Posted Sep 20, 2014, 3:54 AM
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Meh
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Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Austin,TX<-->Dripping Springs,TX<-->Birmingham, AL<-->Warm Springs,GA
Posts: 57,205
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360 and the W are probably my favorites among the new ones in the last 6 years, followed by the Frost Bank Tower.
I like the W because it's just this big dark slab of a building that has a certain mysterious quality about it. That theme is carried over even more so at night by not having any accent lighting. Except for the geometry, it's Austin's Fountain Place in the way that it stands out and is sort of mysterious and different. My only gripe with it is the base of it along 3rd Street. The color, the materials, the windows and poor interaction with the street leave me wishing they had done more.
The Frost Bank Tower is no doubt an Austin icon now. It doesn't even need to be very tall to remain our signature tower. The first time I actually paid attention to that Matthew Mcconaughey Lincoln commercial, it wasn't perfectly clear it was filmed in Austin until the Frost Bank Tower made an appearance. The lighting of it is spectacular and is really a beacon for downtown from afar. My only gripe with it is I wish it was wrapped with retail and wasn't so squatty.
360 Condominiums really has to be my favorite new building. It's just good from top to bottom. The lighting design is prefect for the building, though, I do wish they had lit "all" of the spire. The glass, limestone panels, the color, the emphasis on its vertical shape. Most of all, though, the detail of the building is really good. If you've ever studied it they really did a good job disguising the garage section. It easily has the most attractive garage of any of our buildings. It also contributes a good bit to the street.
After that I would of course have to say The Austonian just because of its height. I like the color of it, too, it is rather modern with the subdued colors. I like that it takes on a different shape from different angles. My gripes with it is that the base sometimes doesn't look like it belongs with the rest of the building. The top sometimes looks funny, too, but it isn't horrible. It just isn't a "great" crown for being our tallest. I also wish the lighting was a little more dramatic.
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