Phoenix: CityNorth - 144 acre "Urban" development - Page 4

Don B. · #61 Posted **Sep 12, 2008, 9:41 PM**

^ *smack!!!!!!!!* in best Chuck Norris style...

*thud* Joel hits the floor

It's hideous, Joel. I mean, really hideous. There's nothing to like about it. Short, squat, ugly. Kinda describes Phoenix's skyline when you think about it.

It blocks views far worse than any 30-story slender highrise would.

It's the low Tower of Mordor.

--don

andrewkfromaz · #62 Posted **Sep 15, 2008, 7:18 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don B.

It's hideous, Joel. I mean, really hideous. There's nothing to like about it. Short, squat, ugly. Kinda describes Phoenix's skyline when you think about it.

You have hereby squandered any credibility you may have had regarding your ability to offer meaningful architecture criticism. Take your aesthetics in for a checkup, cause something's broken.

loftlovr · #63 Posted **Sep 16, 2008, 9:17 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don B.

^ *smack!!!!!!!!* in best Chuck Norris style...

*thud* Joel hits the floor

It's hideous, Joel. I mean, really hideous. There's nothing to like about it. Short, squat, ugly. Kinda describes Phoenix's skyline when you think about it.

It blocks views far worse than any 30-story slender highrise would.

It's the low Tower of Mordor.

--don

*ouch* Joel wakes up, with a new welt on his head.

Well, I cannot argue that the scale of the building is crazy and that it blocks all mountain views to the North.... My thoughts are that that whole pad was being developed anyway, so knowing that was going to happen with One Scottsdale, this particular building seems to me appealing in design from a materials perspective. N Scottsdale would never allow a highrise! And Dial needed a big footprint for a building. It is a monster alright!! But I do like the glass (no tan stucco) and it intrigues me to imagine it finished out:

Taken about 2 weeks ago (sorry for reflection):

Don B. · #64 Posted **Sep 16, 2008, 1:18 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by andrewkfromaz

You have hereby squandered any credibility you may have had regarding your ability to offer meaningful architecture criticism. Take your aesthetics in for a checkup, cause something's broken.

How about I set up a poll and see what others think? I'll wager a meal at Denny's (I'm a poor college student right now) that the majority of people would think this project is a piece of dung.

--don

kevininlb · #65 Posted **Sep 16, 2008, 2:51 PM**

Well, if there is a poll, I think there should be a disclaimer that you must have seen this building in person to offer an opinion. Pics smooth out and dampen down its hideousness.

andrewkfromaz · #66 Posted **Sep 16, 2008, 7:46 PM**

And it should not take place until the building is finished. Does anyone else think they haven't made any progress on the outside of this building in months? I only drive by it very rarely, and even more rarely during the day, but still.

Vicelord John · #67 Posted **Sep 16, 2008, 8:13 PM**

I also think it is somewhat interesting.

Architecture is like art, not everybody likes the same things. Thats what makes life interesting. You guys talking shit because someone doesn't agree with you about what is good/not good in architecture should go sit on a fire hydrant. Especially Don.

PHX NATIVE 929 · #68 Posted **Sep 16, 2008, 8:16 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by andrewkfromaz

And it should not take place until the building is finished. Does anyone else think they haven't made any progress on the outside of this building in months? I only drive by it very rarely, and even more rarely during the day, but still.

I drive by it everyday. Workers out and about, non-stop for the most part.

loftlovr · #69 Posted **Sep 16, 2008, 8:54 PM**

This is what it is going to look like finsihed- and a description from Bruder's website:

Appearing as a crystalline cloud floating over a long and low desert mesa, the new Dial | Henkel Headquarters + R&D Facility forms the southern edge of the new One Scottsdale live/work/retail environment where it meets the 101 Freeway at Scottsdale Road. The Dial/Henkel Building is an environmentally sensitive and functionally responsive sculpture celebrating creativity, collaboration, corporate community, and its desert environment.

The way I see it, you'd have buildings there regardless. You can argue that having buildings period on that lot sucks since it took away the North views from the area.... But after knowing the development was going to happen, and for a massive building like this, I think it will look good when completed *if you enjoy Modern architecture*.... Not for everyone! The linear pieces of the facad have yet to go in, although I think they are more for the opposing side. I am intrigued!

nickkoto · #70 Posted **Sep 17, 2008, 3:44 AM**

Is that the building North of the 101, between Scottsdale and Hayden, that looks like a prison from the freeway?

Don B. · #71 Posted **Sep 17, 2008, 3:55 AM**

^ Bwahahaha...I rest my case.

Yes, it does look like a prison from the freeway. Ohhh, but it's "edgy."

--don

nickkoto · #72 Posted **Sep 17, 2008, 4:16 AM**

I haven't seen it from any other angle, so maybe from the North it's the greatest thing since canned beer, but from the freeway it's something that only the architect's mother could love.

HooverDam · #73 Posted **Sep 17, 2008, 5:06 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don B.

^ Bwahahaha...I rest my case.

Yes, it does look like a prison from the freeway. Ohhh, but it's "edgy."

--don

Well I've never seen any prisons that look anything like that, but um, ok. Pinnacle HS, now THAT looks like a prison. Giant grey buildings with no windows, a big fence around it, giant lights, only one road in or out, in the middle the desert. In a million years when an alien civilization is digging up Northeast Phoenix, they'll certainly deduce that Pinnacle HS was a prison.

The Dial building certainly isn't my favorite Bruder building, but I think we can all agree its a trillion times better than all the other dull corporate HQs along the NE 101. The Quicken building, the Cold Stone building, et cetera are terribly bland. At least this takes a chance and is interesting, Ill take that any day over bland.

andrewkfromaz · #74 Posted **Sep 17, 2008, 6:03 PM**

^^^ The Allied Waste building, even Taser's building, all blah generic suburban office park buildings. While this one is no different in function, at least it'll look far more exciting once it's done.

exit2lef · #75 Posted **Oct 14, 2008, 6:10 PM**

An announcement that some tenants will not open on time:

http://www.azcentral.com/community/n...north1015.html

Not surprising given the economic climate, but it reinforces my skepticism that all of the planned retail centers in northeast Phoenix and north Scottsdale will actually be built.

andrewkfromaz · #76 Posted **Oct 14, 2008, 9:30 PM**

^^^^ From the article:

Quote:

For reasons of their own, 14 of 46 tenants will open late. Some will open before the end of the year, and others will wait until the calendar turns over.

That's pretty standard that the overall development opens before all the tenants are finished with their improvements. If the business/retail climate were excellent and the buzz around the project really substantial I could see it being different, but as-is I don't think this is really bad news or indicative of anything. Yet. There's certainly time for bad news (and some is certainly coming on these NE Phoenix projects) but this ain't it. Wait till everyone gets shredded by terrible Holiday sales and then watch the retailers drop like flies... We have yet to see the beginning of the shakeout from the end of American credit-fueled consumerism. I think there's a whole new retail landscape coming, but we'll see....

NorthScottsdale · #77 Posted **Oct 15, 2008, 1:17 AM**

What they should do is just close down PV mall and all those tenants can move to CityNorth. Has anyone noticed how horrible PV mall has gotten? They are putting a Costco on one end where the knife shop used to be for christ sakes!! Who puts a Costco in a mall? And they tore down every single shade tree they could find and replaced them with palm trees. Pisses me off to no end there were hundreds of shade trees in the center and they are all gone now for paloverde's and palm trees. I think PV mall is committing suicide, especially with the opening of a wal mart right across the street.
/end rant lol i had to let that off my chest

exit2lef · #78 Posted **Oct 15, 2008, 3:37 AM**

I agree about the trees at PV Mall. That's a travesty.

As for Costco, that's really part of a national trend toward putting discounters into malls instead of standalone big boxes:

http://www.glgroup.com/News/Strange-...ows-22830.html

Due to department store mergers and consolidations, malls have to be creative and embrace tenants they might have shunned in the past.

HX_Guy · #79 Posted **Oct 15, 2008, 5:04 AM**

I haven't been to PV Mall in ages so I don't know about the new palm trees, but what was the reasoning to going from the shade trees to these? Aesthetics? Saving money on watering?

For the watering issue, it would seem counterproductive to spend tens of thousands on new trees and labor to put them in to save on the water.

PHX NATIVE 929 · #80 Posted **Oct 15, 2008, 5:56 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by HX_Guy

I haven't been to PV Mall in ages so I don't know about the new palm trees, but what was the reasoning to going from the shade trees to these? Aesthetics? Saving money on watering?

For the watering issue, it would seem counterproductive to spend tens of thousands on new trees and labor to put them in to save on the water.

Increased visibility for tenants was a major factor.