SAN ANTONIO │ Frost Bank Headquarters │ 386 FEET | 23 FLOORS │ Complete

[Restless 1]

Originally Posted by Fryguy

WOW! The crane is currently really high up. This is the first time this crane is taller than the first one installed. I think its now as tall as the tower will be.

Not even close. The old Frost building is 300'. The new one will be 386', so the crane will likely be close to 400' for completion. The crane will ratchet up a few more times before all is said and done.

I'm surprised we haven't seen glass installed yet. Hopefully soon.

[KevinFromTexas]

Originally Posted by Restless 1

Not even close. The old Frost building is 300'. The new one will be 386', so the crane will likely be close to 400' for completion. The crane will ratchet up a few more times before all is said and done.

I'm surprised we haven't seen glass installed yet. Hopefully soon.

Actually, the old (technically, the current) Frost Bank Tower isn't 300 feet. That was an old height that was posted to an old edition of the World Almanac. I always had my doubts about that height. You can measure the building with Google Earth, which I've come to trust since their numbers match what I've seen from architects and developers with a lot of other projects. The measured height for the 1973 Frost Bank Tower is 269 feet to the mechanical penthouse and main roof parapet. So, the new Frost Bank Tower will be more than 100 feet taller than the current one. It's going to appear a good bit taller than the old building. The crane right now is probably around 320 feet or so. The FAA permit they received is for a 486 foot tower crane.

That will likely make the crane the tallest structure in downtown, not counting the Tower of the Americas and the tv station towers.

That is unusually high for a crane to be over the top of the building it's working on. Typically they aren't much more than 30 to 40 feet above them unless they're working in a confined space where there's a lot of neighboring buildings closeby.

https://oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaa/external...10590946&row=4

Structure Type: Crane
Structure Name: Tower crane

Structure Height:
486

Description of Proposal: 486' tower crane to be used to construct new 386' Frost Bank Tower building

I do trust the Google Earth numbers. I just measured the Grand Hyatt for example and came up with 425 feet. I remember the height that was shown on the building elevations was 424 feet. I'm guessing it's a foot taller because I'm measuring from the lowest elevation around the building rather than an average elevation that they may have used.

[JACKinBeantown]

^^ (like button)

[Fryguy]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

Actually, the old (technically, the current) Frost Bank Tower isn't 300 feet. That was an old height that was posted to an old edition of the World Almanac. I always had my doubts about that height. You can measure the building with Google Earth, which I've come to trust since their numbers match what I've seen from architects and developers with a lot of other projects. The measured height for the 1973 Frost Bank Tower is 269 feet to the mechanical penthouse and main roof parapet. So, the new Frost Bank Tower will be more than 100 feet taller than the current one. It's going to appear a good bit taller than the old building. The crane right now is probably around 320 feet or so. The FAA permit they received is for a 486 foot tower crane.

That will likely make the crane the tallest structure in downtown, not counting the Tower of the Americas and the tv station towers.

That is unusually high for a crane to be over the top of the building it's working on. Typically they aren't much more than 30 to 40 feet above them unless they're working in a confined space where there's a lot of neighboring buildings closeby.

https://oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaa/external...10590946&row=4


I do trust the Google Earth numbers. I just measured the Grand Hyatt for example and came up with 425 feet. I remember the height that was shown on the building elevations was 424 feet. I'm guessing it's a foot taller because I'm measuring from the lowest elevation around the building rather than an average elevation that they may have used.

I doubt Google Earth has the measuring capability, especially since most of the world uses meters. Just a thought, but those numbers may be put into the system. It's like saying PayPal has incredible fingerprinting technology. They don't. it's just your phone using its prescanned fingerprint to help you login faster through using other apps.

[deeger]

I saw some glass installed Saturday night on first floor, north side by parking garage, near worker elevator.

[KevinFromTexas]

Originally Posted by Fryguy

I doubt Google Earth has the measuring capability, especially since most of the world uses meters. Just a thought, but those numbers may be put into the system. It's like saying PayPal has incredible fingerprinting technology. They don't. it's just your phone using its prescanned fingerprint to help you login faster through using other apps.

Actually, Google Earth's imagery is accurate down to the foot. You can measure main roof parapets that are 1 to 2 feet tall and rooftop vents that are a foot tall. I'm noticing that the numbers that Google Earth has for buildings and site sea level elevations are exactly the same as the ones listed on building elevations that the architects, engineers, and developers use to build skyscrapers with. If Google Earth's data is accurate enough for them, then it's accurate enough for me. Even if they're not using Google Earth itself, they may be using the same data that Google Earth does. Google Earth gets their imagery from government satellites and then digitally renders the imagery to create 3D images.

I've been collecting building heights for 25 years and so far it's the most accurate method for gathering them that I've come across other than reading them straight off the building elevations. Even things like FAA permits and FCC permits have errors and people tend to round up numbers. And then there are typos. Also, what is shown on the building elevations that are approved by the city and what is ultimately built aren't always the same thing. Minor changes to rooflines and things like mechanical penthouses, mechanical screens, roof parapets or stairwell access sheds can increase or decrease building heights. More than once I've had to go back and measure a building's mechanical penthouse to get the true overall height of the building because they made a design change to the mechanical penthouse after the building was approved and the plans released to the public. Developers are also typically not required to file for new approval if their project decreases in size within what they had been approved for originally. Austin's Fairmont Hotel had originally been planned as a 50-story building. I have the building elevations of that version, but they changed the plan and chopped 15 floors and 100 feet off the height and completely changed the design. They did not need to resubmit their plans for that, and as a result, I don't have the building elevations for the current design that is being finished at the moment. I had ask for the building heights from the architect, and so far what I've been able to measure on the building with Google Earth, the numbers match what they sent me.

[Fryguy]

Originally Posted by deeger

I saw some glass installed Saturday night on first floor, north side by parking garage, near worker elevator.

I'll check it out when I go back to work on Tuesday.

[jaga185]

Monday 2/19/2018

Source


Mine










The glass is going up!

[JACKinBeantown]

Awesome update!

[Fryguy]

So it looks like they have started to install glass at the lower levels of the building. However, this glass does not appear to be higher grade quality of glass we expect to see on the higher levels of the tower, 2-23.

[AwesomeSAView]

Originally Posted by Fryguy

So it looks like they have started to install glass at the lower levels of the building. However, this glass does not appear to be higher grade quality of glass we expect to see on the higher levels of the tower, 2-23.

LOL!!
Just something else for one to whine about!!

[necropolis]

Originally Posted by Fryguy

So it looks like they have started to install glass at the lower levels of the building. However, this glass does not appear to be higher grade quality of glass we expect to see on the higher levels of the tower, 2-23.

Yeah, it looks just as planned from the renderings of the first floor. I'm most excited for those upper floors to receive the glass wall like you mentioned. That will definitely stand out.

[Fryguy]

Originally Posted by necropolis

Yeah, it looks just as planned from the renderings of the first floor. I'm most excited for those upper floors to receive the glass wall like you mentioned. That will definitely stand out.

Yes, that's exactly what I mean. The glass on the first floor looks more see-through and/or front department store quality type compared to the upper floors.

[Fryguy]

So, I only just realized - floors will be going much, much faster after the 17th floor... they will not have to worry about the five elevator system for the bank part of the tower. That's pretty interesting. I'm wondering if workers will be able to use the elevators for floors 1-16 since they will be able to close it off and use it.

[JACKinBeantown]

In the east-facing webcam you can see a cleared lot (W. Martin & N. Flores?). What's going on there?

[jaga185]

Originally Posted by JACKinBeantown

In the east-facing webcam you can see a cleared lot (W. Martin & N. Flores?). What's going on there?

That's part of Weston Urban's long term plan. Nothing has been announced yet... that we know of.

[micahinsa]

Originally Posted by jaga185

That's part of Weston Urban's long term plan. Nothing has been announced yet... that we know of.

A five-floor Holiday Inn Express, anyone?

[jaga185]

Originally Posted by micahinsa

A five-floor Holiday Inn Express, anyone?

More then likely it'll be residential.

[Spoiler]

That was the SX Callahan building, a two-story building with some interesting stonework that was over 100 years old. The HDRC judged it had lost its historic integrity and had no problem with it being knocked down. I hope something nice goes there.

https://www.google.com/maps/@29.4293...2!8i6656?hl=en

[JACKinBeantown]

I'm surprised someone hasn't done this before. Thanks, Raul, for a great photo.

(Sorry for the sloppy, quick Photoshop job.)