AUSTIN | Fairmont Hotel | 595 FEET SPIRE/456 FT ROOF | 37 FLRS | Complete - Page 45

Jdawgboy · #**881** Posted **Oct 24, 2014, 8:23 PM**

The design is a downgrade. I'm sorry guys, but it's a lower quality building compared to the original design. Everything from the facade to the smoother corners, the teird tower setup and the crown have all been thrown out the window for a cheaper design. The price tag may have gone up, but the quality has gone down.

Take a look at The Fairmont Flame Towers, or the Fairmonts In Cairo or Dubai. Gorgeous beautiful towers. I'm surprised that Fairmont would consider having their brand on such a lame building.

And to be fair, the Fairmont Dallas was built in the 1960s.

Let's be honest, this new version is a shadow of what it was first advertised. They are cheaping out the quality of building materials and they simplified the tower design.

Oh and get rid of the stupid spire. A huge stick on a stubby rectangle wall is just going to look ridiculous.

AusTxDevelopment · #**882** Posted **Oct 24, 2014, 8:36 PM**

I don't know - I agree with 427MM. This project came reeeeally close to not getting financing and being put in turnaround, aka sell the land to cut their losses. The land could have sold and it could have ended up being a low-rise non-descript condo or apartment building. Instead we're getting a 400+ foot tower. A Fairmont. Not as pretty as the original concept, but most projects are dumbed down from their original concept - the initial concept is usually just a marketing piece to generate investor interest. Look at the before/after of The Waterfront for example. I do agree that the spire is stupid. Unless it'll boost my cell reception, then I'm on board.

lzppjb · #**883** Posted **Oct 24, 2014, 8:39 PM**

I'm willing to wait to judge the spire. I want to see some different angles.

KevinFromTexas · #**884** Posted **Oct 24, 2014, 8:41 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Austin1971

Is it 595 to the roof or to the spire?

I'm sure it's to the spire. The roof height is probably around 450 feet. The JW Marriott has 12 foot floor-to-floor heights, so adding three more floors would make it 444 feet. I'll find out for sure what the height is.

Technically the hotel will still be the tallest in Texas (with the spire). Right now the tallest is the Sheraton Dallas Hotel Center Tower. It's 550 feet with 42 floors. Dallas has 3 hotels over 400 feet. Houston has one, with another one on the way. San Antonio has 2 and Fort Worth has 1.

Hotels over 400 feet:

Dallas - 3
San Antonio - 2 - (1 more planned)
Austin - 1 - (1 more planned) - 1 more that is mixed use, and another planned that is mixed use.
Houston - 1 - (1 more under construction)
Fort Worth - 1

the Genral · #**885** Posted **Oct 24, 2014, 8:45 PM**

New pic on U-T San Diego web site showing lower portion on the tower. Sorry, don't know how to post it, but it shows an architectural element you don't see in the AAS pic. This new render may not be as bad as some of you think.

lzppjb · #**886** Posted **Oct 24, 2014, 8:47 PM**

Post the link to the page and we'll post the pic.

lzppjb · #**887** Posted **Oct 24, 2014, 8:49 PM**

Nevermind. I think I found it.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/...tel-financing/

Quote:

The Fairmont Austin, beyond its nearly 1,066 rooms, will feature more than 106,000 square feet of meeting space, a 19,000-square-foot outdoor deck, and four levels of parking totaling nearly 1.4 million square feet.

the Genral · #**888** Posted **Oct 24, 2014, 8:53 PM**

Wow that was quick, thanks for posting it. Wish I was more saavy. I'd like to see this angle all the way to the top, but from this rendering, it looks like it won't be an overly generic rectangular structure. It also looks like it will be thicker.

KevinFromTexas · #**889** Posted **Oct 24, 2014, 9:05 PM**

I actually really like the facade of it. I mean, of course I'd rather have the old design just because it was taller and a great design, but this isn't too shabby. That shaft up the middle of it and the color remind me of the Downtown Aloft proposal a bit. And the facade so far is unlike anything else so far (minus the Aloft). While the base is blunt, I agree that it's more attractive in ways than the JW Marriott base is. The JW Marriott's base seems too busy to me sometimes with the uneven panels. The tower of that hotel is so sleek and streamlined, but the base seems really busy by comparison. The base of this hotel, while blunt and bulky, is a better match for the tower. The big windows in the base and the glass are going to look great. The spire is still good, too, and I love the idea that it'll be a beacon of downtown as you approach it along I-35. My only gripe is I wish it were taller.

I just hope the stepped up mechanical penthouse theme isn't duplicated any more times. We already have Colorado Tower, 5th & Colorado, GreenWater Block 23 Office and now this.

By the way, that reminds me. While I loved the facade of the original design, the texture, the windows and color, something that bugged me was the top. I liked the spire of course, but those two fins at the top that hid the mechanical penthouse, that is a design feature that has been on several buildings of similar height and design. Los Angeles' LA Live Hotel & Condos, Atlanta's 1180 Peachtree, and not to mention Hong Kong's Two International Financial Center.

Digatisdi · #**890** Posted **Oct 24, 2014, 9:07 PM**

Yeah, I'm definitely in the "I wanted the older design but this one isn't bad, but I'm glad it's getting built" camp.

Syndic · #**891** Posted **Oct 24, 2014, 9:11 PM**

Jdawgboy, bro. The hyperbole is a little out of control. It's practically the same (beautiful) building if you're looking at the base and it's only a few stories shorter.

Austinite101 · #**892** Posted **Oct 24, 2014, 9:24 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Syndic

Jdawgboy, bro. The hyperbole is a little out of control. It's practically the same (beautiful) building if you're looking at the base and it's only a few stories shorter.

It's a little more than just a few stories shorter...

KevinFromTexas · #**893** Posted **Oct 24, 2014, 9:25 PM**

Well, it's more than a few stories shorter, it's about 10 floors less and 96 feet shorter.

JoninATX · #**894** Posted **Oct 24, 2014, 9:26 PM**

I want to see a night or twilight rendering of this building.

wwmiv · #**895** Posted **Oct 24, 2014, 9:27 PM**

This is a beautiful building. Period.

ahealy · #**896** Posted **Oct 24, 2014, 9:50 PM**

I hart you, wwmiv..but this ain't a beautiful building. The standards for a beautiful building need to be raised here in lil' ol' Austin....Again, I am happy to see this become a reality. $CHA-CHING$!

Digatisdi · #**897** Posted **Oct 24, 2014, 10:04 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ahealy

I hart you, wwmiv..but this ain't a beautiful building. The standards for a beautiful building need to be raised here in lil' ol' Austin....Again, I am happy to see this become a reality. $CHA-CHING$!

Well we'll definitely have something to discuss if you stop by the wine tasting this evening.

The building that is, I promise not to be catty about you, wwmiv.

wwmiv · #**898** Posted **Oct 24, 2014, 10:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ahealy

I hart you, wwmiv..but this ain't a beautiful building. The standards for a beautiful building need to be raised here in lil' ol' Austin....Again, I am happy to see this become a reality. $CHA-CHING$!

You must be blind. How are you typing on the computer?

KevinFromTexas · #**899** Posted **Oct 24, 2014, 10:52 PM**

So I guess they won't need to file for another site plan permit since the original one had already been approved?

the Genral · #**900** Posted **Oct 24, 2014, 11:08 PM**

I like the 5 corners and the way the one facade drops down to almost street level. It gives the appearance that the entire hotel room tower doesn't sit on a pedestal. The curved glass corner will have nice curb appeal. We haven't seen the final design on the ped bridge or how they will update the area up to the creek, but despite the lower height, I think we have a winner here. But I respect the opinion of anyone who disagrees.
Being so close to I35, this thing is going to look quite tall, in fact, it will be the tallest building on the eastside of dt. Unless you stick your head out the window or have the roof down on your car, you won't be able to see the top when you drive by. Sould also add a nice bookend effect when viewing dt from the boardwalk.