Quote:
Originally Posted by TSK18
Is there any reason the crane would need to reach 486 feet if the tower will top out at 385?
|
It is a bit unusual to have a crane so high over the top of a building. Typically they're 30 to 50 feet above, but I think the reason the taller crane is so much higher above the building is so it can clear the shorter crane.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fryguy
There is actually no official height yet for this building. It could be 386 or 400, no one knows yet. The Crown might be taller than 40 ft., but the building itself should be at around 350-360
|
You're probably right. If San Antonio's height allowances are anything like Austin's, the stated height we've seen of 386 feet is likely only talking about the main roof. The mechanical penthouse could be higher, as would be crown since it conceals the mechanical penthouse. In Austin, at least, typically things like mechanical penthouses and roof access stairtowers aren't counted in height allowances/restrictions. They're even sometimes omitted from building elevations, or at least aren't measured even if they are represented.
I remember seeing the building elevations for the Grand Hyatt, but we haven't been lucky enough to see the elevations for the Frost Bank Headquarters.
In Austin, I've been able to go online and pull site plans for nearly every project here so that I could view the building elevations to get the height of the building. They have all of the "new" site plans digitized and uploaded to their website so that you can view them online. For older site plans containing the building elevations, you'd have to do a request to view them. I did that for some of the older buildings here that didn't have their plans available online. I went and viewed the old paper site plans/blueprints themselves, and even had copies printed.
Anyway, a week or so ago I attempted to do the same for San Antonio, hoping I could find them online, but San Antonio doesn't have their's available online, so you have to do an open records request and then go downtown to view them in person. For any of you in San Antonio who wanted to, you could make the request and then go view them in person. When I did it in Austin, I was allowed to photograph them, so I didn't necessarily have to get them printed to have an image of it. I just got some of the printed because I wanted to frame some of them being the geek that I am.
Anyhoo, this is San Antonio's building permit department where you'd go through to be allowed to view them.
http://www.sanantonio.gov/DSD/Online/Search
https://docsonline.sanantonio.gov/DSDDocsOnline/
I may still email the guy back to see if when I did do the records request if they would simply email me some snapshots of the plans, but I doubt people would feel comfortable doing that for someone without having met them first.
I would expect eventually San Antonio will digitize their building plans and have them available online. That would be sweet. Because being able to do that for Austin has been huge not just for gathering building heights, but also for spotting any potential development because of permits that are being filed with the city. We've been able to find out info about developments months and months ahead of the local media. It's kind of funny.