AUSTIN | Third + Shoal | 389 FEET | 29 FLOORS | U/C | Complete

[loonytoony]

A lot of Proper's design is influenced by setback requirements included in the redevelopment of Greenwater. Buildings can go to 60' when adjacent to water then must be setback before continuing higher. You can see the effect in Northshore's design, and eventually, Block 185. 3rd and Shoal was not part of this parcel and thus no setback requirements. I imagine developer elected to max out building size vs design to interact with Shoal Creek.

[freerover]

Originally Posted by freerover

Still think you guys should be patient. The building isn't close to done and there is plenty of time to cover the left side of the western wall to match the designs. The majority of their exterior marketing material feature the west side of the building so I don't think they don't think that's an important side.

Still, I don't think the building is going to look great from the southwest side but it'll look decent from the northwest including the pedestrian bridge.

I was wrong to be hopeful. What we see know is the final version due to compliance with the COA vent requirements. Resume flogging.

[masonh2479]

Originally Posted by freerover

I was wrong to be hopeful. What we see know is the final version due to compliance with the COA vent requirements. Resume flogging.

What a terrible design, to make the ugliest side of the building be on the most visible side. Why could this poverty siding not be along the alley shared with the proper only. They better try to paint it somehow or install LEDs. I don't know what is worse, the nearby substation or this big honkin wall.

The Google tower has glass all around the parking podium, so I don't see why the Facebook tower can't do the same.

[the Genral]

Originally Posted by masonh2479

What a terrible design, to make the ugliest side of the building be on the most visible side. Why could this poverty siding not be along the alley shared with the proper only. They better try to paint it somehow or install LEDs. I don't know what is worse, the nearby substation or this big honkin wall.

The Google tower has glass all around the parking podium, so I don't see why the Facebook tower can't do the same.

I agree. Btw, Republic Square looks awesome. Love the great oak and that the farmer's market is still there on Saturdays.

[masonh2479]

Originally Posted by the Genral

I agree. Btw, Republic Square looks awesome. Love the great oak and that the farmer's market is still there on Saturdays.

Yep, the much needed tlc has done wonders!

[Sigaven]

Originally Posted by masonh2479

What a terrible design, to make the ugliest side of the building be on the most visible side. Why could this poverty siding not be along the alley shared with the proper only. They better try to paint it somehow or install LEDs. I don't know what is worse, the nearby substation or this big honkin wall.

The Google tower has glass all around the parking podium, so I don't see why the Facebook tower can't do the same.

Google tower is likely mechanically ventilated. Still though, they could have made a more interesting open air facade design/"brise soleil" - instead they decided to literally make it look as much like a blank wall as possible?!?!? Shame on them.

[H2O]

Originally Posted by Sigaven

Google tower is likely mechanically ventilated. Still though, they could have made a more interesting open air facade design/"brise soleil" - instead they decided to literally make it look as much like a blank wall as possible?!?!? Shame on them.

The 'poverty siding' is not inexpensive. Perforated metal is probably more expensive than the solid spandrel panels. However, the perforated panels probably should have used a heavier gauge metal to reduce the oil canning effect. I've been thinking about their approach, and I think they could have made it more appealing by introducing an additional color in the panels. Maybe not an attempt to match the green glass, but a color that would be complimentary. On the sections with the vertical fins they could have alternated colors in vertical strips and alternated them in horizontal strips in the other areas. It would be more consistent with the patterning in the glazed areas, and would have broken up the sameness of the large 'blank' areas. It is all about adding some interest and detail to get to a more human scale.

[Urbannizer]

Republic Square Park - Saturday Morning by Don Mason, on Flickr

[kwinkles]

It's sad that Cielo has come in here and laid such a squat grey turd right between 360 and Proper, which are both pretty interesting buildings.

[Urbannizer]

Third + Shoal by Darius Fontenette, on Flickr

Third + Shoal by
Darius Fontenette, on Flickr

Austin Proper by
Darius Fontenette, on Flickr

[MichaelB]

Every day I walk past it ... I ALWAYS think.... Damn, I wish this addressed the creek better.
(at lower level AND the parking level)

[KevinFromTexas]

There are things I like about it. I mean, I don't mind the contrasting colors - green and grey. It's of a unique choice.

Of course, my least favorite thing about it is how shapeless it is. And yeah, the panels on the garage levels leave a lot to be desired. They remind me of some of the renovations that pre-war buildings had done to them in the 60s. Think of the office buildings in Midland and Lubbock.

I actually wish the tower could have been all glass like 500 2nd is. Having Third + Shoal and 500 West 2nd both with dark facades would have created a nice backdrop to Austin Proper. Besides, I genuinely do like the green glass. I wish there was more of it on the building. I wish they had at least had a column of glass running up the southwest corner of the building from the ground level to match the rest of it before it was cut off at the garage levels.

[AusTxDevelopment]

Visited a friend at Google Tower so I took some pictures of Third + Shoal through their windows. The glass looks much greener in the sunlight.









Source: Me

[the Genral]

That really does look better. I would think that it is also economically do-able. I'll pitch in for the first gallon. From that angle, its hard not to see how glass all the way down would have made this building look soooo much nicer. But while the ideas presented regarding the photo shop are an improvement, they're still lipstick on a pig. Classic bait and switch on the presentation and final product. I wish the CoA could demand completion of the presented rendering, as is, at least going forward. If I presented plans for my storage shed to the neighborhood HA, and built something not originally approved, they would have made me tear it down. Maybe we need an HA for downtown.

[kwinkles]

It's also amazing that this building, being 5 floors shorter than 360, which has 435 units, has a parking podium that is apparently somehow taller. 360 has 8 goddamn floors of parking. This tower is just a grey parking garage with a little bit of office on the tippy top.

[We vs us]

Originally Posted by kwinkles

It's also amazing that this building, being 5 floors shorter than 360, which has 435 units, has a parking podium that is apparently somehow taller. 360 has 8 goddamn floors of parking. This tower is just a grey parking garage with a little bit of office on the tippy top.

Does 3rd and Shoal function as Proper's parking garage?

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by We vs us

Does 3rd and Shoal function as Proper's parking garage?

I don't think so, could be wrong but I'm pretty sure Proper has it's own parking.

The more I look at the lower half of 3rd @ Shoal, the more I wish they would do something to cover it up. Unfortunatly nothing will ever be built that could block the view of it from the southwest so it's like they just decided to make the most visible side of the building both close up and from a distance the ugliest side. Even if the power station is eventually removed and if a highrise is built on the site, it still wouldn't block the view of it from the most viewed vantage points...

[chundercracker]

Originally Posted by We vs us

Does 3rd and Shoal function as Proper's parking garage?

All parking in Austin Proper are for residents only. Hotel, valet, and visitor parking is going through the garage in 500 West.

[We vs us]

Originally Posted by chundercracker

All parking in Austin Proper are for residents only. Hotel, valet, and visitor parking is going through the garage in 500 West.

Yep, thought that was probably right, and why I asked. The hotel stuff has to go offsite somewhere, and would partly explain the 3rd and Shoal parking situation.

[Jdawgboy]

Well if the hotel parking is going to 500W which in itself is a huge parking garage, just does a better job at hiding it, why make the parking podium so high for this tower? Isn't the whole urban tech crowd into rideshare or taking mass transit, or riding bikes? If this is yet another building adding more parking than it really needs I'm going to start complaining to the city council and say enough with these massive parking podiums. It's time to put limits on the amount of parking these developments can have. We don't need this much parking. I'm DT at least once (and frequently multiple times) a week both day and night and I have no problem finding parking whether metered or in a garage. Fact is you can see many people DT don't get around by car. By the way, what are those strange things people are riding on that are kinda like skateboards but have like a wheel or ball or something in the middle? I see a lot of people DT using them. Feel like I'm now in the out of the loop old crowd lol.