Austin | ATX Tower (325 West 6th) | 675 Feet | 58 Floors | T/O

[Sigaven]

Originally Posted by AusTex

Yep, World Class cladding going up. Hundreds of undifferentiated and unfinished looking flat gray metal panels with identical holes all over them for, what 12 floors, is sure going to improve our cityscape. Great architecture. Will stun passer-bys with its beauty and will add so much to Austin's downtown. This with those "J6" balcony railings are sure to make this one tower the most sought after tower in all of downtown. Great job investors, you have truly blown everyone's expectations on this tower.

Austin - the value engineering capital of the world!

[lonewolf]

is there a way i can mute the word balcony on this forum

[dilliam]

They just need to be painted darker and they'll be fine. The contrast against the windows is messing it up.

[drummer]

Originally Posted by dilliam

They just need to be painted darker and they'll be fine. The contrast against the windows is messing it up.

Yeah - darker paint makes those sort of rails look a lot better, I agree. When I bought my house, it had a white metal fence on one side. Super ugly. A bit of black paint made all the difference in the world...I might even say it looks classy now.

[davidtexan]

We've all got our good sides... (:

[resansom]

Originally Posted by davidtexan

We've all got our good sides... (:

That's just tragic. Surely they're not going to leave it like that.

BTW, thanks for all of the great updates, everyone - davidtexan, urbannizer, and gillynova especially!

[bobbywest87]

Originally Posted by resansom

That's just tragic. Surely they're not going to leave it like that.

It seems crazy that they would leave it like that given that seven of those floors are office.

[IluvATX]

That’s too fugly even by podium standards. My guess is it will get the same not as ugly cladding as the rest of the podium and the tan color is some sort of weather treatment.

[the Genral]

Originally Posted by resansom

That's just tragic. Surely they're not going to leave it like that.

BTW, thanks for all of the great updates, everyone - davidtexan, urbannizer, and gillynova especially!

There's no way it stays that way. I'm guessing there's going to be some sort of veneer going over it....and don't call us Shirley.

[AusTex]

With the parking cladding and the balcony railings, DOES anyone really doubt for a second that the gray paint IS ALL we will get. The powers that be for this tower have given the city and its residents as well as any future tenants THE BIRD. They only want money, which will be less plentiful because I really think most folk would rather pay more for some place else than reside/work within this piece of work. I am being kind.

[myBrain]

Originally Posted by AusTex

With the parking cladding and the balcony railings, DOES anyone really doubt for a second that the gray paint IS ALL we will get. The powers that be for this tower have given the city and its residents as well as any future tenants THE BIRD. They only want money, which will be less plentiful because I really think most folk would rather pay more for some place else than reside/work within this piece of work. I am being kind.

100%. IMO this is the first project of its size that offers the absolute bare minimum without contributing anything to the cityscape. We've seen all kinds of value engineering elsewhere but this is really scratching the bottom of the barrel. I think that even the Hanover towers, despite being the same building in three flavors, put more effort into character than this awkward stack of glass rectangles and sheet metal.

[Dtbuilder]

Originally Posted by AusTex

With the parking cladding and the balcony railings, DOES anyone really doubt for a second that the gray paint IS ALL we will get. The powers that be for this tower have given the city and its residents as well as any future tenants THE BIRD. They only want money, which will be less plentiful because I really think most folk would rather pay more for some place else than reside/work within this piece of work. I am being kind.

This concrete block wall is right on the property line with the neighbor property so it's a fire rated wall with little flexibility for cladding. Instead of complaining about how other people spend their money why don't you start a crowdfund to get a billboard painted on it, or bring someone to the table that will pay for a billboard/advertisement to give the city something more interesting to look at? Lot of people on this forum have extremely strong opinions without having the faintest idea how the economics of building a tall building work, especially in a dicey period right now with huge office vacancies and declining rental rates downtown. These projects start and then have to make a myriad of complicated decisions based on external factors that are largely out of their control. I'm not piling onto the hate because it doesn't help anyone but let's make no mistake these developers are trying to make the best decisions for their investors and paying $100k + for a mural is not going to be an easy one.

[IluvATX]

Cool story bro.

[AusTex]

Originally Posted by Dtbuilder

This concrete block wall is right on the property line with the neighbor property so it's a fire rated wall with little flexibility for cladding. Instead of complaining about how other people spend their money why don't you start a crowdfund to get a billboard painted on it, or bring someone to the table that will pay for a billboard/advertisement to give the city something more interesting to look at? Lot of people on this forum have extremely strong opinions without having the faintest idea how the economics of building a tall building work, especially in a dicey period right now with huge office vacancies and declining rental rates downtown. These projects start and then have to make a myriad of complicated decisions based on external factors that are largely out of their control. I'm not piling onto the hate because it doesn't help anyone but let's make no mistake these developers are trying to make the best decisions for their investors and paying $100k + for a mural is not going to be an easy one.

As you just stated IT IS all about the money. For the profit of the investors. The city and us residents just have to deal with the decisions and you think IT IS our responsibility to pay the cost, for their profits, to clean up their long term "mess"? Interesting.

[ahealy]

Originally Posted by Dtbuilder

This concrete block wall is right on the property line with the neighbor property so it's a fire rated wall with little flexibility for cladding. Instead of complaining about how other people spend their money why don't you start a crowdfund to get a billboard painted on it, or bring someone to the table that will pay for a billboard/advertisement to give the city something more interesting to look at? Lot of people on this forum have extremely strong opinions without having the faintest idea how the economics of building a tall building work, especially in a dicey period right now with huge office vacancies and declining rental rates downtown. These projects start and then have to make a myriad of complicated decisions based on external factors that are largely out of their control. I'm not piling onto the hate because it doesn't help anyone but let's make no mistake these developers are trying to make the best decisions for their investors and paying $100k + for a mural is not going to be an easy one.

Hmm. The idea that a member of the public throws cash to a commercial project to help developers/their fat cat investors to make ends meet with shit design is wild. Just being honest.

I don't want a mural, I want better materials and actual design. The only remotely interesting thing about this one is the flared out window area on the amenity level. The city ought to deny these projects if they don't meet certain design requirements. Period.

[wwmiv]

Wait wait wait… are people finally starting to come around to my position?

[Geckos_Rule]

Originally Posted by Dtbuilder

I'm not piling onto the hate because it doesn't help anyone but let's make no mistake these developers are trying to make the best decisions for their investors and paying $100k + for a mural is not going to be an easy one.

Not every building needs to be the Line hotel and hire Shepherd Fairey to do a $100k+ mural. But even with the assumption that "maybe this gets covered up by the building next door in 5-6 years," you could still do something.... I mean, the developer could shell out $8k for a "mural" that is little more than a default iPhone background (a few colored circles over a gradient background), and it'd end up being far better than a blank tan monolith.

[Sigaven]

Originally Posted by Geckos_Rule

Not every building needs to be the Line hotel and hire Shepherd Fairey to do a $100k+ mural. But even with the assumption that "maybe this gets covered up by the building next door in 5-6 years," you could still do something.... I mean, the developer could shell out $8k for a "mural" that is little more than a default iPhone background (a few colored circles over a gradient background), and it'd end up being far better than a blank tan monolith.

Murals ain't cheap - $8k won't get you more than painting a couple of those rectangles.

[AusTex]

Originally Posted by Sigaven

Murals ain't cheap - $8k won't get you more than painting a couple of those rectangles.

Okay, assuming $4k per geometric figure the size required for the space. 2 rectangles, 1 square, 1 circle and 1 triangle, overlapping, in gray tones would suffice to distract from the ugly plainness of what is there now. That is a bargain at $20,000. The paint is already up however, so I really doubt even a little extra money will be spent. Maybe someone will read this that matters!

Or as Dtbuilder stated, maybe we need to do something like a GoFundMe project!.

[Riverranchdrone]

How about an electronic billboard to cover up the entire goofy building?