Possible Iconic Structure for Portland?

[nxnw]

As everyone knows, Portland is a city with short buildings. There are many reason for this, height limits, FAR, seismic code, no big companies, bedrock etc.
So let's say hypothetically that Portland is to get a new tallest building:
1. How tall would it be?
2. What would it look like?
3. What block would it be on?

If anyone has good photoshop/design skills, make a picture!

There is always reason to dream.

[nxnw]

In my mind a 600' to 650' tower would be a good fit. Tall enough to be a focal point in the city but not so tall to get everyone worried about their views.
As for looks, I am partial to a conservative modern style, which combines the traditional rectangle with complimentary curvature, much like the Two International Finance Center in Hong Kong, but sof course about half that height.



For location, two blocks that seem perfect in my mind are: 1. The food cart block on Washington and 10th and 2. The Parking Garage with Tiffany's on 4th and Yamhill.
Both spots are centrally located and would place the new building between the US Bank and Wells Fargo buildings.

[dubu]

id rather have more shorter buildings then one big one.

then have them acrost the river from south water front

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by nxnw

In my mind a 600' to 650' tower would be a good fit. Tall enough to be a focal point in the city but not so tall to get everyone worried about their views.
As for looks, I am partial to a conservative modern style, which combines the traditional rectangle with complimentary curvature, much like the Two International Finance Center in Hong Kong, but sof course about half that height.



For location, two blocks that seem perfect in my mind are: 1. The food cart block on Washington and 10th and 2. The Parking Garage with Tiffany's on 4th and Yamhill.
Both spots are centrally located and would place the new building between the US Bank and Wells Fargo buildings.

The mini version of this building is in Jersey City at 781ft.

[2oh1]

Can you imagine the debates and uproar if we do get a proposal for a new tallest in Portland? I'd really like a central 600 footer. Big Pink looks so alone over there, in a cityscape view. In a perfect world, a new tallest would have some sort of very prominent ornamental and, dare I say iconic, top. Could you imagine a 100 foot windmill on top of a new 600 foot skyscraper? It'd be a bold statement about Portland's values, even if the thing only generated enough energy to power lights to highlight the windmill after dark! That'd be kind of funny, actually. Still, it'd be a great symbol.

On the other hand... a 600 footer sure would complicate matters for any currently stalled project. That'd be a lot of office real estate to suddenly open up.

Eh... it's probably a few decades away anyway... Dreaming, dreaming dreaming...

[Sioux612]

Locations:

Next to the Portland Plaza building

Next to the Galleria building

Portland Pearl post office site

Next to the proposed James Beard market/tower


Design:



The Shard

[maccoinnich]

The top 10 tallest buildings in Portland are presently:

1 Wells Fargo Center 546'
2 U.S. Bancorp Tower 536'
3 KOIN Center 509'
4 PacWest Center 418'
5 Fox Tower Fox Tower Portland 372'
6 Standard Insurance Center 367'
=7 John Ross Tower 325'
=7 The Ardea 325'
=7 Mirabella Tower 325'
10 Congress Center 321'

I don't think it's very likely that there's going to be anything taller than Wells Fargo built in the next few years. However, this list is highly likely to include a couple new entrants in a very short amount of time:

1 Wells Fargo Center 546'
2 U.S. Bancorp Tower 536'
3 KOIN Center 509'
4 Park Avenue West 460' [under construction]
5 PacWest Center 418'
6 Fox Tower Fox Tower Portland 372'
7 Standard Insurance Center 367'
8 Park Central 350' [passed design review, under review for building permit]
=9 John Ross Tower 325'
=9 The Ardea 325'

Honorable mentions also need to go the new ZGF/Unico building in the Pearl at 250' [currently in design review], the Skylab Burnside Bridgehead project at 210' [currently in design review], and block 101 of Hassalo on 8th at 250' [under construction] So for the size queens amongst you, there's plenty to look forward to.

[GreenLivingDave]

Portland may not have the most dramatic skyline, but it lives better at the street level than I think any other US city. I'm with dabom, I'd much rather have more shorter, human scale, buildings that are friendly at the street level, than super tall ones.

[philopdx]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

The top 10 tallest buildings in Portland are presently:


1 Wells Fargo Center 546'
2 U.S. Bancorp Tower 536'
3 KOIN Center 509'
4 Park Avenue West 460' [under construction]
5 PacWest Center 418'
6 Fox Tower Fox Tower Portland 372'
7 Standard Insurance Center 367'
8 Park Avenue West 350' [passed design review, under review for building permit]
=9 John Ross Tower 325'
=9 The Ardea 325'

You lost me at #8. Which building is that?

[maccoinnich]

Brain freeze; that should have read Park Central (i.e., Pearl Block 15). Edited original post.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by Sioux612

Locations:

Next to the Portland Plaza building

Next to the Galleria building

Portland Pearl post office site

Next to the proposed James Beard market/tower

I have always imagined that Portland's new tallest would happen on the parking lot next to the Galleria, something in the 600-750ft range.

As for the Post Office building site, I have always wanted to see a sort of mini Rockefeller Plaza style center.

[bvpcvm]

Ugh, that would be the worst place possible for a new building. That block is so full of energy and people, with all those food carts, I'd hate to see it disappear. The best thing that could happen to that block would be for the parking to replaced with a farmer's market - food carts on the outside, where they are now, market stands inside, maybe a roof over the whole thing (think Director Park).

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by bvpcvm

Ugh, that would be the worst place possible for a new building. That block is so full of energy and people, with all those food carts, I'd hate to see it disappear. The best thing that could happen to that block would be for the parking to replaced with a farmer's market - food carts on the outside, where they are now, market stands inside, maybe a roof over the whole thing (think Director Park).

Actually anything that went into that parking lot I would want to see incorporate the food carts, a building that only took up have the block with the southern portion being a food cart plaza of sorts. Though I will say, I had always thought that would be a good lot for Portland's tallest building long before the food carts have ever come along. Something the food carts will need to evolve with as Portland continues to grow and downtown continues to fill in.

[Welkin]

I would also stick the tallest building at 10th and Washington. I think this building would blend in nice. Its the Figueroa and Wilshire building in Los Angeles at 717ft.

http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:FigueroaWilshire.jpg

[2oh1]

Could you imagine how great it would be if that 10th and Washington lot became a skyscraper that had an open air base, filled around the outer perimeter with food carts? Look at Well's Fargo tower. Look at the space between the tower and the sidewalk. What a waste. Visually, it looks nice - especially from a distance - but the building has no interaction with the street. It's pushed back and closed off. I would love to see a skyscraper that utilizes that space for the good of the city rather than walling itself off from the city.

[Derek]

Originally Posted by 2oh1

Could you imagine how great it would be if that 10th and Washington lot became a skyscraper that had an open air base, filled around the outer perimeter with food carts? Look at Well's Fargo tower. Look at the space between the tower and the sidewalk. What a waste. Visually, it looks nice - especially from a distance - but the building has no interaction with the street. It's pushed back and closed off. I would love to see a skyscraper that utilizes that space for the good of the city rather than walling itself off from the city.

The 76 station, the parking garage and that awkward triangle shaped lot and another parking garage next to it aren't the greatest neighbors either. I don't care if Portland ever gets a new tallest, that 76 station has got to go!

[2oh1]

Derek - I agree. I'd love a new tallest, but really, I'd worry about it too. Anything big that creates that much new office space is going to slow down or even halt potential development in areas that need it more. You've mentioned a few, and I'd add the old gas station lot on Columbia and Broadway, along with the lot on SW 3rd & Taylor.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by Welkin

I would also stick the tallest building at 10th and Washington. I think this building would blend in nice. Its the Figueroa and Wilshire building in Los Angeles at 717ft.

http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:FigueroaWilshire.jpg

Something about that size would look great, though I would prefer better architecture, but I am not a fan of post modern architecture.

[davehogan]

I'd rather have PAW, Park Central, Hassalo at 8th (or whatever it's called) than one 800 ft building. Oh, and the new Convention Center Hotel should make a difference also.

I was near Bunk Bar on the East Side this weekend and saw the PAW crane, and a few blocks away saw the 8th/Hassalo crane. Those are going to change the skyline in a great way for Portland. I mean, four true high rise buildings at once in a city the size of Portland is pretty awesome, and that doesn't even count other proposed projects that could end up overlapping as well.

If the current demand keeps up for buildings like those we'll get a new tallest soon enough. There's already a bit of office space, and highrise residential requires a wealthy population base that's still questionable.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by davehogan

I'd rather have PAW, Park Central, Hassalo at 8th (or whatever it's called) than one 800 ft building. Oh, and the new Convention Center Hotel should make a difference also.

I was near Bunk Bar on the East Side this weekend and saw the PAW crane, and a few blocks away saw the 8th/Hassalo crane. Those are going to change the skyline in a great way for Portland. I mean, four true high rise buildings at once in a city the size of Portland is pretty awesome, and that doesn't even count other proposed projects that could end up overlapping as well.

If the current demand keeps up for buildings like those we'll get a new tallest soon enough. There's already a bit of office space, and highrise residential requires a wealthy population base that's still questionable.

Oh I agree, that is what makes Portland so great, it isn't one tall building, it is all the little buildings and the activity at the street level. Personally I couldn't care less if Portland ever built a new tallest, but if it ever did I would want to see it push the levels of sustainability and energy reuse in a building so that a new tallest won't be just a generic new tower.

With the new buildings on Hassalo, I hope we get to see a building boom of 50-350ft mixed use buildings throughout that district, as well as along MLK and Grand on the Eastside.