AUSTIN | Projects & Construction II

[Scottolini]

Well it appears the W will look more like the model, rather than the renderings.




I hope some accents are put on the building, because otherwise it appears a tad bland IMO.

[Scottolini]

Of course the upper 2/3s of the tower has much more glass, so that may make the building look more attractive. It's really too early to tell.

[KevinFromTexas]

I'm not sure I like the flat color of the W either. Although, it is pretty dark, so it should show up nicely. One thing about The Austonian, is that the glass is nice and dark. It makes the building visible at pretty much all hours of the day from far away. The glass on the building actually reminds me a lot of the Williams Tower in Houston which also has that effect of being highly visible from far away. I think the W will be similar. I just wish it wasn't so dull looking, but had a little more richness to it.

Originally Posted by zx14

Frost bank has mechanical floors too but they are more like catwalks right?

No. The catwalks you're talking about are high in the crown, about 20 feet from the top of the building. The building does actually have a 2 level concrete structure above the main roof that houses the elevator motors and other mechanical stuff. I know, because I inside it and stood next to it on the main roof during construction. The concrete mechanical penthouse itself is 27 feet tall and is accessible by stairs.

In this photo, you can see the catwalk near the top of the crown. You can walk on that of course. But if you look below to just next to the Frost logos, you'll see the roof of the mechanical penthouse.

By Steve Hobson http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevehopson/3913843985/

Originally Posted by zx14

Also why cant one of these floors be made into an observation deck.

Because they house mechanical equipment. It'll be off limits to anyone except building security and the building's maintenance crew.

[KevinFromTexas]

A few shots here from just inside Travis County. These were taken from Ross Road just south of Highway 71 about 4 miles from the Bastrop County line. My sister and her fiance are buying a house there. The subdivision sits atop a hill with this view. This view is about a minute from their house. There's also a cool view of the control tower at the airport where it appears about as tall as the Austonian here.

That's 130.




Note the tail fin of a FedEx plane and the top of the ABIA Hilton Hotel.




Palisades West to the left.

[Mopacs]

Thanks for those shots Kevin. The skyline looks very impressive from that angle, particularly the 'A. In the 2nd picture, you can also see the water tower in the River Place subdivision (next to 21 Rio) in West Austin. The tower is situated atop the Jollyville plateau just a mile SE of the 620/2222 intersection. There is another structure farther out (to the right of Dobie)... While I'm not at all certain, it could be the water tower in the Anderson Mill West subdivision (on the SW edge of Cedar Park).

I agree with you regarding the Austonian's glass cladding. It will stand out more so than Frost, particularly on (some) cloudy days, which sometimes blends in with the sky.

[OU812]

Originally Posted by austex

have been wondering what y'all think about the colors of the W so far; silver blue windows and gray. There are alot of posts about the A but not the W. The gray is a big turn-off at first but may work in the long run...I don't know.

that gray color looks like the exact same gray used on parts of the Dell Children's Hospital... kind of weird. but then again, not as weird as the (bldg next door) City Hall's brown sheet metal "rust" look- which i guess was meant to be artsy.

[OU812]

Originally Posted by zx14

Also why cant one of these floors be made into an observation deck.

probably has something to do with the fact that this is residential bldg. is there a resi high rise anywhere with a public observ-deck? many office bldgs have them, but i think it might turn off resi tenants to have common folk roaming the lobby and elevators

[zx14]

Your right and those Austonian residents have money too. Maybe an observation tower resturaunt combo would be cool. I think it would make money. It could be 1000 feet tall. Better yet 1003 feet to to the JP Morgan Chase tower in houston. The best location would be whell I dont know. What you guys think.

[migol24]

Originally Posted by Scottolini

Well it appears the W will look more like the model, rather than the renderings.

I hope some accents are put on the building, because otherwise it appears a tad bland IMO.

i don't understand how anybody would feel that way with gray on the w but feel okay for the brick red color on the ashton. the ashton still looks unfinished while the gray on the w gives it a very modern look. i'm liking the w already... will probably be my favorite building once done behind the austonian, or monarch. it's the square shape of the building that turns me off a bit.

[Mopacs]

Perhaps my eyes were deceiving me, but it appeared that sections of the Austonian were illuminated overnight. Anyone notice this? Perhaps this had to do with ongoing work on the crown.

Re: The W... The exterior of the hotel floors turn me off a bit (based on the renderings at least). The condo floors however will look great.

[jowens]

Originally Posted by OU812

probably has something to do with the fact that this is residential bldg. is there a resi high rise anywhere with a public observ-deck? many office bldgs have them, but i think it might turn off resi tenants to have common folk roaming the lobby and elevators

The John Hancock in Chicago is residential and has an observation deck.

Personally i think an observation deck / area on a building at 683' is not high enough in this day and time. How many buildings; not observation towers, have an observation area at this height that's been built recently.

[MichaelB]

Love the color of the W so far. I think it will make a very handsome building.

(btw, the materials on City Hall were just a cheap copper-ish finish that has not worn well, not some "artsy" attempt, which I must say sounds like a bit of a slam to any attempt at creativity)

[hookem]

Originally Posted by jowens

The John Hancock in Chicago is residential and has an observation deck.

Personally i think an observation deck / area on a building at 683' is not high enough in this day and time. How many buildings; not observation towers, have an observation area at this height that's been built recently.

Reunion Tower (1978) is only 560 ft tall, and the observation deck is probably 20 ft down from that. Seattle's Space Needle (1962) observation deck is only 520ft up. To me, 683' would be high enough -- it doesn't have to be taller than everything else.

I think Reunion Tower must have been one of the last true "observation-only" towers.

The Stratosphere (1996) is like 1000', don't know exactly how far down the observation area is... but I don't think a building like that would have been built were it not for the fact it is a casino also.

[StoOgE]

City Hall in Philly also has an observation deck at about 600 feet or so. It's a 100 year old building though, so that's a bit different.

[Downtown_Austin]

Originally Posted by StoOgE

City Hall in Philly also has an observation deck at about 600 feet or so. It's a 100 year old building though, so that's a bit different.

zing

[Scottolini]

Isn't the plan to have the old control tower at Mueller as an observation tower, open to the public? I know it's not huge, but from some pics I've seen from Mueller, there will be some nice views from up there.

[eburress]

Originally Posted by MichaelB

Love the color of the W so far. I think it will make a very handsome building.

(btw, the materials on City Hall were just a cheap copper-ish finish that has not worn well, not some "artsy" attempt, which I must say sounds like a bit of a slam to any attempt at creativity)

I'm still waiting to see more of the W before forming an opinion, but I am concerned that it is going to look a little dark.

I completely agree about the city hall. It hasn't worn well and is depressingly dark and unattractive (see my concerns about the W).

[hookem]

Originally Posted by eburress

I'm still waiting to see more of the W before forming an opinion, but I am concerned that it is going to look a little dark.

It's strange if you go to the W austin site:

http://block21residences.com

About half the pics have light/silver cladding and the other half have dark blue (which is what we see now...). Of course, the dark blue all seem to be at night... hmm, maybe the skin will change color ... or they were exaggerating the reflectiveness during the day

[KevinFromTexas]

Originally Posted by jowens

The John Hancock in Chicago is residential and has an observation deck.

That's true. But the building is also used for office space. I'm not sure what floor the residences start in the building.

Originally Posted by hookem

The Stratosphere (1996) is like 1000', don't know exactly how far down the observation area is... but I don't think a building like that would have been built were it not for the fact it is a casino also.

The Stratosphere Tower itself is just a tower. The casino and hotel are located in an adjacent building. The tower houses a restaurant and the observation deck, and of course a rollercoaster and even a vertical drop ride on the mast.

Honestly, really high observation decks are kind of pointless at some point. I mean, with them being so high anything that isn't huge will appear so small from up there that it's almost pointless. Unless you're talking about a whole skyline, another building, hills, a river or lake or a park, just about anything else will appear small from up there. I like observation decks that are around 600 feet or so because you can still see all of those things, but also can see smaller details on the ground like streets and neighborhoods.

[shanny]

a 500-600ft observation tower in butler park would be ideal...