or at least let's hope that if any are build they undergo significant changes to the renderings, of course the Spinnaker hotel would need to be completely re-designed because everything about it is ugly. It looks like a giant flying beetle that crashed head-first into the ground with its wings slightly open from its body :gaah:

are the people at that architectural firm on crack??? :crazy:

interesting take, but I would not put the Spinnaker Hotel in even remotely the same category as Transamerica Tower. First off, the height is what has made it such a distinguishable part of the SF skyline, it is 853 feet tall, well over probably even twice the height of Spinnaker and over 300 ft taller than any building in SD. I don't see why Spinnaker, if built, would become an iconic part of our skyline being so short.

I agree that the actual design is a matter of personal taste, I personally think the Transamerica Pyramid is elegant and unique without being tacky or dated, whereas the Spinnaker rendering looks like a giant water beetle crawling out of the bay, but that's just me ;)

SDCAL - your analogies of Spinnaker to the different types of beetle crack me up :haha: The big ears on Shapery was pretty funny, too

I think all of my wishing for anything that ISN'T Vancouverish just backfired on me, didn't it? How I long for the boring, monotonous, balcony-infested, Bosa-designed towers once again..... ;)

That's the only explanation I can think of. :jester:

Don't know if this has been posted yet, but a rendering of the new I.M. Pei-designed Irvine Company office tower has been posted on the CCDC website.

Stately, but not extremely innovative, in my opinion. Once again, the height limit impacts the overall design of the skyline. This structure only reaches 470 feet.

http://www.ccdc.com/index.cfm?fuseac...propertyID=647

^^Thanks for the link, and I couldn't have described it better myself. Nothing about it says "Look at Me!" This is supposed to be a world-class structure from a world-class architecture firm? I just don't see it.

Here it is reduced (The link to the larger version shows much better detail than this one) -

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...iorView_Da.gif

It's always good to see new renderings, but I'm not really digging this one. It screams Orange County to me. (Think of all the nearly identical mid rises going up in Orange County that are visible from the 5...)

I wouldn't call the above building impressive either, but then again a nice filler box building isn't so bad every once and awhile. If every building tried to scream Look at me damnit! Things would be a mess.

hahaha I know I see weird things sometimes - - it's those "sail-like" parts that seem like they are waiting to be peeled back

and yes, we seem to have alot of buildings that look Vancouverish only shorter, not good :(

Yeah it's not terrible, I would have expected something a little more edgy from I.M. Pei, but it looks a heck of a lot better than the stuff from the crack architects over at

Over at...where?

You didn't finish:jester:

:shrug: :shrug: :shrug:

It's funny how you guys say the nothing-but-a-boring-box I. M. Pei tower is "not terrible" while the unconventional (though not unique) Spinnaker is "tacky," a "beetle," and other words I wouldn't want to repeat!!! San Diego is weird....

:shrug: :shrug: :shrug:

WTF is this shit??? Wow...it doesn't take much to be an architect these days does it?

Maybe this is just a bad angle and there is more to this building than we're seeing, but the way it flairs out at its top breaks the #1 rule of good building design. Have some decency people.

Both buildings are crap.

Wow, kinda makes santa Fe Depot look out of place. No?

Like I said, it just seems too Orange County for me...

The entire train system (besides the trolleys) seems out of place.

For what it's worth though, I would be totally on-board with this building if it wasn't for that "crown." I do like the colors and materials.

The building's fruity crown is out of place.

What building?

Pei's?