AUSTIN | Whitley | 196 FT | 16 FLOORS | COMPLETE

[Jdawgboy]

Okay I can tolerate that. I wonder if they plan on lighting the underside of that raised square crown like thingi on the left.

[KevinFromTexas]

Originally Posted by migol24

btw, is it gonna take up that entire side of the block?

Yeah, it'll be about as wide as the Marriott on 4th Street.

[priller]

Taken from the city parking garage, Whitley site. Smaller Hyatt site with the crane barely visible from this angle.

[LoneStarMike]

And an update four months later from the same vantage point as priller's ohoto







From 3rd & Brazos




Rendering from about the same location showing the street level



From Rogers-Obrien.com

[KevinFromTexas]

That website is calling the project "3rd & Brazos". So I guess that's the name. Funny, we'll have a 3rd & Brazos and a Colorado & 3rd just 4 blocks apart.

[KevinFromTexas]

I thought I'd quote priller's photos here from The Austonian tour to show the 3rd & Brazos construction.

Originally Posted by priller

A bird's eye view of the new construction:

[gmsalpha]

Oh, that's great for downtown! I love the photos that have been posted to show how this is coming along, and the new design doesn't look bad at all.

Unfortunately the first post on page 1 has a link that doesn't show a picture anymore so I don't know what the original design was supposed to look like, but I take it that it has improved since then from the comments.

Also, from the rogers-o'brien website, it says it'll be 17 stories and include 10,000 square feet of retail and 6,000 square feet of restaurant space, which I think is pretty awesome and I love the density in this area as well. I can't wait to see how things will look in the next 2-3 years after this current wave of buildings are constructed.

[BevoLJ]

here you go gmsalpha - there are a lot of mixed feelings about the design. Some like it, some hate it. But all are happy to have some added density there, and the apartments are needed in a very bad way.

[gmsalpha]

I think what I really like about it isn't even the building, but the trees that are lining the streets.

Looking at aerial views of the city, like from the Austonian gallery, it looks like there really aren't many tree-lined streets and trees almost always make a huge difference. I guess that's called curb appeal, whether it's an office tower, condos, or your average subdivision.

I'm curious to know if trees will be planted in a way that the renderings show?

Clearly they added them to the artwork because they enhance the quality of the aesthetics, and I sure hope they're kept.

[Myomi]

Originally Posted by gmsalpha

I think what I really like about it isn't even the building, but the trees that are lining the streets.

Looking at aerial views of the city, like from the Austonian gallery, it looks like there really aren't many tree-lined streets and trees almost always make a huge difference. I guess that's called curb appeal, whether it's an office tower, condos, or your average subdivision.

I'm curious to know if trees will be planted in a way that the renderings show?

Clearly they added them to the artwork because they enhance the quality of the aesthetics, and I sure hope they're kept.

I think trees are an integral part of the "Great Streets" template. If you go down Brazos or Second, you will see plenty of planters. Any new building needs to adhere to Great Streets if I recall, so this project has the trees planned in the renderings. The problem is that all these trees are very young still. Hopefully, in a decade or two, they will be a little more substantial.

[MichaelB]

Originally Posted by Myomi

I think trees are an integral part of the "Great Streets" template. If you go down Brazos or Second, you will see plenty of planters. Any new building needs to adhere to Great Streets if I recall, so this project has the trees planned in the renderings. The problem is that all these trees are very young still. Hopefully, in a decade or two, they will be a little more substantial.

yes, you are correct about the "great Streets" program

[KevinFromTexas]

I just noticed we didn't have this one posted on the thread for it.


Ramy Hama

[corvairkeith]

This is starting to get some height. I think now that it's reached the setback it will rise a little faster. It's going to take some time to catch up with the Hyatt Place across the street since the tower is a whole block wide. Here's a picture I took two weeks ago.

And one I took today.

This is the North West corner and view the residents of the Railyard Condos get to enjoy.



And looking East down 3rd.

[corvairkeith]

A few photos taken this afternoon.

[KevinFromTexas]

Thanks a bunch for the updates. Much appreciated.

[KevinFromTexas]

I have a building height to report for this building. I emailed Rogers-O'Brien to get the height. He told me the building will be 195 feet 8 inches to the highest point. That's really kind of disappointing because we were expecting it to be at least 200 feet. The old design with it planned for 18 floors was 220 feet. But they changed the design (nicer design) with 16 floors and just 195 feet. Officially I'd list it as 196 feet since it's closer to that number than 195 feet.

[KevinFromTexas]

This article gives the height of the tower crane - 285 feet. That seems like an excessive amount of clearance between the top of the building and the bottom of the tower crane. The only thing I can think of is that they're pressed for air space since the Hyatt Place Hotel is under construction across the street. I'm sure they won't raise the crane again before the building is topped out, and I don't think they'll do it for the Hyatt either. I'm wondering if there is a clearance requirement for tower cranes above the building they're working on. There's a tower crane operator on the forum, I could ask her about it. She'll probably know.

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/ne....html?page=all

Slideshow: A peek at Austin’s construction cranes

Austin Business Journal by James Jeffrey
Date: Friday, July 6, 2012, 12:47pm CDT

James Hernandez and Paul Leaman are crane operators working on the 285-foot crane northeast of Brazos and East Third streets and the 240-foot tower crane at San Jacinto Boulevard and East Third Street in downtown Austin.

Four years working on an aircraft carrier, including travel to Hong Kong and Dubai, introduced 31-year-old Hernandez to high-rise cities built by tower cranes.

“I love it, though it’s not for everyone with the height and winds,” he said. “You’re always concentrating,” particularly to avoid hurting the many workers below.

Due to two cranes working in proximity — their tips pass within 6 to 8 feet of each other — operators communicate via radio to coordinate each crane’s movements. Camaraderie among operators is one of many satisfying elements of a job high above the city.

[Downtown_Austin]

Construction progress from above...

[corvairkeith]

A few from this afternoon.




It's starting to get some exterior skin and I was glad to see real brick and not stucco, it was hard to tell from the renderings.





It's starting to have quite a presence from the North.

[the Genral]

I'm liking the style of this building. Its going to look big even though its not that tall. And I agree, brick will look better than if they used stucco.