AUSTIN | Project Updates Thread Part II

[clubtokyo]

I like it! build it

[clubtokyo]

I wish we had more updates in the city compilations page, I try to keep it lively but it can’t just be me lol

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by clubtokyo

I wish we had more updates in the city compilations page, I try to keep it lively but it can’t just be me lol

I'll jump in more.

[Jdawgboy]

Hmmm, things are really getting interesting. That is a pretty cool design even if if is currently a massing. Easily has to be over 1,000 feet. I'd say it would most definitely become the tallest tower in Texas, possibly by a good amount.

Judging simply by rough comparison, I concur that it looks to be in the 1,200 foot range.

[KevinFromTexas]

Nice project at the Railyard site, but I wonder how "real" it is. We've already seen marketing material before for that site. Remember this? Click link:

As for the height for that new one, I'm not sure it's quite 1,200 feet. The shorter tower seems to be around 650 feet as compared to the Austonian. The lower portion of the taller tower appears to be the same height as the shorter tower. The upper portion of the tower has 28 floors, so it might add 350 more feet. The number of floors seems to be at least 75 in the taller tower. I think the height is probably closer to 1,000 feet, which would still be mindblowing if they were able to pull it off.

[We vs us]

About 4/5s in, the ABJ article finally makes the most important point about the San Jacinto project and the Gigantor Railyard Tower -- which is that all of this goes to establishing a parcel's value prior to the city purchasing it for the cc expansion. I guarantee these projects are both vaporware -- and will be honestly surprised if we ever get more than aspirational, feel good marketing materials for either/both.

[StoOgE]

I agree 100%, this is trying to set the stage for the city purchase and pretending that this block that has housed garbage apartments forever is actually worth 300 million as a huge real estate project.

That said,it's nice to dream.

[We vs us]

Originally Posted by StoOgE

I agree 100%, this is trying to set the stage for the city purchase and pretending that this block that has housed garbage apartments forever is actually worth 300 million as a huge real estate project.

Yep. There's a reason the 1200 ft tower is on the CC block, and not the other one.

[the Genral]

To me, right now this is just potential speculation. Its an example of what could land there without height restrictions. Why not shoot for higher if they are just making a point which is my guess. Nothing about this rendering gives any indication of a true proposal. But just for the sake this is a serious rendering, it does follow the design of 6X in that it looks to be segmented. I can't invest in the design as presented because if they do build something there, I predict it won't look anything like that. That being said, just the discussion of a 1000 ft or taller tower being built in Austin is mindblowing but not unpredicted. We all know sooner or later they will have to go taller as land dwindles especially outside of the cvc, and valuations soar. I hope and probably will be proven wrong, as usual, because I kind of like this design. And to further seperate myself from the majority, enough with the trees on the amenity floors already...

[AusTxDevelopment]

As the ABJ article says, Karlin hasn't even closed on the purchase of the Railyard site yet so these renderings are definitely pie in the sky. A friend of mine sent me the screen shots she took of the brochure they mention. The scale of the towers looks different in the two massings.

[Sigaven]

I do think that any supertall office tower would be smart to incorporate multiple kinds of "sky terraces" like the ideas seen here. Seems like that's what a lot of new office towers have on a smaller scale already - amenity decks, balconies, etc for employees to enjoy breaks and company functions, or maybe even open to the public. Would add great value to any office tower. I know it's a bit overdone to be showing so many trees and such, but even the amenity deck at 70 rainey seems pretty successful and fairly "vegetated" in this regard.

[Jdawgboy]

Simply for fun's sake, I attempted to get a rough count of the floor plates on the taller tower. It's somewhere above 70 floors.

Will see what happens but it's pretty cool nonetheless to see these sorts of things.

[Jdawgboy]

Just a thought... Seems like something of this magnitude could easily fit with the Convention Center expansion. Just incorporate it in as a private partner.

Regardless, now that 6X is starting, it shows that we can get towers over 700 feet built and as Genral pointed out, we are at a point where we will see more and more taller proposals as space and land become even more of a premium. It's not a stretch anymore for one to say we should expect some very tall towers in the coming years.

[WesternSon]

I am all for the scale, and location of those towers, but geez they are ugly.

[We vs us]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

Just a thought... Seems like something of this magnitude could easily fit with the Convention Center expansion. Just incorporate it in as a private partner.

Now that I think about it, it is worth noting that one of the (many) goals of the cc expansion is to include housing/office/etc in the development. So the whole thing might actually end up with a tower on the far end of it . . .

I still don't think that fact makes this particular tower any more probable . . . but this type of usage might not be farfetched.

[Sigaven]

Originally Posted by WesternSon

I am all for the scale, and location of those towers, but geez they are ugly.

I agree, they're pretty basic. Kind of reminds me of Gensler's conceptual designs for the Statesman site. Sparkly enough for pretty pictures to get people's imaginations going, but not a fully flushed out design to be taken seriously yet.

I think the main thing that bothers me is the glass....glass towers are getting boring and predictable. I'm ready to start seeing some texture and material variety in buildings again. One reason I'm excited about tower proposed for the Container Bar site on Rainey Street.

[myBrain]

Clean up the balconies and probably the S-shaped squiggles (which could maybe be interesting with some re-working) and the basic shape is cool. Kind of like the two partner buildings at Hudson Yards.

[KevinFromTexas]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

Simply for fun's sake, I attempted to get a rough count of the floor plates on the taller tower. It's somewhere above 70 floors.

Will see what happens but it's pretty cool nonetheless to see these sorts of things.

I had forgotten to add to my previous post, but I counted roughly 47 floors +/- a few in the lower section of the taller building, and then around 28 in the upper portion of the tower. I came up with a rough number of 75, but I couldn't see all the way down to the street, and I may have overcounted the sky lobby. Still, it's a safe bet it's around 70 to 75 floors.

[We vs us]

Groundbreaking today for the new State Hospital campus up on the old grounds between Guad and Lamar.

https://hhs.texas.gov/about-hhs/communic...aking-ceremony-new-austin-state-hospital

Here are some distressingly low-density renderings:

https://utexas.app.box.com/s/vpuxtz85pkfdj15wyy9b6s4fjy6g7pge/file/529866366390

[KevinFromTexas]

Yeah, that's pretty bad. The city is struggling with finding room for homeless shelters. This was a missed opportunity to combine the two services.