Sheraton Downtown Phoenix Hotel Thread

[HX_Guy]

Why no love for a 360' 31 story high rise hotel in downtown Phoenix?

[PHX31]

So far it is uninspiring... plus it seems like the construction progress of this building is/will continue to be painfully slow. That's just what it seems like.

[HX_Guy]

Painfully slow? I, and as others have noted, think it's moving pretty damn fast...especially for the footprint it has. It slowed down a bit with the holiday and all the last week or so, but it was going around a floor per week prior.

[combusean]

I think we might be dismissing it a bit prematurely--the front has these colored bands that could balance out the rest, and I think that will definitely show in the final picture if it turns out a truer gold than that off-white seen earlier.

I noticed while browsing the permits issued for it there's "Phase I" peppered about. Is there something going on here I'm missing, or is that second phase the completion of the other dirt corner?

[PHX31]

/\ That's why I said "That's what it seems like". It really is moving along quite quickly.

But it's kind of a building that is shrouded in mystery. First, no one likes it, second, portions are 3 stories high, other portions are still a giant hole. Does anyone know what part is actually above ground right now?

edit: I was posting prior to Combusean's post.

[HX_Guy]

The part that is 3 stories high now is the tower part of the hotel. If you take a look at the rendering of the hotel, you can see the Arizona Republic building will be directly south of the tower section (or at least half of the tower section since it will span the whole block from 2nd to 3rd St.)




They obviously didn't draw their rendering correctly, as they probably didn't want to show that a large portion of the hotel rooms will have a window view straight into the Arizona Republic building.


You get a better idea of everything from this angle...

[HooverDam]

Geez, all the beige in that aerial photo is so gross, then add in the quasi beige of the Sheraton- ick. Downtown needs a lot more trees, and the City Council should seriously think about banning beige on new buildings.

[sundevilgrad]

I've got love for this project. I think the slender, wide design of the tower is something unique in DT. Similar to the Hyatt, but north/south facing (and much bigger!). I also like the sloped the roof, not to many of those DT either. Granted, the color scheme could be better, but beggars can't be choosers! It would be great to see DT mix in some light colors and maybe some reds and blues, but that will happen.

On a different note... I really have the feeling that DT will pull through the down turn in the real estate market with a full head of steam. I think we may have finally made through the activation energy stage, and for some reason I'm feeling very optimistic about the next 5 years for DT.

[HX_Guy]

Speaking of the Hyatt, the Sheraton will actually be the same width (or length, however you want to look at it) yet it will be about 50% taller! I think it will have a huge impact on our skyline.

[JI5]

That areal shot posted by hx_guy made me feel better about the project. It kind of fits in with the AZ Republic building like a tetris piece. Maybe its not so bad afterall?

[JimInCal]

It's still dated and unremarkable. My . I don't like 31 floors of siding with no glass, balconies or detail on the east/west sides. There are only small areas of the windows that wrap-around from the face. This leaves large, blank stretches of beige panels, which I find very unattractive in a building of this size. I wish they would have at least made the sides glass or some interesting finish. We need Mr. Bruder to step in with some interactive siding like 111 Monroe.

[oliveurban]

Maybe they will. In 40 some odd years.

[JimInCal]

camelback...that's too funny. Your right, it will take a rehab project to improve the appearance. Me thinks that it will need to be sooner than 40 years though.

[sundevilgrad]

[QUOTE=JimInCal]I don't like 31 floors of siding with no glass, balconies or detail on the east/west sides. There are only small areas of the windows that wrap-around from the face. This leaves large, blank stretches of beige panels, which I find very unattractive in a building of this size. [QUOTE]


I aggree. The east/west facings are bland and could use something to spice them up. Luckily, there a small percentage of the building and most of the focus will be on the north and south faces. Maybe they will use some type of colored light display on those sides to bring out some character at night. Granted, that won't do anything for the bland biege during the day, but it could be very interesting at night and add something to the skyline that Phoenix lacks.

[HX_Guy]

I'm sure you guys have probably already seen the high resolution image, but if not...here it is (make sure you enlarge it to full size for detail).

http://www.visitphoenix.com/assets/w...ton_day_hi.jpg

I'm hoping the fascade will be something similar to the new Convention Center...some kind of natural stone finish, and I think that is what it will be, not just some painted ugly beige finish.

[JimInCal]

Originally Posted by HX_Guy

I'm sure you guys have probably already seen the high resolution image, but if not...here it is (make sure you enlarge it to full size for detail).

http://www.visitphoenix.com/assets/w...ton_day_hi.jpg

I'm hoping the fascade will be something similar to the new Convention Center...some kind of natural stone finish, and I think that is what it will be, not just some painted ugly beige finish.

HX_GUY: Yeah, a sandstone-like finish would be a much more attractive choice than some sterile, beige panel. I love the multi-colored sandstone on the convention center. It gives a lot of character, warmth and interest to the otherwise big box of the center. I wish they would mix up the coloring in a similar way on the sides of the Sheraton.

[HX_Guy]

Not a huge update, but hey, they are going to start on the 4th floor already...

[kevininlb]

Originally Posted by JimInCal

HX_GUY: Yeah, a sandstone-like finish would be a much more attractive choice than some sterile, beige panel. I love the multi-colored sandstone on the convention center. It gives a lot of character, warmth and interest to the otherwise big box of the center. I wish they would mix up the coloring in a similar way on the sides of the Sheraton.

Yeah, totally agree that the Sheraton would look great with that type of stone finish.

By the way, I don't know if anyone remembers this. But only a few months ago people on this site were mercilessly trashing the new convention center (during construction). Have we all come to agree that that place is fanstanstic, and beautiful? It is, IMO. I guess my point is that we should probably wait a bit to see how the Sheraton turns out.

[plinko]

Originally Posted by JimInCal

It's still dated and unremarkable. My . I don't like 31 floors of siding with no glass, balconies or detail on the east/west sides. There are only small areas of the windows that wrap-around from the face. This leaves large, blank stretches of beige panels, which I find very unattractive in a building of this size. I wish they would have at least made the sides glass or some interesting finish. We need Mr. Bruder to step in with some interactive siding like 111 Monroe.

That's all fine, but you realize that the ends are where the exit stairs are right? Cladding them in glass (fire rated glass no less) would quadruple the costs of those two stair towers. The ends are fairly slender (how wide is this tower...50'?). Does anybody know what the building is supposed to be clad in? Stucco? EIFS (more likely)? GFRC? Stone (wishing, but I know better)?

Anybody else notice that all the spandrel panels between floors (on the east and west) and between rooms (north and south) are colored? The renderings show maroon and gold... Interesting... The renderings also show horizontal projections on the south facade that will supposedly shade out some of the worst sun. Those will add some depth to the facade that's not readily apparent in the drawings. Unfortunately the shades won't really do all that much in that vertical solar shades are much more functional (oddly enough the worst conditions will be late summer afternoons on the NORTH side of the buidling).

[GeorgeLV]

I join in on the sandstone recommendation, and I'll add copper tinted glass.