ATLANTA | Development Thread V

[arctk2014]

Originally Posted by bryantm3

i disagree. stick built doesn't present any problems if it's a single family living there, but when you've got a large number of people who are at any given time cooking, having loud sex, trying to quell a crying baby, doing yoga and aerobics, and perhaps most importantly, trying to sleep, you've got a huge problem. have you ever stayed in a cheap hotel where you could hear what everyone in adjacent rooms, below and above, were doing? that's the problem you're introducing here.

sure, the apartments will sell for a pretty penny for a short time, but once the luster has faded, they will have a hard time getting people to live in these places. they'll be notorious for noise problems, even if we put aside all the structural problems stick built buildings can encounter over an extended period of time.

i also dispute the fact that long lasting buildings were built primarily from wood or particleboard until the last century. buildings nearly always had a core of brick, cobblestone, or in coastal areas sometimes material like tabby was used— it wasn't a decorative façade like it is now; that's what the houses were supported on. now we've come up with tons of new techniques where we can use braces and whatnot to construct a house entirely out of wood, but that wasn't the way it was done for permanent or load-bearing structures before the last century. wood was the cheapest and most commonly used material, sure, but it wasn't what the house was supported on, excluding structures like log houses which were unique in the fact that they were constructed entirely out of wood— mainly due to the fact that entire logs were used rather than boards.

Utilizing a cheap hotel as precedent to say that wood construction isn't good for apartments is by far a weak argument to make.

A little digging into the code will tell you that floors, walls, corridors and such must meet minimum sound transmission class ratings (or STC). Much of what those wood construction hotels you refer to were built well over 15+ years ago and construction standards the last 5 years alone have changed drastically.

As far as long-lasting buildings wood certainly can be long-lasting given proper care and use. The buildings you reference that utilized solid brick, concrete, or other sorts of party walls wouldn't stand a chance in performing in today's energy codes. This is the reason why facades are more veneers and "decorative" because they are actually being driven by performance requirements. These requirements take more into account than just insulation but moisture control and mitigation (not necessarily designing to prevent water from getting in but to design buildings so that when water DOES get in how does it wick outward), as well as sound transmission.

[ATL_J]

Originally Posted by bryantm3

i disagree. stick built doesn't present any problems if it's a single family living there, but when you've got a large number of people who are at any given time cooking, having loud sex, trying to quell a crying baby, doing yoga and aerobics, and perhaps most importantly, trying to sleep, you've got a huge problem. have you ever stayed in a cheap hotel where you could hear what everyone in adjacent rooms, below and above, were doing? that's the problem you're introducing here.

sure, the apartments will sell for a pretty penny for a short time, but once the luster has faded, they will have a hard time getting people to live in these places. they'll be notorious for noise problems, even if we put aside all the structural problems stick built buildings can encounter over an extended period of time.

i also dispute the fact that long lasting buildings were built primarily from wood or particleboard until the last century. buildings nearly always had a core of brick, cobblestone, or in coastal areas sometimes material like tabby was used— it wasn't a decorative façade like it is now; that's what the houses were supported on. now we've come up with tons of new techniques where we can use braces and whatnot to construct a house entirely out of wood, but that wasn't the way it was done for permanent or load-bearing structures before the last century. wood was the cheapest and most commonly used material, sure, but it wasn't what the house was supported on, excluding structures like log houses which were unique in the fact that they were constructed entirely out of wood— mainly due to the fact that entire logs were used rather than boards.

Do you think they just put up plywood and call it a day? These newer apartments are highly energy efficient and come with a variety of noise dampening techniques. As an other poster said, even concrete leaves a lot to be desired. Can a wooden stick built apartment complex have noise problems? Sure, but older buildings, which you seem to have some nostalgia for, are generally not very energy efficient and I can assure, are much worst when it comes to noise. Purely anecdotal, but I moved recently from an older brick building to one of the newer, stick built apartments around O4W Park, and the newer construction blows it out of the water in every category - energy efficiency, lack of noise, etc.

I'm not implying a newer building can't have issues, but it isn't inherent in the materials used, but rather the quality of the construction.

[RocketSurgeon]

Noise issues and longevity of buildings depends a lot more on construction quality than it does on materials between units. I've lived in wood framed buildings where I could hear everything that went on with my neighbors, and (newer) ones where soundproofing was so good I rarely heard anything. A much larger detriment to noise issues in multistory housing is the growing popularity of hardwood floors.

It isn't reasonable to assume that every building going up is being built as cheaply as possible. A lot of money is being invested in these, and investors realize there's a balance of longevity and quality to consider. Like houses, the marketability and resale value of apartment buildings depends a lot on their quality (especially now that reviews by tenants are so accessible).

[thebigATL]

New renderings of the GMMPT it's amazing and descriptive and I counted 12 towers in this development.

http://archpaper.com/news/articles.asp?id=7257

[pawelra]

Originally Posted by thebigATL

New renderings of the GMMPT it's amazing and descriptive and I counted 12 towers in this development.

http://archpaper.com/news/articles.asp?id=7257

I assume that the towers are just for the background, I do not think they are going to be built.

[tdawg]

yeah, not to be a buzzkill but they've been talking about building this thing since before i left Atlanta for New York in 1999.

[arjay57]

According to the article this thing is still very much alive. Good to know, as I was worried that it might be losing steam.

With design and planning complete, GDOT is working to finish an environmental review for the project. The final environmental impact statement is expected to be complete by the end of the year, resulting in a record of decision that allows the project to apply for federal funding. If all goes by the book, construction could begin as early as 2015, with a construction time of three-and-a-half years.

http://archpaper.com/news/articles.asp?id=7257

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by Dettmann1

Grass or really any plantings won't survive in a 12", 18", or even 24" strip which is why sidewalks come all the way to the street. The reason is for a number or reason, but mainly comes down to irrigation (GDOT won't allow Irrigation in ROW), and the heat island effect from all the pavement surrounding the grass basically cooks the grass to death.

The grass strip used to be a requirement in some jurisdictions (and still is) however people have realized that plantings can't survive and you end up with bare dirt.

It looks like they are using a planted strip in several of the projects in these photos, so I hope they survive. I know they have them on many of the streets in Midtown and they seem to do well. We also have one on the sidewalk in front of our house and it does fine.

I should have amended my statement slightly, however. There may indeed be areas where plantings aren't the optimal solution. In those cases, there should still be some kind of separator (such as pavers) between the sidewalk and the street. And the sidewalks should definitely not be obstructed with utility poles, guy wires and street signs.

It would be great if these matters could be handled by development controls in the code, or at least by conditions in any rezoning or variance applications. I'm sure they are addressed for projects within the city's various SPIs.

[micropundit]

According to an article in online Atlanta Business Chronicle, The Sembler Co. is planning a retail project near East Atlanta Village.The Florida company that’s developed Atlanta shopping centers such as Town Brookhaven has under contract several parcels at Moreland, Glenwood and Portland avenues near Delia’s Chicken Sausage Stand. A map places the property at 152 Moreland Avenue.

Sembler is planning roughly 20,000 square feet of retail space, according to J.P. Guzzardo, vice president of development and manager of the build-to-suit department for Sembler.The project could include a pharmacy such as Walgreen’s. Guzzardo said he could not reveal tenants until leases were signed.

http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/real_...ns-retail-project-near-east-atlanta.html

[thebigATL]

Originally Posted by tdawg

yeah, not to be a buzzkill but they've been talking about building this thing since before i left Atlanta for New York in 1999.

Well they really serious as you can tell and those renderings tells no joke.

[Terminus]

Originally Posted by Dettmann1

Grass or really any plantings won't survive in a 12", 18", or even 24" strip which is why sidewalks come all the way to the street. The reason is for a number or reason, but mainly comes down to irrigation (GDOT won't allow Irrigation in ROW), and the heat island effect from all the pavement surrounding the grass basically cooks the grass to death.

The grass strip used to be a requirement in some jurisdictions (and still is) however people have realized that plantings can't survive and you end up with bare dirt.

City of Atlanta requires a minimum 5 foot landscape strip, as measure from back of curb. This has worked quite well in most new projects.

[RocketSurgeon]

Originally Posted by thebigATL

Well they really serious as you can tell and those renderings tells no joke.

From what I understand they've been "really serious" about the MMPT for 20 or 30 years now. Amtrak is apparently moving on with their own station, Norfolk Southern says they can't service it, and there's no such thing as commuter rail in Georgia nor any indication that there ever will be. Even the mayor said it's not happening. I wouldn't hold your breath.

[thebigATL]

2 QUESTIONS:
Will 1125 Peachtree will have a different layout/design or they going with the same idea but just taller?
Are there still gonna have that water feature infront of the Nation Center of Human and Civil Rights museum?

[AtlantaMustang]

Originally Posted by thebigATL

2 QUESTIONS:
Will 1125 Peachtree will have a different layout/design or they going with the same idea but just taller?

No one knows.

Are there still gonna have that water feature infront of the Nation Center of Human and Civil Rights museum?

Yes.

[PremierAtlanta]

Originally Posted by micropundit

The oft-neglected but oh-so-promising south end of Downtown is quick becoming a destination for culture and art connoisseurs. Just a short walk from Eyedrum Art and Music Gallery's new home (complete with rooftop performance space) on Forsyth St., another major art facility is opening on May 8. Gallery 72 is bringing new life into the old Atlanta Journal-Constitution space at 72 Marietta St., which was donated to the city after the newspaper moved to the suburbs four years ago. The 475,000-square-foot building, now known as 2 City Plaza, has undergone a $750,000 renovation, which includes a striking nine-story sculptural marquee on the exterior. The lobby redesign and marquee comes via Atlanta-based architects Stanley Beaman and Sears, who won the city's design competition.

http://atlanta.curbed.com/archives/2014/...surgence-continues-with-ajc-building.php

Now this is good news. There is definitely momentum building for the arts scene in that part of Downtown. I hope it sticks and continues to grow.

[bryantm3]

Originally Posted by Dettmann1

Grass or really any plantings won't survive in a 12", 18", or even 24" strip which is why sidewalks come all the way to the street. The reason is for a number or reason, but mainly comes down to irrigation (GDOT won't allow Irrigation in ROW), and the heat island effect from all the pavement surrounding the grass basically cooks the grass to death.

The grass strip used to be a requirement in some jurisdictions (and still is) however people have realized that plantings can't survive and you end up with bare dirt.

which is why we need plantings wide enough to plant shade/canopy trees. this is the city in a forest and we need to keep it that way.

[bryantm3]

Originally Posted by arjay57

According to the article this thing is still very much alive. Good to know, as I was worried that it might be losing steam.

well, kasim reed is kind of being a shitheel because he only wants to accomplish things that can be completed in the remaining four years he has as mayor, for his "reputation" for future elections, i guess. i would love if we actually got this thing started, and i would be completely impressed and blown away if it actually got started in 2015.

[AtlantaMustang]

I don't remember seeing this particular render of 98 14th street yet.



http://www.midtownatl.com/about/midtown-alliance/newsroom/midtown-monthly-april-2014

[Dettmann1]

[QUOTE=bryantm3;6552212]which is why we need plantings wide enough to plant shade/canopy trees. this is the city in a forest and we need to keep it that way.[/Q

While I agree with the tree sentiment (I'm a fan of tree lined streets), there are much better ways of doing it than a planting strip. Properly placed tree wells with grates work really well in an urban environment. City of Atlanta Code requires street trees at a certain distance, so most development in the city will have trees along their fronts. In addition, the code is extremely specific on sidewalk widths, clear width, bench areas etc.

[thebigATL]

Originally Posted by AtlantaMustang

I don't remember seeing this particular render of 98 14th street yet.



http://www.midtownatl.com/about/midtown-alliance/newsroom/midtown-monthly-april-2014

Them boys ain't no joke. and I never seen that photo either,I recall.