement by professors. When I dropped the second class out of frustration and explained why to the professor, he mentioned something along the lines that UH architecture helps clients spend money, whereas aggie architecture helps clients make it...I clearly didn't belong in his class, and he had been wondering when I was going to figure that out.

I'd hoped to gain a better appreciation for the field so as to allow me to communicate better with those architects that I encounter and deal with professionally. All it did was teach me to screen architects by their schools of origin. I'll probably never hire a Coog architect (unless they did their formative work somewhere else) because they seem to piss me off so consistently.

[marc]

go to Houston trae....gotta represent the H..anyways here are some renderings that i made

I like it, but it looks a lot like the Trump Tower going up in Chicago. Where would you put it? AND if your answer is DT, near which buildings? How tall would it be? Thanks for the renderings!

Edited October 29, 2006 by marc

[MexAmerican_Moose]

i tried to use some Enron Towers like design, so i would probably put it near the former Enron Towers

Edited October 30, 2006 by MexAmerican_Moose

[texas911]

BS about UH vs Aggies. The aggies teach you like a vocational school would. They don't even offer a real Bachelor of Architecture degree. UH aspires to change the world through great/beautiful inspiring architecture. ATM are like one step above engineering, yea it will do its job, but it makes your city ugly! Mundane go with ATM, aspiring go with UH. Plus with UH in the 4th largest city and probably the largest with no zoning, you get visiting professors and lecturers that are literally on the cutting edge of architecture.

[UrbaNerd]

What about Rice? How is their program like? I'm going to try to get in there, after I finish another semester of these basic classes.

[nmainguy]

BS about UH vs Aggies. The aggies teach you like a vocational school would. They don't even offer a real Bachelor of Architecture degree. UH aspires to change the world through great/beautiful inspiring architecture. ATM are like one step above engineering, yea it will do its job, but it makes your city ugly! Mundane go with ATM, aspiring go with UH. Plus with UH in the 4th largest city and probably the largest with no zoning, you get visiting professors and lecturers that are literally on the cutting edge of architecture.

Plus UH and Rice students show a real passion for design. A&M students are more likely to crank out things like our new Jiffy Lube firestation #2 downtown:

Blech

________________________________________

I would like to see something similar to this on the site of the jail across the bayou from UHDT.

Edited March 24, 2007 by nmainguy

[Houston1stWordOnTheMoon]

What about Rice? How is their program like? I'm going to try to get in there, after I finish another semester of these basic classes.

Rice is the BEST in everything. I HIGHLY recommend it! Get in and you will make nice friends for life, types you can count on + have a decent future ahead of you! Having a piece of paper behind your name with Rice University on it will open many doors

[texas911]

Rice is a great school, one thing I didn't like about their school of Architecture was that the classes are almost too small. One great thing about UH is that its an open environment and the classes are large so you get a diverse amount of ideas being exchanged. At least when I was going to school, Rice students hung out with UH students, with lots of cross over projects between the two schools. And we loved haning out with them at Valhalla for 50 cent Shiner Bock.

[marc]

Let's have some more ideas!!

[TheNiche]

BS about UH vs Aggies. The aggies teach you like a vocational school would. They don't even offer a real Bachelor of Architecture degree. UH aspires to change the world through great/beautiful inspiring architecture. ATM are like one step above engineering, yea it will do its job, but it makes your city ugly! Mundane go with ATM, aspiring go with UH. Plus with UH in the 4th largest city and probably the largest with no zoning, you get visiting professors and lecturers that are literally on the cutting edge of architecture.

You're right about UH being more on the cutting edge. But I'll tell you something: if I have to deal with an architect professionally and have any intention of sticking to a reasonable budget and retaining sanity, I'll take the Aggie.

A&M students are more likely to crank out things like our new Jiffy Lube firestation #2 downtown:

Blech

I completely agree. Its ugly. But what were the budget limitations? I strongly suspect that they just adapted a cheap design from some other firehouse in some other city because it allowed them to cut back on design costs. Aggies won't whine about it like Coogs and Owls will. They'll do their job as best they can given limited resources. That's how they've been taught.

[KinkaidAlum]

So, basically, if you want cheap design, uninspired strip malls that will make investors a quick buck or two at the expense of the greater community, and you want to hire someone who has been taught to not think outside of the box, hire an Aggie?

I think I'll stick with hiring a Cougar...

[TheNiche]

So, basically, if you want cheap design, uninspired strip malls that will make investors a quick buck or two at the expense of the greater community, and you want to hire someone who has been taught to not think outside of the box, hire an Aggie?

I think I'll stick with hiring a Cougar...

If you want your architect to design to your specifications and budget, hire an Aggie. If you want and can afford an artist, hire a Coog.

[RedScare]

Plus UH and Rice students show a real passion for design. A&M students are more likely to crank out things like our new Jiffy Lube firestation #2 downtown:

Blech

Actually, the Jiffy Lube Fire Station was designed by an architect who specializes in fire stations out of California. The design is in response to a city request for a "retro" fire station look. The tower is supposed to be reminiscient of the old hose drying towers.

After the initial design, it was given to a local firm to clean it up and finish it up. A friend of mine (a Coog) worked on it and still cries about what a clusterf**k the design was.

[texas911]

If you want your architect to design to your specifications and budget, hire an Aggie. If you want and can afford an artist, hire a Coog

Would you go to Pablo Picaso and tell him what and how to paint?

That's what you hire a professional for. Sure he has to keep your budget in mind, I seriously doubt that any architect will not build to your budget.

[TheNiche]

Would you go to Pablo Picaso and tell him what and how to paint?

Of course not. If I needed a corporate logo and some brochures designed, I'd hire a skilled graphic designer. Likewise, if I'm trying to build retail center or office building, I'll hire an Aggie.

If I have a lot of money to spare and want some monumental structure...frankly I'll design it myself (and send it to the Aggie to make sure that it is structurally sound). But lesser mortals could be forgiven for hiring a Coog.

That's what you hire a professional for. Sure he has to keep your budget in mind, I seriously doubt that any architect will not build to your budget.

You're right. Ultimately, even the Coog will make sacrifices and come down to earth. But they'll give you a lot of crap about it. They're artists.

[ProHouston]

So, basically, if you want cheap design, uninspired strip malls that will make investors a quick buck or two at the expense of the greater community, and you want to hire someone who has been taught to not think outside of the box, hire an Aggie?

I think I'll stick with hiring a Cougar...

You always take the negative slant on the Aggies. Are you a Cougar or a Longhorn?

[RedScare]

You always take the negative slant on the Aggies. Are you a Cougar or a Longhorn?

Aside from his opinion of Aggies in general, he is right. A&M's approach to architecture is from a structural point of view. Much less emphasis is placed on the artistic side of things. This produces sound structures that are often uninspiring to look at. This is not to say that UH designed structures are less sound. But, as Niche said, A&M architects tend to draw less elaborate structures that cost less to build. For those who place money over aesthetics, this may be preferable. However, not all inspiring designs are expensive to build.

BTW, I am an Aggie, but I'd take a Coog any day.

Edited October 31, 2006 by RedScare

[texas911]

Just to clear things up, architects still need a sturctural (independent) engineer's stamp to get his plans approved. In which case an aggie engineer is fine to use.

So regardless of who you use as an architect, you don't have to worry about it falling down. And yes, at UH architecture students take ample, ample structural and environmental courses. I don't want people to think that all we did at UH was sip coffee and do art!

[RedScare]

I don't want people to think that all we did at UH was sip coffee and do art!

Right. You go to Rice to do that.

[The Great Hizzy!]

The fire station looks more warehouse than fire station. I know it's just an opinion, unquantifable and all, but does anyone else get that same impression?

That design looks like it would be cooler for a Fed Ex distribution center than for a fire station. I imagine that it's functional but the asthetics "are the most lack."

[KinkaidAlum]

Actually, I was only responding to Niche's blanket criticism of every UH architecture student there ever was. I have nothing against Aggies. In fact, I root for them against the Longhorns when they play, although I used to root for a tie but that is no longer possible...

That said, I am a Statesman...

Fight on for Hobart

Geneva's varsity

Fight on for Hobart

And claim that Victory

For it's F-I-G-H-T

Shout it out with Glee

Hip! Hip! Hobart

The best you'll ever see

From the Shores of the Finger Lakes

High up on the Hill

We're the men of Hobart

Gonna take another Swill

For it's D-R-I-N-K

We're gonna win Today

Hip! Hip! Hobart

Hoooooo-raaaayyyy.

H-O-B

A-R-T

Headin' to another Victory

Hobart Statesmen

Win

Aaaaahhhh-gain!

[marc]

ummmmmmmmmmmm. i think we are a bit off topic.

AND maybe lay of the brew buddy.