SAN ANTONIO │ Frost Bank Headquarters │ 386 FEET | 23 FLOORS │ Complete

[sakyle04]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

Ok, I'm a believer now.

As is the case most of the time with the media, the details are still kind of unclear. When they say 50-stories, I hope they mean 50 floors and not 50-stories, as in roughly 500 feet. 50 floors would likely mean a 600 to 700 foot building. It's my assumption that the 400,000 square foot number is for the office portion of the building only, because I doubt they could split that number between the office, residential and retail uses, and have it be practical. So I think the residential will likely add another 200,000 square feet or so, plus the retail. That would make it a sizable tower then, which would make it more likely to being a true tall tower. Probably somewhere around 600,000 square feet or so. For comparison, the Austonian in Austin has 56 floors with 590,000 square feet. That still leaves a big chunk of land, though, since the lot is pretty big. I guess the rest of the lot will be occupied by a large podium around the tower that will contain the parking garage.

Is it clear that residential has been added? Was there an official source for that or is this assuming that the news wouldn't have it in the text if it weren't true...?

I am cautiously hopeful, but I thought Weston's people said the residential would be in other buildings rather than this one.

Someone clarify, please!!!

[UrbanTrance]

I was hoping for a separate residential building, but if they need to combine them to make the building taller then I am all for it. But I'm guessing it is preliminary right now and there is no definite answer. They might be looking at a few different designs to see which would make the best impact and overall sense.

I forget how big the land is that this is being developed on, but if it is large enough, then maybe we could see a parking garage/hotel or something incorporated on the remaining land.

I'm curious about the retail as well. Since this is a big project with a top architecture firm and class A office, I can only imagine this would bring in retail not seen in the core before. Just imagine what it could spur.

[sirkingwilliam]

People should stop focusing on how big the lot is. The entire lot will not be used for just the building.

San Pedro Creek will play a huge part if how the western portion of the lot will be developed.

This is purely my speculation but a plaza/park type environment that leads into the creek would be my guess as how they go. Then the building and parking on the eastern portion of the lot.

[Spoiler]

My prediction, for what it's worth:

The building will be around 40 floors.
There will be no residential.
Retail will consist of a Starbucks or some such thing.

[STLtoSA]

Originally Posted by Spoiler

My prediction, for what it's worth:

The building will be around 40 floors.
There will be no residential.
Retail will consist of a Starbucks or some such thing.

As for retail?..the tower only maybe. I believe that the whole first floor of the Parking Garage is slated to be Retail.

That would be one big Starbucks!!

[KevinFromTexas]

Originally Posted by sakyle04

Is it clear that residential has been added? Was there an official source for that or is this assuming that the news wouldn't have it in the text if it weren't true...?

Well, I was going on what the Express-News article that you posted said.

Originally Posted by UrbanTrance

I was hoping for a separate residential building, but if they need to combine them to make the building taller then I am all for it. But I'm guessing it is preliminary right now and there is no definite answer. They might be looking at a few different designs to see which would make the best impact and overall sense.

I will admit that it is kind of odd having residential mixed with office. It isn't totally unheard of, but so far in Austin there hasn't been a single paring of office and residential in the same building. Office and hotel tends to be a better paring. We actually have one of those. You do see hotel and residential often, especially hotel with condos.

By the way, I've been checking the FAA's permit website to see if they've filed a permit yet for the building. I haven't seen one yet, at least not filed during 2015, and there are't any permits yet for 2016. They'll even have to get a permit for the tower cranes for the building. This is a solid way of getting the height for the building.

https://oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaa/external...chArchivesForm

[whatdoyouwantandwhy]

Well, I don't know what this article means for the tower, but it sure has me excited for the possibilities of this development now!

Hopefully this is accurate reporting! I also agree with SKW, the western portion is most likely going to become a plaza that connects with the spring.

[Austinite101]

What is the size of the lot the building will be built on?

[UrbanTrance]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

Well, I was going on what the Express-News article that you posted said.



I will admit that it is kind of odd having residential mixed with office. It isn't totally unheard of, but so far in Austin there hasn't been a single paring of office and residential in the same building. Office and hotel tends to be a better paring. We actually have one of those. You do see hotel and residential often, especially hotel with condos.

By the way, I've been checking the FAA's permit website to see if they've filed a permit yet for the building. I haven't seen one yet, at least not filed during 2015, and there are't any permits yet for 2016. They'll even have to get a permit for the tower cranes for the building. This is a solid way of getting the height for the building.

https://oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaa/external...chArchivesForm

I think Austin's market can support a separate office and residential building and still have both be tall buildings. I remember that proposed building in Midland was a mix of residential, office, and hotel.

http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/ne...-become-a.html

In my ideal scenario, I would have had a 50+ story office building with a separate 20-(preferably)30 story residential building. However, I'm not sure if San Antonio's current market can support that at the moment. With that in mind, I am on board with them combining the uses for this building if that will keep it tall.

Older articles either say the building is mixed use or that residential will be separate.

As for the retail portion, I can't remember what the square footage for that was in this project. In the Midland link I posted, the retail was 50,000+ sqf and it looked like it had a shopping mall in it. I doubt that we will have a shopping mall in the retail, but it is likely to be more than a Starbucks(I hope).

[texboy]

I know this may be a little crazy to ask this as this is the biggest potential project to hit SA in almost 3 decades, but......

Any word on this project?

[Restless 1]

Originally Posted by texboy

I know this may be a little crazy to ask this as this is the biggest potential project to hit SA in almost 3 decades, but......

Any word on this project?

No twitter leaks on this one.

[jaga185]

I read in an article that they want to start construction by the end of the year... so renderings could come by summer maybe?

[kornbread]

I read an article about design last month that wasn't necessarily in the know, but I thought it setup reasonable expectations for this project.

http://therivardreport.com/good-desi...e-san-antonio/

Good Design: We Know it When We See it
By: ROBERT RIVARD
on 4 February, 2016 at 03:10

Other firm partners and architects have been coming and going from their New Haven, Conn. headquarters to San Antonio, but preliminary designs have been closely held by Weston Urban and no presentation has been made yet to Frost Bank’s senior leadership, sources say.

What should we expect? Good design: something innovative, trans formative, aesthetically beautiful yet bold, a building that sets new sustainability standards in Texas. Like any living thing well-planted, it should spawn lots of new life all around it. I’ll be looking at how the design changes the street-level experience downtown as much as I’ll be gazing skyward. Expect a tower, not a skyscraper. In all likelihood, the Frost Bank Tower won’t be the tallest structure or building on the downtown skyline. Yet it should capture every eye. Still, don’t expect a radical departure. What works in Shanghai or New York won’t fit here.

Good design will signal a new day in San Antonio. Good design can’t necessarily be captured in a few words, and lacking formal design training, I’m in the “I know good design when I see it” camp. Let’s see it, the sooner the better.

If this is what ends up getting delivered, that would be great. I doubt they actually meet all of those things. I would certainly like for this to raise the standard of how a building interacts with its surroundings.

I thought I remembered reading that they expected to have something to present in June.

[Restless 1]

Originally Posted by kornbread

I read an article about design last month that wasn't necessarily in the know, but I thought it setup reasonable expectations for this project.

http://therivardreport.com/good-desi...e-san-antonio/

Good Design: We Know it When We See it
By: ROBERT RIVARD
on 4 February, 2016 at 03:10



If this is what ends up getting delivered, that would be great. I doubt they actually meet all of those things. I would certainly like for this to raise the standard of how a building interacts with its surroundings.

I thought I remembered reading that they expected to have something to present in June.

I remember seeing this article and being a little disappointed. I know I may be setting my sites a bit too high, but I'd like this project to at least become the tallest building in SA not named TOA.

I'd really like to see it even taller than TOA, as i believe this area is far enough away to have height, and still not "swallow up" the tower.

[sirkingwilliam]

Originally Posted by Restless 1

I remember seeing this article and being a little disappointed. I know I may be setting my sites a bit too high, but I'd like this project to at least become the tallest building in SA not named TOA.

I'd really like to see it even taller than TOA, as i believe this area is far enough away to have height, and still not "swallow up" the tower.

You read one mans opinion on the subject. The guy literally described how ultra secretive the whole design phase has been, he's making an uneducated guess/assumption based on his own standard of expectation.

[Restless 1]

Originally Posted by sirkingwilliam

You read one mans opinion on the subject. The guy literally described how ultra secretive the whole design phase has been, he's making an uneducated guess/assumption based on his own standard of expectation.

I'm well aware of that. Did I say Rivard is an expert, or that he was describing reality? No? Then don't infer things I'm not conferring.

I read his opinion, then gave mine. No more, no less.

[jaga185]

I'm glad it's an opinion piece. I at least need a new tallest building, doesn't need to be taller than the ToA, but at least taller than the Marriott and Weston. Then we can finally have a new tallest without the well, the height is this but visually it's this...

[UrbanTrance]

I was about to say that I was hoping for it to be at least 50 stories. I do agree with the good design part; it should be beautiful, innovative, and have good street interaction as well.

He also said the CPS building, if that's still in the works, won't be a tower? I wonder if he knows something or if it's just an assumption.

From Article:

Soon enough, we will see new headquarters and central offices for the Alamo Colleges (definitely), CPS Energy (probably), and the San Antonio Independent School District (maybe). None will be towers, but all will be important to the respective entities and to the city.

[Restless 1]

Originally Posted by UrbanTrance

I was about to say that I was hoping for it to be at least 50 stories. I do agree with the good design part; it should be beautiful, innovative, and have good street interaction as well.

He also said the CPS building, if that's still in the works, won't be a tower? I wonder if he knows something or if it's just an assumption.

From Article:

With Beneby gone, not sure what's going on with the CPS building. They might want to find a new CEO first, and then no telling what that person might think about it.

[sirkingwilliam]

Originally Posted by Restless 1

I'm well aware of that. Did I say Rivard is an expert, or that he was describing reality? No? Then don't infer things I'm not conferring.

I read his opinion, then gave mine. No more, no less.

I wasn't inferring any thing. You said you read it and were disappointed. I simply countered with why I feel you shouldn't have been disappointed.