AUSTIN | Aloft Austin & Element Hotel Downtown | 328 FEET | 31 FLOORS | Complete

[KevinFromTexas]

Yeah, I see it all the time. Because I ride my bicycle a lot, I've become programmed to watch like a hawk. I notice dangerous driving and risky moves all the time. To say nothing of discourteous driving.

[drummer]

I know I bring up China a lot, but you guys come and spend a month or so riding your bike here (or driving, for that matter), and you go back to the States and think, "Man, these are the most courteous drivers in the world." It's amazing how perspective changes things.

But seriously, I second Kevin in that someone in that photo is about to get clobbered for sure.

[Jdawgboy]

I went out lastnight and was crossing Congress @ 5th and 3 cars turned as we were making our way across and it was our right away. It's very true that there are many wreckless drivers and im suprised more people aren't hit more often crossing the street but thank goodness it hasn't gotten to that point yet.

Still, the biggest issue in this city that's causing wrecks is simply wreckless driving. Common courtesy has really deteriorated and it's across the board with all kinds of drivers whether it's on the expressway or the average street. I'd go as far and say it's become worse than drunk driving since car ride companies like Uber and Lyft have really helped to drop the amount of drunk driving related incidents. Because of that drop, it's become very clear that there are a lot of people in this city who just don't care how they drive or whether they break the law and they just do it on purpose.

I say it's time to suspend licenses for bad driving much sooner like by the second offence. Tickets alone are not lessening the problem because people just don't care. They may care if they aren't allowed to drive for a few months and have to take a drivers ed course to jog their memories again about how to obay the law and drive safely.

Back to the Aloft hotel, I'm really curious how the south facing wall is going to end up looking? Could they figure out a way to lessen it's impact?

[Tech House]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

...the biggest issue in this city that's causing wrecks is simply wreckless driving.

That one misplaced w transforms an ordinary observation into an oxymoron.

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by Tech House

That one misplaced w transforms an ordinary observation into an oxymoron.

LOL. Nice catch.

[Flatiron]

This one should be above ground soon:

[Syndic]

From today, 12/24/15.

[Jdawgboy]

You know the blank wall is really going to stick out like a sore thumb from certain angles viewing the skyline. I parked at the garage by the Performing Arts and Palmer Events Center. I happened to notice that the crane was visible then realized that the south side will really stand out.

[Flatiron]

What is the black and yellow box rising out of the excavated area?

[hookem]

Concrete form for the elevator/service core?

[KevinFromTexas]

Originally Posted by Flatiron

What is the black and yellow box rising out of the excavated area?

Yep. And in that case, this building's structural system will be steel rather than concrete. So instead of having a concrete frame, it'll be steel. That's interesting. Just about every building in Austin uses a concrete skeleton. This will be more like watching an old skyscraper go up. The UT Tower, Norwood Tower, Littlefield Building and Scarborough Buildings all have steel frames. The elevator core will also likely top out long before the steel frame does, so before the steel frame reaches the top, we're going to see the elevator core tower above the site for a while.

Checkout LA's new Wilshire Grand. It uses the same structural system this building will.
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...67291&page=161

[JoninATX]

Yep, it's the elavator shaft.

[the Genral]

This makes sense. Using cement would have made for thick columns and smaller interior space on a really narrow structure. I would think the metal framework should rise pretty fast, maybe even keeping up with the elevator shaft once the steel framers get after it, no pour and cure times to slow things down. Is there a timeline for topping out? I get a sense now it could be by end of summer.

[Flatiron]

January 25, 2016

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by Flatiron

January 25, 2016

Nice. I love this project. By the way, "Flatiron" has become a discussion in the Update thread.

[Flatiron]

Originally Posted by The ATX

Nice. I love this project. By the way, "Flatiron" has become a discussion in the Update thread.

Thanks for heads up. I like the building shape, but the height matters as much as the footprint. These 5-8 story ones don't excite me.

Kevin, you were right about this building rising fast. Are steel framed buildings shaped differently (on average) than a concrete framed one? (pic from 1/28/16)

[KevinFromTexas]

I'm pretty sure they can make steel buildings just about any shape they want, though, I would tend to think it would be easier to use concrete if you had a building with a lot of curves. I think what really made it more practical to use steel for this building was the small lot size. They don't have a large site to work with. It's not a full block project where they can ring the block with concrete trucks. So it made more sense to use steel. They will still need concrete because the elevator core will rise all the way to the top of the building. It'll actually poke above the roof a bit. But it'll have considerably less concrete in it than the whole building would. They won't use concrete for the floors either of course. It also saves them space because they won't need to have the slip forms and hydraulic jacks that are used for concrete construction - so they won't have to store them on site.

[H2O]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

I'm pretty sure they can make steel buildings just about any shape they want, though, I would tend to think it would be easier to use concrete if you had a building with a lot of curves. I think what really made it more practical to use steel for this building was the small lot size. They don't have a large site to work with. It's not a full block project where they can ring the block with concrete trucks. So it made more sense to use steel. They will still need concrete because the elevator core will rise all the way to the top of the building. It'll actually poke above the roof a bit. But it'll have considerably less concrete in it than the whole building would. They won't use concrete for the floors either of course. It also saves them space because they won't need to have the slip forms and hydraulic jacks that are used for concrete construction - so they won't have to store them on site.

Steel frame buildings typically have concrete floors placed in steel pans. While it does eliminate the slip forms, there is still a substantial amount of concrete used.

[KevinFromTexas]

I always thought they used steel decking between the beams.

[Myomi]

I looks pretty clear that they are going to be using reinforced concrete in the structure from that picture.