SAN ANTONIO | The Floodgate | 212 FT | 17 FLOORS | T/O

[Keep-SA-Lame]

Beige has become kind of a swear word around here but I definitely like it on this one.

[ahealy]

I so wish we had this in Austin. I love the beige and shape of this. It's warm, modern and blends in nicely. Well done, SA!!

[SpiritofSeguin]

There's an anecdote from Robert Hugman that he wanted to limit tall buildings on the Riverwalk to avoid a "canyon effect". Wonder what he would think of the place now...

[JACKinBeantown]

Originally Posted by SpiritofSeguin

There's an anecdote from Robert Hugman that he wanted to limit tall buildings on the Riverwalk to avoid a "canyon effect". Wonder what he would think of the place now...

I think climate change has made it so much hotter since he designed the Riverwalk nearly 100 years ago that it's good to have the shade of the tall(ish) buildings acting as a sunblocker.


https://i.makeagif.com/media/8-14-2016/dNZ2Kx.gif

[Waynebob]

Climate change hasn’t raised temperatures to the degree you referring. Only a couple of degrees over the years. Most likely less from when the river walk was constructed.

[Keep-SA-Lame]

I think the "canyon" is part of the charm. People are drawn to places with a sense of enclosure. That could be achieved with just the cypress trees and low rise buildings of course but I think midrise buildings heighten that sense in a positive way (usually)

[JACKinBeantown]

Originally Posted by Waynebob

Climate change hasn’t raised temperatures to the degree you referring. Only a couple of degrees over the years. Most likely less from when the river walk was constructed.

I grew up in San Antonio. It was always hot in the summer. But now it's unbearably hot, year after year. That has happened in my lifetime. That's the degree I'm referring to. I hope that made my statement more clear.

Anyway, I agree with Keep-SA-Lame that the "canyon" effect has its charm. Maybe not having a 50-story building right on the Riverwalk, but 20-story buildings are more highrises than skyscrapers, so the "human" scale is part of the positive part of the effect, in my opinion.

[jaga185]

Originally Posted by JACKinBeantown

...Maybe not having a 50-story building right on the Riverwalk, but 20-story buildings are more highrises than skyscrapers, so the "human" scale is part of the positive part of the effect, in my opinion.

This i 100% agree with. Keep the taller buildings away from the riverwalk and only have "human" scale structures. It creates a more intimate? if you will scale.

[SpiritofSeguin]

Originally Posted by JACKinBeantown

Maybe not having a 50-story building right on the Riverwalk, but 20-story buildings are more highrises than skyscrapers, so the "human" scale is part of the positive part of the effect, in my opinion.

Could the Riverwalk even support a 50 or 70 story tower right on the banks? The old CPS Building on Navarro Street is actually flooded on it's river level, right up to below the windows. I'll have to get a pic if it's still like that but they have hoses from the street level down to try and drain it, and it was...and then it filled up with smelly swamp water. Peculiar.

[JACKinBeantown]

Originally Posted by SpiritofSeguin

Could the Riverwalk even support a 50 or 70 story tower right on the banks? The old CPS Building on Navarro Street is actually flooded on it's river level, right up to below the windows. I'll have to get a pic if it's still like that but they have hoses from the street level down to try and drain it, and it was...and then it filled up with smelly swamp water. Peculiar.

If they were to dig and pour the foundation properly there should be no problem at all. The Riverwalk is only a few feet deep and is mostly concrete anyway. I wouldn't want anyone to put a 50-70-story building right on it, but who knows; if done well it could be cool as a one-off. Western Centre is a good sized building on the river. It has a plaza that is cool in a Planet of the Apes sorta way. Tower Life, on the other hand, is a masterpiece of a building, but its interaction with the river is terrible. Probably because it was there first and the Riverwalk has terrible interaction with it.

[AwesomeSAView]

Originally Posted by jaga185

This i 100% agree with. Keep the taller buildings away from the riverwalk and only have "human" scale structures. It creates a more intimate? if you will scale.

You ALWAYS make "sense" in your comments!!! Congrats!!!

[Keep-SA-Lame]

Originally Posted by JACKinBeantown

If they were to dig and pour the foundation properly there should be no problem at all. The Riverwalk is only a few feet deep and is mostly concrete anyway. I wouldn't want anyone to put a 50-70-story building right on it, but who knows; if done well it could be cool as a one-off. Western Centre is a good sized building on the river. It has a plaza that is cool in a Planet of the Apes sorta way. Tower Life, on the other hand, is a masterpiece of a building, but its interaction with the river is terrible. Probably because it was there first and the Riverwalk has terrible interaction with it.

That's a good point, there's lots of variables besides scale that make a building a good addition to the river. Hopefully this will change with the renovation though.