ATLANTA | Development Thread V

[arctk2014]

Originally Posted by bryantm3

that's an oxymoron. they result in an extremely noisy environment and require much more maintenance than solid construction. concrete should be the standard for all multi-residential buildings.

I'm sorry but on behalf of many other industry professionals your thoughts on wood construction only makes your opinions sound more and more ignorant. I'm not here to defend wood construction as a superior quality but having lived in a concrete multifamily project the first few years in Atlanta you can still have a lot of sound problems and maintenance problems that today's wood construction already mitigates.

Wood construction has come a long way in comparison to the previous precedents you keep quoting because the standards have drastically improved even in the last 10 years.

While not always a favorite to design with the market is what drives everything. Concrete and steel construction has a lot of its own disadvantages when it comes to insulation and performance standards (including sound) that wood construction readily provides.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by atlantaguy

I don't know, arjay. I see this type of construction happening all over the country, especially up and down the West Coast. Just like here, a concrete second floor with wood above up to 5-8 stories. It seems so common now I wonder if maybe materials have improved?

I think that's right, atlantaguy. Materials have no doubt improved significantly and if quality and durability are just as good, why not go with the less expensive alternative?

Stick-built probably suffers from a slight image problem because so many of the apartments built during the 1960-80's have fallen on hard times.

[Verge]

The economics of wood simply beats anything else for a building 5 stories or under (code limitation of wood-- 6 stories with concrete 'mixed-use' base)-- I've even seen this used in San Francisco and other cities where wood construction for larger projects is generally rarer than in Atlanta-- Wood can be well done, but in general it will eventually require more maintenance that other construction materials-- i.e. I live in a 104 year old wood house.

[cabasse]

i wonder how off topic this is getting... but on personal experience, concrete has been by far the best with regards to sound isolation between units/floors. you can jump on the floor and not make a sound in the unit below. low bass frequencies are also much more muffled through concrete than wood.

i've lived in some horrible stick-built units when it comes to insulation (sorelle lindbergh - middle fl and archstone cheshire bridge - top fl, both built after 2000) and a semi-decent stickbuilt which is where i currently am. (top fl, built 1987)

[echinatl]

[QUOTE=AtlantaMustang;6583499]The Hyatt House on Ivan Allen and Marietta is making some progress.


Taken by me.

QUOTE]

Thanks for the pics. This hotel is being built on a pretty terrible surface lot!

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by cabasse

i wonder how off topic this is getting...

Sorry for sending us off on a tangent. However, it may be relevant given the volume of stick-built multifamily construction we are seeing in the city these days.

[thebigATL]

Anyways, back to some news...well I just went on trillist site and looks like another proposal here's the link:
http://www.trillist.com/home/properties/

[RocketSurgeon]

Originally Posted by bryantm3

most of the apartments in desirable areas are going up stick-built. the developers want to spend the least amount of money for the greatest payoff; they're not concerned about whether or not the building lasts.

I know... what I mean is that demand in those areas should stay high enough for owners to keep those buildings maintained and replaced as needed, rather than letting them rot and turn into the kind of downtrodden housing people seem concerned about.

In generic areas people tend to pay for the buildings. In more unique areas they're paying for the location.

Despite what you believe wood can be a perfectly good building material. For millennia people have been building housing with materials available in their area. Georgia is full of forest so it seems reasonable enough. What difference does it make if the lifespan is 50 years or 100 years? Both are going to become dilapidated eventually

[RocketSurgeon]

Originally Posted by thebigATL

Anyways, back to some news...well I just went on trillist site and looks like another proposal here's the link:
http://www.trillist.com/home/properties/

If you mean "Trillist will soon be announcing an exciting mixed-use project in Atlanta’s lively Midtown neighborhood," I think that's 1138 Peachtree.

[thebigATL]

[simms3_redux]

I've lived in a noisy concrete high rise (in Atlanta actually). It was so noisy and in a way I just could not tolerate that I had to move. The place I moved to was also concrete, imported from mother England (the Mayfair, older tower), and was about the most solid building I have ever lived in...dead silent, too.

[Libertarian]

I'm guessing in SF the earthquake standards don't allow for wood frame.

[TarHeelJ]

Originally Posted by Libertarian

I'm guessing in SF the earthquake standards don't allow for wood frame.

Exactly...there are building codes that must be met in earthquake-prone areas. I'm pretty developers wouldn't use more expensive construction materials in SF if they didn't have to.

[atlantaguy]

Originally Posted by simms3_redux

The notion that these kinds of buildings are going up all up and down the west coast is disingenuous at best. SoCal mainly, but certainly not SF or the Bay Area and not really Seattle either.

Whatever, I know what I saw. While I haven't been to the Bay Area for a while, they absolutely ARE going up around Seattle and all over L.A. & San Diego.

[Libertarian]

The problem with wood frame construction in SF would be not what happens during an earthquake, but what happens afterwards - fire. Not controversial or a put-down of SF, just a real concern. In most cities an apartment fire is an isolated event, easily contained with minimal loss of life and property. Not so in SF in the aftermath of a major seismic event, which is overdue by the way.

Because of the additional unit cost factor of earthquake-resistant construction - among other issues - the delivery of affordable housing in SF is a huge problem. Only the most well-heeled can afford to rent or buy. The social situation is very bad to say the least and getting worse. Same thing in Silicon Valley. The minorities are displaced.
http://www.businessinsider.com/tech-mone...ng-san-franciscos-black-community-2014-5

In contrast, here in Atlanta and most other cities, the socioeconomic stresses are becoming less pronounced and more relaxed over time. To me, the elites in SF and a couple of other supposedly advanced locales are as "pandas in the zoo", a false reality. I fear for negative consequences at the worst possible moment. The social fabric is unreal and unhealthy.

[AtlantaMustang]

Meanwhile in actual Atlanta development news..

May 2014 DRC Recap:


(The little yellow frame in the front corner is the new retail space on West Peachtree I referred to. Also it's a little hard to tell from this render, but there is a gap between to top of the two large "frames" and the glass beneath them, which will look quite nice if lit correctly.)

AMLI Arts Center – Following an initial presentation in January 2014, AMLI Residential returned to the DRC to present an update to the proposed AMLI Arts Center at West Peachtree and 15th Street. The project includes 350 apartment units, 4,350 square feet of retail space, and a 552 space precast parking structure across the street from the Arts Center MARTA Station. The DRC anticipates recommending approval for the project but will conduct a final design review with the applicant electronically to approve the proposed parking deck facade.



1163 West Peachtree Street – Novare Group, the development team behind the recently completed Skyhouse South and Skyhouse Midtown projects, is proposing a new mixed-use project on the southeast corner of 14th and West Peachtree where Einstein’s Bagels is currently located. The project is a 32-story tower with 404 residential units and 11,500 SF of retail. The DRC has recommended approval for this project. In particular, the committee noted their support of proposed community improvements, including a bike lane on West Peachtree and one to two-way conversion of 13th Street from West Peachtree Street to Peachtree Walk.​



33 11th Street – Post Properties presented its proposal for Midtown Millennium, a 23-story residential building on the empty lot behind the Federal Reserve. The project is configured with 327 apartments above 7 levels of fully-enclosed parking. The DRC has recommended conditional approval based on the creation of an additional loading zone for small service vehicles.

http://www.midtownatl.com/about/midtown-...town-monthly-may-2014/may-2014-drc-recap

[cabasse]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Sorry for sending us off on a tangent. However, it may be relevant given the volume of stick-built multifamily construction we are seeing in the city these days.

i wasn't pointing at anyone in particular, and i proceeded to throw my 2 cents in as well...

that amli arts center rendering is sharp!

[micropundit]

The Groundbreaking ceremony for the $1.2+ billion sports/ entertainment complex that will replace the Georgia Dome as the home off the Atlanta Falcons was a big event that wowed a star studded crowd with fireworks and a 3-D film but it also set the stage for Atlanta's bids for some really big events as well. As everyone celebrated the moment, a major sales pitch was underway.

Atlanta has three year strategy for three major sporting events, according to Dan Corso, executive director of the Atlanta Sports Council.
In November, the Final Four cities will be announced for 2019 and 2020. Atlanta is hoping that it will get one of those years, possibly 2020.
Then it would hope to get the Super Bowl for 2019, a decision that would be made next spring.The last major event would be the College Football Playoff Games. Atlanta hopes to win the 2018 match up, but that decision likely won’t be made until the fall of 2015. But Falcons' owner, Arthur Blank and MLS’ commissioner Dan Garber have even bigger ideas. Think World Cup in 2022.


http://saportareport.com/blog/2014/05/fi...part-of-atlanta-stadium-ground-breaking/

[RocketSurgeon]

Looks like the tower crane is going up at Centergy North this morning. If you've ever wanted to see a tower crane being erected, now's the time to look

[scania]

Originally Posted by RocketSurgeon

Looks like the tower crane is going up at Centergy North this morning. If you've ever wanted to see a tower crane being erected, now's the time to look

Maybe today it will really start going up. It's been in that same position for at least a week or so.