AUSTIN | The Independent | 690 FEET | 58 FLOORS | Complete

[the Genral]

That's what I was thinking. Either way, this should provide some interesting photo ops on low cloud and foggy nights. Should create a nice glow.
To improve the day time appearance, they could top each vertical beam with a fleur-de-lis, make it a true crown.

[austin242]

Definitely better but still not good enough even with the lighting. They should just put up some wind screens on the Metal or something. Just a plane white wind screen. It would be cheap as heck and would make the building look complete. They could even do something real cool and create an illusion or something.

[427MM]

Developer is around five homes of being sold out. So they have no incentive to mess with the roof any further. I would help resist any attempt for the HOA to do so (I like the roof, especially how it makes certain ppl all fussy). All that to say, I will help to pay for tatooing people's complaints on their foreheads or backs. Ok, who's first?

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by 427MM

Developer is around five homes of being sold out. So they have no incentive to mess with the roof any further. I would help resist any attempt for the HOA to do so (I like the roof, especially how it makes certain ppl all fussy). All that to say, I will help to pay for tatooing people's complaints on their foreheads or backs. Ok, who's first?

In all honesty, I don't really have a problem with the crown compared to how I felt once they were done. I felt that it looked unfinished at first, but there are aspects about it that I've grown to like. I like for example the way the poles stick up above the mesh screen, I don't think a straight line across would work as well and those points give it a spikey feel which is cool. Overall I've grown accustomed to seeing it the way it is as I'm sure more and more Austinites are. I can walk into my street in front of my house and clearly see the Independent so will be cool to finally see it lit. Again I hope they don't follow in the footsteps (or I should say buildingsteps lol I know cheezy) of the Austonian and eventually stop turning the lighting on.

By the way, someone needs to contact them and find out why they don't turn their lighting on anymore...

[the Genral]

Originally Posted by 427MM

Developer is around five homes of being sold out. So they have no incentive to mess with the roof any further. I would help resist any attempt for the HOA to do so (I like the roof, especially how it makes certain ppl all fussy). All that to say, I will help to pay for tatooing people's complaints on their foreheads or backs. Ok, who's first?

Ouch. Why would we want our complaints tatooed to our foreheads or backs? Sticks and stones...and its over a 'thing', not a person. Not a hater, but I think the crown could have been done better. But I also know no amount of complaining is going to change anything. I also get that all the incessant moaning can get irritating, I mean how many times can we beat a dead horse? I was the king of incessant ranting here and pissed quite a few people off in the past. I think I might have hurt Priller's feelings a few years ago when I made fun of the building he lived in, the one next to the Hilton Garden Inn, and I'm sorry if I did, but we all have are own opinions of what looks good and what doesn't. My neighbor hates the color I chose for the trim work on my house. If I gave a shit, I would have asked them what color they liked and would have changed it by now. Doubt I would ever offer to pay to have the name of that color tattooed to somewhere on their body though...I may come around someday and like the crown, (I used to be a hater on the Molar Building, now I'm not), but if I don't, don't sweat it, who really gives a shit what anyone else thinks anyway...

[austlar1]

Here's my take on sexy lighting for condo towers. Unless the developer incorporates dramatic lighting in the original design (probably as a marketing tool to draw attention to the building), once the HOA assumes responsibility for the property, the sexy lighting quickly becomes an expense that many (maybe most) condo owners find objectionable. I don't think the lighting has much impact on condo prices or re-sale value of the units. This might explain why the Austonian's crown is rarely lit. I am guessing the HOA at the Austonian is now fully responsible for the building. Can anybody verify that this is the case?

[ahealy]

Originally Posted by austlar1

Here's my take on sexy lighting for condo towers. Unless the developer incorporates dramatic lighting in the original design (probably as a marketing tool to draw attention to the building), once the HOA assumes responsibility for the property, the sexy lighting quickly becomes an expense that many (maybe most) condo owners find objectionable. I don't think the lighting has much impact on condo prices or re-sale value of the units. This might explain why the Austonian's crown is rarely lit. I am guessing the HOA at the Austonian is now fully responsible for the building. Can anybody verify that this is the case?

I would bet money on that one....and honestly, I can't blame them. My HOA at 360 was a pretty penny back in the day....can't imagine Austonian's in 2020.

[zrx299]

It can't possible cost that much to run some LED lighting.

[Geckos_Rule]

Originally Posted by ahealy

I would bet money on that one....and honestly, I can't blame them. My HOA at 360 was a pretty penny back in the day....can't imagine Austonian's in 2020.

Iinteresting, because the 360's HOA fees are actually lower than every other comparable high rise (save for the Spring, which are also low).

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by zrx299

It can't possible cost that much to run some LED lighting.

Agreed, Especially with the more recent lighting technology, cost shouldn't be that high. It looked as if they were making changes to the Austonian lighting but aside from the one night I saw it, it's been dark ever since.

[ahealy]

Originally Posted by Geckos_Rule

Iinteresting, because the 360's HOA fees are actually lower than every other comparable high rise (save for the Spring, which are also low).

Well yes, comparatively speaking in the downtown zone it's lower.

[Jdawgboy]

Is the lighting on tonight? It definitely looks like there is lightning on because I can see it from my street, though its pretty dim. The pictures looked so much brighter. If they are fully on now then it's not that bright at all. From a distance it's basically a dim shading of light barely stands out at all. At first I thought it was the lights from the top floors.

[Jdawgboy]

The lighting is on, I drove downtown, took 35, got off at Cesar Chavez then back on Mopac. Looks pretty good from Mopac, decent, although dimmer looking from 35. Up close literally looks like spotlights on prison fencing. Go farther than 3 miles and it's honestly underwhelming, dim looking, dimmer than most of the lighting on the skyline, I wouldn't be suprised 5 miles or farther, unless one is looking for it, mostly likely isn't even noticable.

Now I don't live there, I know those who do think it's funny that people criticize the crown and whatnot. But honestly I think if you want to make a statement on the nighttime skyline, wouldn't hurt to turn up that lighting so it can actually be seen from a distance. Its always gonna look like spotlights on prison fencing up close so might as well turn it up a few notches. Now again, from the Mopac bridge, it looks good, but that is the only spot along the route I took that looked good. Now if only it could look like that 3 miles or more away, then we would be in business.

[Echostatic]

It looks pretty nice from Circle C area. Looks like a nice pale glow towards the bottom of the crown.

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by Echostatic

It looks pretty nice from Circle C area. Looks like a nice pale glow towards the bottom of the crown.

Suprised you can see it from there. That is the problem, it's too pale. Doesn't stand out and while it looks like it lights up to the top closer, doesn't look like it reaches the top from a distance.

It is what it is. Personally it does very little to enhance the skyline from a distance. That's just me. I took a picture from where I can see it from my Street. I had to enhance it a bit just to get it to be noticable. Funny because a car was at the other end and that kind helped it but to the naked eye, its pretty dim.

[gillynova]

Can someone take a picture of it? :o

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by gillynova

Can someone take a picture of it? :o

I'll post the one I took a few min ago.

Again looks brighter in the picture than in RL. Had to make some changes to brighten it but to the naked eye, at least in my opinion looks pretty dim.




Sorry it's so ginormous. This is standing in the street in front of my house.

[deerhoof]

Originally Posted by gillynova

Can someone take a picture of it? :o

[Jdawgboy]

Looks good in pics, light is captured so a bit brighter than the naked eye. Also looks decent closer up in terms of brightness. My main gripe is it wouldn't hurt to make the lighting a little stronger so that it stands out more at a distance. Honestly I kinda like the whole spotlight on prison fence look. You can see some detail in the screening that one might miss during the day since it is translucent depending on angle of the sun behind the crown from vantage point.

[austlar1]

When are they planning to leave the damn lights turned on for any length of time. This is getting tiresome.