I thought we already had a thread for Block 71, but I guess we've just been posting about it in the update thread. I'll start one since there are at least two proposals. This latest proposal is from Minguell-McQuary Architecture and looks to be 36-stories.
Please let the Nelsen Partners design be chosen. That other rendering is hideous. We can't afford to lose all of our unencumbered lots to stubby short buildings in the 30 floor range. Plus it looks like a strange version of the W.
Please let the Nelsen Partners design be chosen. That other rendering is hideous. We can't afford to lose all of our unencumbered lots to stubby short buildings in the 30 floor range. Plus it looks like a strange version of the W.
Only thing that rendering's missing is an Airstream trailer on one of those exposed balconies.
I'm not a fan of that first one. The tower portion is too close to design of the W, and those recessed windows make it look like a parking garage. That portion of the building seriously looks like a re-purposed parking garage. I rarely say this about buildings, but this one is ugly.
My biggest objection to the Minguell-McQuary proposal is that it isn't the Nelson proposal. What a terrible loss it would be, to not build what was previously envisioned, for which we got our hopes up. How can anyone not want the M-M building? What's wrong with our species that we would potentially pass on such an opportunity? I'm in a grief-stricken panic over this. [That might be a slight exaggeration.]
Happy about this quote from the ABJ article linked above, but I do hope they keep the entire building and not just the facade:
"The system has asked the company to maintain the south and west facades of Claudia Taylor Johnson Hall at the corner of Lavaca and Sixth, which was originally built as the city's seventh post office in 1914 and is named after President Lyndon Johnson's wife.
Otherwise, most of the block is likely to be demolished — including a parking garage, a nine-story tower and a plaza with a water fountain that hasn't run since a drought started affecting the city about 10 years ago."
Also this: "Tames says the redevelopment of Block 71, coupled with ground-floor retail in its new OneUTSystem tower, will better link that stretch of central downtown to entertainment districts to the east and west." It sounds like UT is actually making an attempt to be a good downtown citizen.
The snippet from the article made it sound like it would be multiple buildings. I just hope that doesn't mean two 400 footers on the same lot. I'd rather see a single taller more slender tower than two.
I'm more concenred that CTJ hall and the pocket park to the side remain in tack.
We will not affect the design.
Can affect the protection of CTJ and the park.
Debate away on the design!
I will prefer A-A because it repsects that history of CTJ hall and the public space and I think it is actully interesting and has potential. I like the depth in the surfaces as well.
The lease will require them (Trammell) to preserve (at least) the south and west façade of the Claudia Taylor Johnson Hall. The plaza, however, is not protected in the lease.
UT clears way for downtown tower, $160M engineering building
Nov 10, 2016, 2:59pm CST
The University of Texas System Board of Regents made a pair of pivotal decisions Thursday that will shape Austin for years to come.
The board approved spending $392 million from its endowment to build nine projects, including an Energy Engineering Building on the UT Austin campus. Regents also instructed system staff to negotiate a ground lease with Trammell Crow Co. to redevelop a downtown block on Sixth Street, turning it into dense mixed-use development that may help bridge the divide between two of Austin's most popular entertainment districts — East Sixth Street and West Sixth Street.
The engineering facility, which will receive $100 million from the endowment to help cover its estimated $160 million price tag, is the most pressing need in the $392 million list of capital projects. It is intended to raise the status of UT Austin's engineering program, which is already lauded as one of the nation's best.
Based on the info in Kevin's link, there will be two towers. Considering the info below from the permit filing and the size of the site, we're looking at a ~30-story apartment building and a ~40-story office building.
From the filing:
"The Block 71 project will be developed on approximately 76,174 square feet (1.7487 acres) located at the property bound by Lavaca Street, Colorado Street, 6th Street and 7th Street in Austin, Travis County, Texas. The development will consist of high rise buildings with 236-unit apartment building, 665,000 square foot office building, and two (2) restaurants with on-site parking garage and utilities."
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The ATX
Based on the info in Kevin's link, there will be two towers. Considering the info below from the permit filing and the size of the site, we're looking at a ~30-story apartment building and a ~40-story office building.
From the filing:
"The Block 71 project will be developed on approximately 76,174 square feet (1.7487 acres) located at the property bound by Lavaca Street, Colorado Street, 6th Street and 7th Street in Austin, Travis County, Texas. The development will consist of high rise buildings with 236-unit apartment building, 665,000 square foot office building, and two (2) restaurants with on-site parking garage and utilities."
Well now we are getting somewhere. Potentially our first 40 story office tower is a pretty big deal. It won't be a 700 footer like we were hoping for (love the first rendering), but that would surely put the roof top of the tower into the 450 to 500 foot range. Frost is 33 floors, Kevin has better stats so correct me if I'm wrong but the 33rd floor sits right around the 400 foot mark. A 40 floor office tower would surely be at least 450 feet.
Less impressed with the 30 story counterpart. We just have so many in that range now as well as soon to be. 30 floors seems to be our defacto limit with many of the new towers.
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