Boise: 8th & Main Tower/Zions Bank Idaho HQ: 323' and 18 Floors

[Sockeye]

Originally Posted by BoiseAirport

I'm curious to see what it'll look like in different lighting conditions but... oof, yeah I'm bummed they're not going with glass. I agree my feelings are a little reserved on the gray, but I'll wait and see before making a judgement.

A few people complained about the Mormon Temple spire. Well, it doesn't look like a temple spire any more, but much worse. Be careful what you ask for.

[Cottonwood]

Originally Posted by Sawtooth

Beautiful pics Sawtooth. I really like how this tower looks next to the Boise National Bank building.

[Sawtooth]

[Sockeye]

Originally Posted by Architecture Buff

The more I look at the picture the Gardner Company presented to the city, the flat dark gray paint is dull and cheap looking, but it's their building. They are trying to placet a few people, which they should have just ignored. Now it's costing them thousands of dollars and it will never satisfy everyone. I wish they had used the glass design, but again it's their money and time for a part of the building that in the long run will stand out over other buildings roofs that will go up.
It's like when the Ford Edsel came out, and the designer thought "this is great"...NOT.
AC Martin's vision for their spire on the Wilshire Grand in Los Angeles is fantastic. A word I can't use for the spire boxes on 8th&Main.
The tower otherwise came out great...just disappointed with the Babcock design of the boxes. The spire itself is great.

I may be wrong here, but I believe the Wilshire Grand in LA is a $1Billion dollar building. Yes, their spire is kick-but and should be for $1B, but I fear folks will be wishing for that temple spire back if the renderings of the black painted spire are true. We must all remember the curse left by the dude back in the 60's or ther abouts. The curse could be manifesting itself in the spire. Everything looked so good, then that spire thing and one thing led to another... On the wings of butterflys turns the world. Okay. Didn't mean to freak anybody out. I don't believe in the curse and the spire will eventually work out OK.

[BoiseAirport]

Originally Posted by Sockeye

I may be wrong here, but I believe the Wilshire Grand in LA is a $1Billion dollar building. Yes, their spire is kick-but and should be for $1B, but I fear folks will be wishing for that temple spire back if the renderings of the black painted spire are true. We must all remember the curse left by the dude back in the 60's or ther abouts. The curse could be manifesting itself in the spire. Everything looked so good, then that spire thing and one thing led to another... On the wings of butterflys turns the world. Okay. Didn't mean to freak anybody out. I don't believe in the curse and the spire will eventually work out OK.

Actually, the most offensive thing about the spire to me!? The spire is designed with 3 levels, right? The bottom two levels are centered with that section of the building... but the third is not! It's flush to the SE corner. ARGH THAT KILLS ME!!! I can't unsee it! Why did they not center it? There's no rational design reason I can think of to do that. Either make it all flush to the SE corner, or make it all center. It's like the teacher in school who erases a chalkboard diagram but leaves just a tiny bit ignored. Drives me absolutely bonkers!!

Rant over.

[Hawk]

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2013/1...ardner-co.html

[Architecture Buff]

The question I asked Tommy Ahlquist on the live chat at 10am today.

Comment From Tom D.
When will you be able to paint the base of the spire on 8th&Main? I will miss the glass design:-)

Tommy Ahlquist:
Sven promised that we would never discuss the origin of his nickname... Smooth Cat Daddy, if he did not bring up the spire again.

But yes. It will look great. We are confident that it will harmonize with the building and we are looking forward to its completion.

[Sockeye]

Originally Posted by BoiseAirport

Actually, the most offensive thing about the spire to me!? The spire is designed with 3 levels, right? The bottom two levels are centered with that section of the building... but the third is not! It's flush to the SE corner. ARGH THAT KILLS ME!!! I can't unsee it! Why did they not center it? There's no rational design reason I can think of to do that. Either make it all flush to the SE corner, or make it all center. It's like the teacher in school who erases a chalkboard diagram but leaves just a tiny bit ignored. Drives me absolutely bonkers!!

Rant over.

I completely agree with you on the off-center top spire. I think the three levels looks fine. I was fine with the original design which wasn't white, but looked white depending on lighting. Carrying the blue glass to the pedistal would have been better. Gray/black paint--

[Sockeye]

Originally Posted by Architecture Buff

The question I asked Tommy Ahlquist on the live chat at 10am today.

Comment From Tom D.
When will you be able to paint the base of the spire on 8th&Main? I will miss the glass design:-)

Tommy Ahlquist:
Sven promised that we would never discuss the origin of his nickname... Smooth Cat Daddy, if he did not bring up the spire again.

But yes. It will look great. We are confident that it will harmonize with the building and we are looking forward to its completion.

Happiness and harmony for all...with colored sprinkles on all of our ice cream cones.

[Hawk]

Thought they'd be done sanding and painting the spire By now. So far this is all they've done:

[Architecture Buff]

Originally Posted by Hawk

Thought they'd be done sanding and painting the spire By now. So far this is all they've done:

Maybe they are testing the adhesion of the paint. Also, one ESI engineer said the temperature needs to be a lot warmer. Tenting it in plastic and using a space heater would be interesting way up there. It was nasty out today with the wind.

[boisecynic]

Where are you guys getting "black paint" from? I thought they were going to cover the bottom boxes with matching dark blue glass panels, and the panels have to be manufactured and shipped from Wisconsin, thus the delay.

Now, and this is just my opinion, , the concept of a spire on a boxy building is suspect from the get go. Spires look great on buildings which already exhibit tapering prior to spire like Empire State or Chrysler Buildings. After much thought, I think what strikes me is the quick and harsh transition from boxy building to spire. It seems forced and unnatural. BoiseAirpot makes a good point too about the asymmetry.

[Boisebro]

Originally Posted by boisecynic

Where are you guys getting "black paint" from? I thought they were going to cover the bottom boxes with matching dark blue glass panels, and the panels have to be manufactured and shipped from Wisconsin, thus the delay.

Now, and this is just my opinion, , the concept of a spire on a boxy building is suspect from the get go. Spires look great on buildings which already exhibit tapering prior to spire like Empire State or Chrysler Buildings. After much thought, I think what strikes me is the quick and harsh transition from boxy building to spire. It seems forced and unnatural. BoiseAirpot makes a good point too about the asymmetry.

go back a page in this thread. the answers you seek lie within.

i like the spire. i think it blends in perfectly with the design of the building. the glass corner rises from floors 5 through 16, then then becomes narrower at floors 17 to the roof, then the spire takes it from there with two more setbacks until it becomes the spire itself.

i was one of those who thought the white spire looked very much like the Idaho Falls LDS temple. however, i didn't have an issue with it.

based on the renderings, they've chosen a color that already exists on the building and are using it on the spire so it maintains some continuity. i'll withhold judgement until i see the final product, but i think it'll probably look fine.

i do wonder, though, if they plan on having a blinking light at the very tip of the spire. it'd be nice if it did. i like blinking lights.

[Architecture Buff]

The color is Gray Harbor. The city received the changes Dec 11(page 62), and Tommy Ahlquist did a interview on KTVB about the color and why no glass.
It would take 6 months for the glass, and cost thousands of dollars so the paint. The spire work won't delay their mid Feb grand opening.
I talked to the ESI project engineer, and he said the painting would be difficult because of the temperatures.

The lighting engineers said they would put four larger lights on the spire as the previous lighting didn't reach the top. They will have the option of different color LED lights. Two more levels of shade fins with LED lights will also be added. They have added red safety lights to the corners of the building.
That should be a lightning rod sticking up on the tip of the spire in the close up pictures.

[boisecynic]

Thanks, sorry, I haven't been keeping up with this thread.

[Sockeye]

Originally Posted by Architecture Buff

The color is Gray Harbor. The city received the changes Dec 11(page 62), and Tommy Ahlquist did a interview on KTVB about the color and why no glass.
It would take 6 months for the glass, and cost thousands of dollars so the paint. The spire work won't delay their mid Feb grand opening.
I talked to the ESI project engineer, and he said the painting would be difficult because of the temperatures.

The lighting engineers said they would put four larger lights on the spire as the previous lighting didn't reach the top. They will have the option of different color LED lights. Two more levels of shade fins with LED lights will also be added. They have added red safety lights to the corners of the building.
That should be a lightning rod sticking up on the tip of the spire in the close up pictures.

I believe in the end, people will be sorry they complained about the original spire and want it back. It's always so easy to critique, but so much harder to create. I thought the "white" spire was better than fine.

[Sawtooth]

Originally Posted by Architecture Buff

The color is Gray Harbor. The city received the changes Dec 11(page 62), and Tommy Ahlquist did a interview on KTVB about the color and why no glass.
It would take 6 months for the glass, and cost thousands of dollars so the paint. The spire work won't delay their mid Feb grand opening.
I talked to the ESI project engineer, and he said the painting would be difficult because of the temperatures.

The lighting engineers said they would put four larger lights on the spire as the previous lighting didn't reach the top. They will have the option of different color LED lights. Two more levels of shade fins with LED lights will also be added. They have added red safety lights to the corners of the building.
That should be a lightning rod sticking up on the tip of the spire in the close up pictures.

Green, I hope they choose green for a color because green is divine and is good and relaxing and helps people feel happy.

[City Of Trees]

Originally Posted by Sawtooth

Green, I hope they choose green for a color because green is divine and is good and relaxing and helps people feel happy.

This. Green has always far and away been my favorite color.

[RLarsgaard]

Hey guys,
What seems to be wrong with the construction camera? I have click on the picture of the building and the camera just goes to a black screen. Did IBeam turn the camera off since construction is nearly complete? Just wondering.

RL

[Welcome2Boise]

Originally Posted by RLarsgaard

Hey guys,
What seems to be wrong with the construction camera? I have click on the picture of the building and the camera just goes to a black screen. Did IBeam turn the camera off since construction is nearly complete? Just wondering.

RL

I can't use it either, but the preview pic on the main page is being updated as if it works. I'm not sure what the deal is. I know it's not a cookie problem because I checked it, it may be an issue with the actual website as opposed to the camera.