AUSTIN | Projects & Construction II

[BevoLJ]

Originally Posted by austin242

Does anyone else think that the base of the W at ground level looks atrocious? At least on the second street side.

How do you mean? Like what part do you think looks bad?

It has the store front and stairs going up to ACL. Then on the second floor it has the ACL patio/bar, which looks like any patio bar DT. Above that it is pretty bland. Just a big wall with some shapes put on it to look fancy. But it looks like every theater wall, which is what it is. I like it better than the new Zach Scott Theater on Lamar. Not that I don't like the new Zach Theater. Because I do. Like it that is. But it is a bit more bland than the Moody Theater part of the W.

At least the Moody wall on the W is a few stories above the street. It would be a lot worse if that whole part of 2nd street of the W was just one long theater wall. lol.

[austin242]

I think it all looks bad as of now. The black facade is just too dark and cheerless to me. I feel though as more stores come in and all the bottom is stores it will look good. I really think that the stair case should have been surrounded by glass or vines too.

[ahealy]

Originally Posted by austin242

I think it all looks bad as of now. The black facade is just too dark and cheerless to me. I feel though as more stores come in and all the bottom is stores it will look good. I really think that the stair case should have been surrounded by glass or vines too.

I like dark and cheerless.

[migol24]

Originally Posted by ahealy

I like dark and cheerless.

dark, shiny and sleek and sparkly when the sun shines on it. it puts a smile on my face.

[hookem]

Originally Posted by austin242

I think it all looks bad as of now. The black facade is just too dark and cheerless to me. I feel though as more stores come in and all the bottom is stores it will look good. I really think that the stair case should have been surrounded by glass or vines too.

That's one of best buildings from a street level in Austin, in my opinion. Even before it was completed, I could tell how it was going to transform the area... and it has! The massing is wonderful. Maybe that doesn't come through in the pics, but it's definitely very cool when you are there. I hate setback buildings, they are so suburban, and we have SOO many of them in Texas...

Anyway, adding ornamentation to the lower floors on a building like the W wouldn't work with the architecture -- it would just look cheap and fake like so many other buildings. Although the vines you suggest would probably work with what is there... But even as it is, it really creates a downtown feel that is lacking on so many blocks in the CBD. And it has the ground floor retail, plus a great theater, and it's a top notch hotel. I absolutely love it.

[MichaelB]

Originally Posted by ahealy

I like dark and cheerless.

But what about the building?!??!>!


I love it. It is so elegant. It will be better when the glass is back in the stair area. I think the play of black on black is brave and elegant.

Score.

( yes, the functional side of the space on 3rd is not so great.... but every building has that somewhere. It will be better as well when businesses ocupy those corners)

[mars-man]

Sorry, have to agree -- the W is an emperor with no clothes. The featureless concrete is just bland and aesthetically lazy imo, not arty or sophisticated. This is a project that has not lived up to its promise:



I realize this is an early rendering, but notice the interesting texture of those wall panels facing 2nd St, and the blue and brown accents. A far cry from what was built.

[P3FE]

I'm so glad someone else thinks that the W looks awful. I wasn't going to say anything...but since someone else said it first. The cinder block facade is unacceptable, the furnace vents on the north side of the block are loose and crooked, the water drains on the west side of the block are attached with plywood and nails(!), the vents above the parking garage entrance is grossly discolored, and the landscaping is laughable. I won't even begin to critique the shoddy finish-out of the tenets.

I hate to say it, but they blew it on the street level.

[Jdawgboy]

I like it, once the stores go in on the ground level it will be friendlier looking. It also breaks up the similar look of the Second Street Corridor with the AMILIs and CSC buildings.

[JoninATX]

I like the entrance to The W but I have to say the staircase above Urban Outfitters would have looked better if it was glass in. Other than that The W looks awesome.

[migol24]

Originally Posted by mars-man

Sorry, have to agree -- the W is an emperor with no clothes. The featureless concrete is just bland and aesthetically lazy imo, not arty or sophisticated. This is a project that has not lived up to its promise:



I realize this is an early rendering, but notice the interesting texture of those wall panels facing 3rd St, and the blue and brown accents. A far cry from what was built.

in fairness, that's just a graphic you're looking at. had it been designed as the photo, no one knows if it would turn out the same way. i do agree that it is a far cry from that design, but i don't agree that the W is not living up, or anywhere near its promise. It's still a good design whether someone likes it or not. A few things can do some adjustments, but it's not as ugly as people are making it out to be.

I will say this too... It would be awesome if they added that screen where they can play the show while its going on. It would be awesome.

[MichaelB]

Originally Posted by migol24

in fairness, that's just a graphic you're looking at. had it been designed as the photo, no one knows if it would turn out the same way. i do agree that it is a far cry from that design, but i don't agree that the W is not living up, or anywhere near its promise. It's still a good design whether someone likes it or not. A few things can do some adjustments, but it's not as ugly as people are making it out to be.

I will say this too... It would be awesome if they added that screen where they can play the show while its going on. It would be awesome.

Thank you for pointing out the purpose of that type of rendering. It was a hype rendering. The "Blue/brown" are rendering tricks to add interest. Actually the Brown reflects that fact that the "studio" box was going to be Copper at one piont. I am so happy this escaped the Austin "warm and fuzzy" trend that was happening when this building first went into concepts. The "blue" is sky reflectes in silver windows.

As far at the big screen. I was very attracted to it at first, but realized quickly it would not be a "good neighbor" in a mixed residentail area. Glad it is not there.

[BevoLJ]

They have some screens in the patio area that I like. They are more a set of screens that are together and put up one image. I like it.

Not sure I'd like to see second street turn into Broadway with tons of big screens doing advertising. If the W had done that, then you know it would be inevitable that everyone else would be putting up those screens. I'm a bit to ADD and get so distracted by big shinny things flashing all kinds of cool images it would just be a lot for me. lol. Like even on Ben White near Lamar bothers me because there is so many screens and flashing signs at night.

[mars-man]

Fair enough, but look also at the copper box rendering below. When they lost the copper they also lost some other nice touches. Really, the heart and soul of a pretty awesome concept got left behind. The materials they ultimately used seem cheap and not built to last. Hope I'm proved wrong, but this part of the W (not the upper part, which I like) does not seem like it will age gracefully.

Agree with you, P3FE, that the landscaping also leaves much to be desired. What's the latest on the long-delayed Willie statue, by the way? Anyone know?

[actham]

Personally, I was disappointed when they put up the black. I really liked this copper rendering. It has texture where the black seems dull and boring. I actually thought the black was a sealer layer that would be under the copper at first!

[migol24]

Originally Posted by mars-man

Fair enough, but look also at the copper box rendering below. When they lost the copper they also lost some other nice touches. Really, the heart and soul of a pretty awesome concept got left behind. The materials they ultimately used seem cheap and not built to last. Hope I'm proved wrong, but this part of the W (not the upper part, which I like) does not seem like it will age gracefully.

Agree with you, P3FE, that the landscaping also leaves much to be desired. What's the latest on the long-delayed Willie statue, by the way? Anyone know?

I think everyone expressed disappointment that the brown facade was left out... so detractors of the W aren't alone on that.

[ahealy]

Originally Posted by mars-man

Fair enough, but look also at the copper box rendering below. When they lost the copper they also lost some other nice touches. Really, the heart and soul of a pretty awesome concept got left behind. The materials they ultimately used seem cheap and not built to last. Hope I'm proved wrong, but this part of the W (not the upper part, which I like) does not seem like it will age gracefully.

Agree with you, P3FE, that the landscaping also leaves much to be desired. What's the latest on the long-delayed Willie statue, by the way? Anyone know?

Willie statue from what I understand will be out soon (this year). In regards to the other complaints on how it turned out: We did go through a giant financial crisis while this building was under construction.....I can only imagine the issues they had. They obviously scaled things back. All in all, the building has been recepted very well from numerous architecture magazines (Metropolis) and adds VARIETY to downtown Austin's architecture. Not to start a pissing contest, but I can say with confidence that our W looks 100x better than the one in Dallas....I just wish we had the giant screens

[austin242]

Yah those giant screens which they promised would be awesome. Probably not for the residents of the amli next door tho inless they always had something good on . Its still not to late to add those I would think.

[migol24]

Considering that it would be a distraction to people living around downtown I think the screens would look awesome on Cesar Chavez... like on the side of where the Greenwater Trtmnt Plan will go. Having huge screens like on the W render but on that side would definitely give the Austin skyline quite a boost on appeal and make it seem much bigger. I wonder how it will look on skyline photos. I'm sure not many people would be happy with that... and I do feel that it is a bit much especially when you don't want it to become too commercialized with nothing but advertisements. But it still would be fun to look at.

[ahealy]

Originally Posted by migol24

Considering that it would be a distraction to people living around downtown I think the screens would look awesome on Cesar Chavez... like on the side of where the Greenwater Trtmnt Plan will go. Having huge screens like on the W render but on that side would definitely give the Austin skyline quite a boost on appeal and make it seem much bigger. I wonder how it will look on skyline photos. I'm sure not many people would be happy with that... and I do feel that it is a bit much especially when you don't want it to become too commercialized with nothing but advertisements. But it still would be fun to look at.

Yeah, it would be fun to look at. I just wouldn't want stupid ass advertisements on it 24/7. The W to me is like a grown ass vertical big sis to Hotel San Jose. I love the minimalism. You should see my apartment....