AUSTIN | The Austonian | 683 FT / 208 M | 56 FLOORS | T/O

[Raining Inside]

Who are all these people that can afford all these new expensive downtown condos? One of them is an AOL co-founder.

http://www.statesman.com/business/content/business/stories/statesmanhomes/06/01/0601column.html

HOMES
AOL co-founder will be getting mail at Austonian
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Sunday, June 01, 2008

Marc Seriff, a co-founder of America Online Inc., has bought a unit in the Austonian, the elliptical, 56-story luxury condominium tower under construction at Congress Avenue and Second Street.

After Seriff retired from AOL, he and his wife, Carolyn, moved to Marble Falls in the mid-1990s; he's an Austin native and alumnus of the University of Texas.

They have been active local philanthropists. Seriff also has been a mentor and investor in startups.

Seriff declined to comment on their future residence.

The Austonian is scheduled to open in late 2009. Units are priced from $559,000 to $4 million.

[priller]

They've added floor number signs. That will be a big help once the tower starts rising.




Working on the 6th floor now. And they've installed the concrete pump on top.

[priller]

Latest construction report is online:

http://www.theaustonian.com/pics/2008-05-31_Austonian%20Report_35.pdf


Work activities completed thru the week ending May 30, 2008:
- Level 5 deck completed May 23, 2008
- Vertical concrete members 100% complete for level 6
- Level 6 north side scheduled to pour June 2, 2008
- Level 6 south side scheduled to pour June 9, 2008
- Block masonry installation continues at levels B-1 and 1
- HVAC ductwork installation begins at level B-1
- Utility work, under 2nd Street sidewalk to Colorado Street to begin June 9, 2008
- Structural re-shoring members to be removed at levels B-1, 1 and 2 by June 6, 2008
- Exterior “mockup” for podium to be reviewed by design team on June 3, 2008. Direction on pre-cast and handset stone selections to follow
- Backfill around project site 90% complete
- Congress Avenue “new” marketing signage 100% complete
- Structural steel stair installation to begin June 9, 2008
- MEP rough-in continues at all levels


RE pre-cast stone, there was a big discussion on the thread covering The Elysian building in Chicago about that. That's a 60-floor skyscraper styled to look like a French chateau and so it has a stone exterior. I think the original plan was to have real limestone at the lower levels and pre-cast stone (actually, concrete with embedded pigments) on the rest. (I wonder if Austonian is planning something similar?) One poster in particular, named "ColoPrecaster", was very knowledgeable about the product. Interesting!

That reminds me, they've started putting up some red bricks on the lower part of Altavida and it looks like real brick there, as opposed to the sheet product used higher up. So I guess that's a common technique.

[Blakesalot!]

http://www.theaustonian.com/pics/2008-06-27_Austonian%20Report_38.pdf

Here's the summary from the report.

Work activities completed thru the week ending June 27, 2008:

• Level 8 deck completed on June 23, 2008
• Level 9 columns and shearwalls 75% complete
• Level 9 deck and post tension cable 50 % complete
• Level 9 north side scheduled to pour June 30, 2008
• Level 9 south side scheduled to pour July 3, 2008
• Structural steel stair tower erection continues
• Chilled water riser pipe installation begins
• CBM Structural Engineers, CHPA MEP Engineers and ZCA conducted site inspections on June 23, 2008
• CMU block masonry continues
• MEP interior rough-in continues in lobby and all other levels
• Owner /Architect / Contractor team meeting was held on June 23, 2008

[priller]

From last week:

[Blakesalot!]

http://www.theaustonian.com/pics/2008-07-07_Austonian%20Report_39.pdf

Summary from the report:

Work activities completed thru the week ending July 3, 2008:

• Level 9 completed on July 3, 2008
• Level 10 vertical structural members 50% complete
• Level 10 will be poured in 3 sections; northwest, southwest, and east
• Level 10 pour sequence modified to facilitate starting of tower
• Level 10 northwest pour scheduled for July 15, 2008
• Structural steel stair towers complete from ground to level 5
• Man and material hoist for podium to begin installation July 9, 2008
• Construction worker and contractor team luncheon held on July 3, 2008
• MEP rough-in continues at all areas
• Nighttime site utility work along Second Street to Colorado Street 50% complete

[priller]

Latest photo (with plenty of barrel distortion!):

[Gallup]

We find out this month if this thing is going up or not. The Austonian will change the skyline in a great way forever IMO. When we see pieces of steel sticking up for the 11th floor then we will all know that it is time to get down and party. These guys won't stop in the middle of the tower. The only logical place to stop will be after the parking podium is complete. I'm willing to bet that this tower finishes as planned. Don't yell at me Tex, I'm just slightly concerned is all.

[hookem]

The hard part is going to be the potentially long wait as they transition from the 10th to the 11th floor. I remember the 17th floor (setback) on 360 seemed to take a few weeks or more to finish before they proceeded with the 18th floor. They staged a bunch of stuff up there, I'd imagine they will do something similar with the Austonian.

Priller's pic makes me wonder again why the east side of the Plaza lofts is a solid wall. I assume there was a plan to build another tall building on the same block that fell through? As it is, it looks like it's ignoring east Austin.

[priller]

Another construction report came online today. These things are coming fast lately. Here's the details

• Level 10 northwest corner scheduled to pour on July 15, 2008
• Level 10 southwest corner scheduled to pour July 21, 2008
• Level 10 east side including pool structure to begin forming operations on July 16, 2008
• Level 10 east side scheduled to pour on July 25, 2008
• Level 11 (the first level of the residential tower) to begin forming operations on July 22, 2008
• Man and material hoist installation for use on levels 1 to 10 complete
• Hoist operation for levels 1 to 7 will begin on July 15, 2008
• Additional man and material hoists will be added during the construction of the residential tower
• Initial cabinetry order for levels 11 to 24 to be sent to Scavolini in Pesaro, Italy on July 15, 2008
• Window wall fabrication for residential tower in progress
• Precast concrete panels for levels 3 to 10 in fabrication
• Stone for levels 1 to 3 ordered from Portugal
• Block masonry completed thru level 3 with level 4 starting July 14, 2008
• Mechanical, electrical, chilled water and plumbing rough-in continues at all levels
• Site utilities along Second Street 90% complete
• Galvanized structural steel for streetscape canopies delivered to site
• Individual homeowner meetings continue
• Scheduled site inspections conducted this week by our insurance carriers
• 3rd party crane inspections conducted by Balfour Beatty this week

[rhoby13]

Good news indeed!!

[Jdawgboy]

There is no doubt in my mind that this tower is going up as planned. Just look at the construction update info. Rumors are rumors and we have heard many rumors about alot of the towers that have gone up including 360 wich has finished construction and Spring wich is rising as we speak. Its an exciting time for Austin to see a truely tall tower take its place in our skyline.

[OU812]

Originally Posted by hookem

Priller's pic makes me wonder again why the east side of the Plaza lofts is a solid wall. I assume there was a plan to build another tall building on the same block that fell through? As it is, it looks like it's ignoring east Austin.

It could be for future advertising space? lol

Seriously though, I've seen mid rises in LA exactly like that building (completely bare wall w/no windows) and it's covered with gigantic ads. Last time I was there, I remember seeing an iPod ad from top to bottom (about a 10+ story bldg). I can't even fathom what it might have cost.

[OU812]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

There is no doubt in my mind that this tower is going up as planned. Just look at the construction update info. Rumors are rumors and we have heard many rumors about alot of the towers that have gone up including 360 wich has finished construction and Spring wich is rising as we speak. Its an exciting time for Austin to see a truely tall tower take its place in our skyline.

I think everybody is still shell shocked by what happened with the Intel Bldg. So there's always that modicum of doubt with any downtown project these days. Even long after the "skeleton" is partially complete.

[priller]

From 7/19/08:




Yes, those are large concrete columns atop the pedestal. The tower begins?






Lots of workers on top today:

[priller]

First tower level is well under way now:

[Blakesalot!]

http://www.theaustonian.com/pics/2008-07-21_Austonian%20Report_41.pdf

Work activities completed thru July 21, 2008:

• Level 10 northwest corner poured on July 18, 2008
• Level 10 southwest corner poured July 21, 2008
• First columns for level 11 poured on July 18, 2008
• Level 10 east side scheduled to pour on July 29, 2008
• Level 11 (the first level of the residential tower) scheduled to pour on July 31, 2008
• Dual man and material hoists operational to level 8
• Block masonry continues at levels 4, 5, 6 and 7
• MEP rough-in continues at all areas including swimming pool at level 10
• Structural steel stairs delivered for completion of the 3 podium stairs
• Abstract and conceptual painter, Roi James, visits the site to review the lobby space. Mr. James has been
commissioned to do 2 pieces for the property.

[priller]

There were some interesting photos in that last report. You can see some of the outlines of the oval-shaped tower.

[Blakesalot!]

Cool! I hadn't noticed that.

[priller]

From 7/26: