Lol yeah, but could you imagine.

ever try going from anywhere in the central part of downtown to the East End? The GRB and Minute Maid get in the way

Flight paths.

That's a ''has been'' issue. Flight paths go around downtown, not over it. I really don't see anything other than economics getting in the way of building a 100+ story building in Houston.

I have read somewhere that with land so cheap in Houston (relative to NY, LA, Chicago), it is a lot more convenient to build either a campus of smaller buildings or a plaza of shorter buildings, rather than building up higher. Skyscrapers are very inefficient in design with just about every regard other than the land they occupy (and of course other than making the city look badass). It makes economic sense to build up in those other cities because land is so expensive, but Houston is a different story.

I can't remember where I read this, but I will try to locate a source.

Unfortunately that can mean the end to super tall buildings in Houston :(. April 4, please prove me wrong!

Heights Walmart construction pics: http://goo.gl/08Sym

1111 Studewood pics: http://goo.gl/lEJLZ

I'd argue that as prices go up on commodities, people will want to live and work as close together as possible. Plopping down a campus-like structure inside the loop is pretty much impossible so going up is the only option. The day of the suburb is kinda on its way out I think. Only suburbs like The Woodlands, Sugar Land or Katy will thrive because they are well established and have big business.

I hope this isn't too off topic but I wanted to share this new webcam I set up on my roof. There isn't much going on now, but once there is another large tower being constructed downtown, you can use this cam to watch it.

http://www.jackson-myers.com/Webcam/webcam.jpg
http://www.jackson-myers.com/Webcam/

Yeah the day of the suburb is gone until we get cheap energy again with solar or hydrogen, then it will be the 1950s all over again with people moving as far away from the city as possible.

That's gotta be one of the best time lapses I've ever seen.

Thanks!

I remember vividly when the test track along Holmes Rd. was being used to test the then-new LRV's. Apparently before they can be used each new unit needed to rack up a certain amount of mileage to work out the bugs. Because of it's length the trains got up to 55 or 60 mph. I don't think they've ever hauled ass like that again. Also there was a grade crossing on the line. A few months into the testing the very first crash happened when an idiot in a car drove around the gates.

I remember this actually made it as a joke on the Jimmy Kimmel Super Bowl 2004 special. Houston's drivers are so awful that it's brand new train going to it's new football stadium has already been smashed up.

I don't know it's current fate. If they get new cars will they use it again? I thought I heard the Union Pacific was going to buy it and link it up to their tracks for use as a siding, but it's still got the temporary overhead wires I think and doesn't connect.

Personally, I wonder why Metro never considered a southwest Houston LRT line. I guess it would only serve suburban sprawl and not get adequate ridership, but then again it would both serve some rather low income areas with captive ridership and could have hit some kind of Sugarland TOD thing if that was ever in the cards. Guess not.

Today is the big day. Hines to reveal a dazzling new project downtown today sometime after 4pm. Rumor has it that the new project will stand close to 50 stories.

Sounds like a 700+ footer to me.

http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/c...d/0c3e29d7.jpg
The gables at tanglewood

http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/c...d/ca811ba6.jpg
Bbva

BBVA Post Oak pics: http://goo.gl/zpk0t

2525 McCue apts pics: http://goo.gl/qEUS0

Mr. Hines ? Hello ?

Skanska pics http://goo.gl/WAukx

METRO has plans for a southwest extension of the redline.

The plans are to run the rail along US 90.

The Pearl @ Greenway pics: http://goo.gl/XV2qK

Well ?

From what I understand:

It's 48 stories tall. 36 office floors on top of 12 parking floors. Glass curtain wall.

Well, where is it ? This was supposed to be the big day.

Anyway, 36 + 12 would be disappointing. We were expecting 50 stories.

Dude, you need to chill. The building was only unveiled like an hour ago. Geez. Give it some time.

Looks like ExxonMobile wants to give its downtown building to the city which would be an epic fail...

http://swamplot.com/exxonmobils-humb...ty/2012-04-04/

as for the new hines building. if its 48 floors instead of 50, who cares? wouldn't even notice from the street or skyline anyway.

Couldn't have been too 'splashy' an announcement. Nobody has seen it. :haha:

Exactly, the 'splashy announcement' turns out to be filler.

^
Dude man you need to stop freaking over this. We don't know hardly any details, no renders or anything. A 48 story tower is pretty damn good in my book and will fill in one of the last shit lots in that area. It will probably be around 630ft which is pretty tall. The day of 800 footers or more in Houston is over for a long time so don't worry about it.

Will you people please stop freaking out telling me to stop freaking out ?

Many thanks.

We are all just excited to hear a new tall skyscraper being planned downtown, heck it got me excited. :)

im more interested in good architectural than height. a 48 story building will definitely make a presence in the skyline so lets hope for a good design and not another modernist box.

^
I'm with Jmancuso on that. A quality design is what I most desire for Houston at this point. We need a design to break the stranglehold that seems to have the city by the throat....... maybe this new Hines development will do it. ;-)

Hines industial project revealed last night
 

I hope this is not the only development announcement from last nights meeting. I was hoping for a downtown tower. http://www.chron.com/business/articl...ex-3460224.php

Yes, I think we got totally f**ked over by this project. What a freakin' yawner and a total waste of my time. Damn...

Well aint that just super exciting, ugh.

Elan at Avenue R pics: http://goo.gl/wC8FP

Bullet Train From Dallas to Houston?
http://blog.chron.com/txpotomac/2012...on-and-dallas/

Good, we need trains because I-45 is friggin ridiculous.

unfortunately, they went to sheila jackson lee. no one in congress takes her seriously.

Hanover West Gray pics http://goo.gl/sQUmT

Broadstone on West Dallas pics http://goo.gl/UEwcW

A company should not be telling the customer that they need something. If done, it should be because the customer goes to the company and requests it because it's needed. Not saying it's not, I'm just sayin.

Sometimes people are used to one thing only, like widening highways and roads, and they need someone else to show them an alternative, like a bullet train. It can be a good thing at times, and in my opinion, bullet trains can only be good for the future of transportation.

beating this dead horse one more time...

1) you drive 30-45 minutes to the train station, park your car, and pray someone doesn't break in to it because train stations aren't in the good parts of town thanks to NIMBYs.

2) you ride the train, which takes 2 to 3 hours, depending on the number of stops.

3) you get to the train station, then take a cab somewhere to rent a car, since you can't get anywhere in TX without a car.

you might as well drive yourself.
that's why all the passenger train companies went bankrupt in the 60's.

Well forget your iPods and iPads; if no one suggested to Steve Jobs that he should make a touch screen computer you can hold in your hands then it shouldn't be done.

HISD to Preserve Art Deco landmark

http://www.preservationhouston.org/news/?p=88

Here's a photo of it that I just took.
http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/c...d/90670a2a.jpg

Bbva
http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/c...d/1094a133.jpg

Then why is there so much air traffic between Houston and Dallas? Isn't it the same thing?

Drive 30-45 minutes to the airport and park your car for over $50 a night.

Arrive at least an hour before takeoff to go through security.

Then get a taxi or rent a car to your final destination. Takes maybe 15-30 minutes less? I think that plenty of people would be willing to sacrifice that time for more convenience.

And why do you assume that parking will be like the current Amtrak Station? In a new HSR station, you won't have to "pray that your car won't get broken into."

http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/c...d/873f8f77.jpg
Photo by me

On the top left you can see the crane from the new islamic guys name pancreatic cancer research center.

http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/c...d/5861c1ea.jpg
Rice village

Amazing how big that medical center area is... and how much it has grown in the last 10 years

http://www.chron.com/business/articl...or-3476117.php

20-story tower planned for Energy Corridor
By Nancy Sarnoff
Published 10:38 p.m., Wednesday, April 11, 2012

A high-end office development is being planned in the Energy Corridor, potentially adding 1.5 million square feet of space to this part of west Houston, where oil and gas companies dominate the corporate landscape.

double post