HOUSTON | Bank of the Southwest Tower | 1,404 FT / 428 M | 82 FLOORS | NEVER BUILT
 

Bank of the Southwest Tower

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u...dings/bosw.jpg

This was actually a serious proposal until about 1990. Didn't go through because of the oil bust. Sad.

Height concerns:
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...ans/FAASWC.jpg

It was going to be an all-office tower. I think the basic design is being used for a tower going up in Dubai.

...was this the tower designed by Helmut Jahn?

It's a nice tower, but I don't have to say that it looks like several others.

What a loss!

This is my favorite building that was never built. It would have looked amazing in downtown Houston!

actually, the 'several others' were based on this proposal.

79th Floor, 360 degree observation deck.

That alone makes me wish this was built.

In that case, it's a shame it was never built.

Damn oil bust. Wish the oil boom could have lasted an extra three years or so, and this tower would have happened here in Houston.

Longterm it would've been a nice addition but in the short and mid terms it would've made the mid to late 80s bust even worse for the office market--even if it had shifted to become the late 80s/early 90s bust.

There is another one out there with a restaurant inside a dome at the very top. I used to have a rendering of it and it is in a book about that skyscraper competition. Anyone have it?

Oh well. Such is the way of economic cycles. Denver lost it's fair share of office towers in the 80's to the oil bust as well. Here is my fav lost tower: Reliance Center http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=148924

Wow, this would have been an amazing building in Houston. I really like the look of it. I think they style of it would have fit in perfectly in the downtown core. Too bad.

Here is another I found online somewhere:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...lee/banksw.gif

I think that was KPF's submission into the design competition.

Where did you find it?

Hey, it lived on. Helmut Jahn recycles.

Houston's been screwed by the FAA more than once. Chase (then Texas Commerce Tower) was supposed to be over 1100 ft tall, but the feds made them chop off a few stories because of Hobby.

ugh I hate Hobby Airpot...errrr

Now, it is said that the original Chase Tower height (over 1100 feet) would not be too tall for planes going into Hobby. Just how it was in the 80's.

Not really a shame that this was never realized; it's a little too cheesy I think. Houston's current tallest is leagues better than this.

That was my exact first thought.

Yes, I am proud to say that we have the tallest 5-sided building. :)

How one can say that Chase is a better looking building is beyond me. :rolleyes: Look at Chase in the background. Boring.

Bank of the Southwest Tower is art! :yes:


Big scan from a book
http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u...dings/bosw.jpg

Hey Stratosphere, if this is the same book I think it is could you please scan the other entry for this competition? The one with the dome please. Thanks. :)

The design looks like it would be a good addition somewhere.

I *think* there was a proposal for a tower in the Middle East that looked exactly like this...

That pic is from the book called Skyscrapers: Higher and Higher by Caroline Mierop, and that's the only proposal it shows in the part that talks about the Bank of the Southwest Tower.

Argh. Different book. Thanks for scanning. :)

This was Skidmore, Owings & Merrill's entry, designed by Richard Keating (1,370')

images scanned from The Master Architect Series II: Richard Keating

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ting/BSW01.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ting/BSW02.jpg

YES! THAT'S IT!!! Thanks! :)

Now that looks awesome. It would have made houstons downtown skyline incredible! Not that it isnt incredible but it would have been loads better with that.

Neat structural diagram.
http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/4240/bswg.jpg
Structural Design & Analysis of Tall Buildings Taranath(1988)

I wish had access to the rendering here(http://libx.bsu.edu/BSU%5FArchSlides...U/2967-011.jpg) but it requires a bsu logon.:(

This should've been built.:(

Here was KPF's design for the tower:

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...Towers-1-2.jpg

^
Eeew, thats pretty damned terrible looking.

I don't know. I think I like that design better than the one with the hole in it. Plus, that other design would have been to close to Reliant Energy's tower.

^^ yes, but, Reliant's tower was a box in the 70's and 80's.

The top was added in the 90's after Reliant's parent company bought the tower and rebuilt it.

(I always liked the atrium, and was disappointed to see it go)

Six, additional design proposals for the Bank of the Southwest Tower! By Helmut Jahn.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4113/...30f7b5e0_b.jpg

Link

i like the design farthest to the right,it has a certain blade runner design that works for me.

Wow! most of those designs look progressive even compared to modern stuff!

reminds me of the dozens of designs we see for proposed Chinese supertalls

The one second from right reminds me of the Al Hamra Tower in Kuwait. Talk about ahead of it's time.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5217/...65476859_b.jpg
Flickr: Thamerium
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thameri...n/photostream/

That design appears to have been used for the 311 South Wacker skyscraper in Chicago, also designed by KPF: http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?buildingID=33

Recycled a third time in Chicago as Two Prudential Plaza. http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?buildingID=32

Interesting it is the tallest of the three but less of an impact on Chicago's skyline because of the other tall Chicago buildings and its location.

I love this design :yes:

Another rendering of the BSW tower:

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/010...RINT_large.jpg

Kevin, the renovation to Reliant (added 120ft+) was actually designed by Keating. Must have liked the hole idea so much he decided to try it out there.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4133/...0b20034d_b.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4133/...0b20034d_b.jpg

that sucks. Would have been my favorite in the city if it was built:(