AUSTIN | Projects & Construction III - Page 198

AusTex · #**3941** Posted **Oct 30, 2014, 11:51 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sterling

As usual, it seems the rendering was only to generate money for a "cost engineered" boxy version. So was that first ambitious design ever a possibility, or just "the guys" throwing a few curvy ideas around the office? This is such disappointing massing after the first one. A plinth for parking and a kleenex box tower. Stone Age in it's sophistication.

This is good ol U S of A! Money/profit is the name o the game. A few extra dollars is better in a few pocket than spent in the public sphere o things. Companies make money. Even our city owned Hilton (yes the Hilton portion will return to being city owned in a few years) is just one bad public design created from a cost cutting point of view. The city got hosed on that building.

At least The Fairmont is glass.....not errrr stuccoesk crap like the Hilton. The Fairmont will still be a nice building, just not a stunner that we all were hoping for. Money speaks loudly in our economic system......

KevinFromTexas · #**3942** Posted **Oct 30, 2014, 11:59 PM**

The Fairmont will still be our tallest hotel with or without the spire. It'll even have hotel rooms that are about 100 feet higher than the Hilton's highest ones, and maybe 30 to 40 feet higher than those of the JW Marriott.

NYC_Longhorn · #**3943** Posted **Oct 31, 2014, 1:46 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

The Fairmont will still be our tallest hotel with or without the spire. It'll even have hotel rooms that are about 100 feet higher than the Hilton's highest ones, and maybe 30 to 40 feet higher than those of the JW Marriott.

Don't pee on us Kevin and tell us it's raining.

KevinFromTexas · #**3944** Posted **Oct 31, 2014, 4:07 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by NYC_Longhorn

Don't pee on us Kevin and tell us it's raining.

Well it will be.

The Fairmont will be 595 feet to the spire and 456 feet to the roof with 36 floors.

The JW Marriott is 408 feet to the roof and has 34 floors.

The Hilton is 377 feet with 31 floors, but the highest hotel floor is the 26th floor. The top 5 floors are condos. All of the Fairmont Hotel's 36 floors are hotel use.

While the W Hotel & Residences is taller to the roof than the Fairmont will be and has one floor more, the hotel portion of the W stops at the 18th floor. The rest are residential.

And that's it. We don't have another hotel above 300 feet at the moment.

In fact, this will still be the tallest hotel in Texas outside of Dallas when you don't count the spire.

So even without the spire it's still our biggest and tallest hotel with the most number of hotel floors. I agree I would rather have the old design, but we're still getting a new largest and tallest hotel that will help spark more development along Waller Creek.

NYC_Longhorn · #**3945** Posted **Oct 31, 2014, 2:06 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

Well it will be.

So even without the spire it's still our biggest and tallest hotel with the most number of hotel floors. I agree I would rather have the old design, but we're still getting a new largest and tallest hotel that will help spark more development along Waller Creek.

I know... still I can't help but feel like it's Christmas morning and mom and dad got me the off-brand Huffy instead of the Schwinn.... oh well.... good problems to have I guess... Still, it will factor in to my selection of nursing homes.

NYC_Longhorn · #**3946** Posted **Oct 31, 2014, 2:08 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by lzppjb

I don't think it will pass.

By the way, this user profile picture of the sausage is hilarious and awesome

lzppjb · #**3947** Posted **Oct 31, 2014, 6:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by NYC_Longhorn

By the way, this user profile picture of the sausage is hilarious and awesome

TXLove · #**3948** Posted **Oct 31, 2014, 8:54 PM**

They have put the "JW Marriott" lettering on top of the building (east side of building) Sorry no pictures!

corvairkeith · #**3949** Posted **Nov 3, 2014, 4:46 AM**

A couple from this afternoon.

The ATX · #**3950** Posted **Nov 3, 2014, 4:05 PM**

The 5th & West condo tower going up by the Seaholm site:

http://www.austinboom.com/blog/fifth.../5th-and-west/

Kotliz · #**3951** Posted **Nov 3, 2014, 4:46 PM**

Pretty.

Syndic · #**3952** Posted **Nov 3, 2014, 6:53 PM**

Boom.

Quote:

Ground broken for 1,000-room Fairmont Austin hotel

By Shonda Novak

American-Statesman Staff

Officials broke ground today on a $370 million Fairmont convention hotel in downtown Austin that they say will be the largest in the luxury brand’s portfolio to date.

http://www.statesman.com/news/busine...itter_2014_sfp

KevinFromTexas · #**3953** Posted **Nov 3, 2014, 10:43 PM**

Actually, now that I'm looking at that rendering above, it might be hinting at what the top lighting may be. It is a "dusk" rendering, and does show the red light on the spire. The crown also appears lit with those vertical panels. That would be a lot of lights to maintain, but the effect would be interesting.

NYC_Longhorn · #**3954** Posted **Nov 4, 2014, 1:39 AM**

It's not red lighting that you are seeing at the top of the Fairmont... it's the red I'm seeing from having the design butchered from something as relevant as Frost to infill.... arrrrrghhhh

KevinFromTexas · #**3955** Posted **Nov 4, 2014, 5:21 AM**

View from Seven.

Seven-High Rise Luxury Apartments, Austin, TX - https://www.facebook.com/SevenApts/p...type=1&theater

GoldenBoot · #**3956** Posted **Nov 4, 2014, 6:10 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by NYC_Longhorn

It's not red lighting that you are seeing at the top of the Fairmont... it's the red I'm seeing from having the design butchered from something as relevant as Frost to infill.... arrrrrghhhh

Exactly!

Those of you out there who continue to try putting lipstick on this pig, please stop. It's still going to be a pig!

Thank you!

The ATX · #**3957** Posted **Nov 4, 2014, 7:42 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoldenBoot

Exactly!

Those of you out there who continue to try putting lipstick on this pig, please stop. It's still going to be a pig!

Thank you!

That's one mighty fine looking pig! Anyway, I've moved on to Waller Park Place and Block 24. We should be hearing something about Waller in the near future.

KevinFromTexas · #**3958** Posted **Nov 4, 2014, 7:57 AM**

That spire is the devil's candle, I tell you.

Anyway, I don't think I've seen a single building, yet, that didn't change form from announcement to groundbreaking. i've learned to be patient and take projects as they come and announcements with a grain of salt.

And hey, it could be worse. We could be a bunch of skyscraper geeks in the 1960s. I guess you'd have to be high on something back then for them look good, but if you were a common square you'd be sol.

The ATX · #**3959** Posted **Nov 4, 2014, 8:24 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

That spire is the devil's candle, I tell you.

Anyway, I don't think I've seen a single building, yet, that didn't change form from announcement to groundbreaking. i've learned to be patient and take projects as they come and announcements with a grain of salt.

And hey, it could be worse. We could be a bunch of skyscraper geeks in the 1960s. I guess you'd have to be high on something back then for them look good, but if you were a common square you'd be sol.

Looking back over the past 10 years or so of Austin's biggest projects, the only ones that I can think of off the top of my head that improved from their first rendering were the JW and Frost.

JoninATX · #**3960** Posted **Nov 4, 2014, 8:53 AM**

I remember Kevin posted an earlier rendering of Frost Tower back years ago. I believe the official height was planned at 375ft. or somewhere along there.