AUSTIN | Main Public Library | 123 FEET | 6 FLOORS | COMPLETE

[drummer]

That wall looks very yellow in the sunlight. I think the rock will pick up colors of the sun beautifully at different times of the day.

[SkyPie]

08.28.2016

[Flatiron]

Is West Avenue supposed to extend to Cesar Chavez? I haven't seen an updated street map for the Seaholm projects.

[drummer]

Originally Posted by Flatiron

Is West Avenue supposed to extend to Cesar Chavez? I haven't seen an updated street map for the Seaholm projects.

I believe so, yes. However, I don't have anything to back that up other than a vague memory of a map I saw a while back.

[loonytoony]

Originally Posted by Flatiron

Is West Avenue supposed to extend to Cesar Chavez? I haven't seen an updated street map for the Seaholm projects.

Yes, it will. Imagine it'll be opened around the same time as library.

[the Genral]

Originally Posted by loonytoony

Yes, it will. Imagine it'll be opened around the same time as library.

They broke ground 3 years and 2 months ago. It seems to have taken a long time to get to this point. We could have flown to Mars and back 2 1/2 times, that's there and back twice and there again in the same time. When is this thing slated to open?

[loonytoony]

Originally Posted by the Genral

They broke ground 3 years and 2 months ago. It seems to have taken a long time to get to this point. We could have flown to Mars and back 2 1/2 times, that's there and back twice and there again in the same time. When is this thing slated to open?

Spring 2017 per an employee at Recycled Reads. She also said it will include a boutique shop, selling artsy fartsy stuff, of which I wasn't aware.

Off topic but Recycled Reads is worth checking out - they sell discarded and donated books at $1 for paperback and $2 for hardback.

[Flatiron]

Originally Posted by drummer

I believe so, yes. However, I don't have anything to back that up other than a vague memory of a map I saw a while back.

It's hard to tell what's going on unless you see it in person (9/27/16).

[drummer]

^ Excited that the grid is indeed going in, but man, what a boring-looking street. I really hope that substation gets moved someday and something with quality ground-floor stuff goes in to liven that area up some...

[Speculator]

Originally Posted by Speculator

Either the image on page 28 is wrong or somebody is going to have to pull down the siding on the NE corner and flip it around. Or perhaps Library is meant to be spelled yrarbiL with each character reversed?

http://www.austinlibrary.com/downloa...2015_Jan28.pdf

They corrected this at some point. Maybe in the middle of the night when nobody was looking?

[clubtokyo]

Seattles downtown library looks really cool!

[KevinFromTexas]

Originally Posted by clubtokyo

Seattles downtown library looks really cool!

See, but this is the problem with modern architecture for me. Sure, this is glitzy and all, but it sucks eggs for street interaction. That might as well be a concrete behemoth for cars. I see that facade as a missed opportunity.

[H2O]

I agree. I think ours will be way better.

[drummer]

Not all modern architecture is that bad at the street level, but I definitely see your point. My preference, whatever the genre of architecture, is something that will be timeless. Granted, you don't always know what will be timeless until fifty years or more down the road....

Originally Posted by H2O

I agree. I think ours will be way better.

Agreed.

[JoninATX]

Delayed again. This time city council not happy.

http://www.mystatesman.com/news/loca...Fr7FDiNnkJCKI/

[ahealy]

I hate this project. SUCH. A. FLOP.

[lzppjb]

Originally Posted by ahealy

I hate this project. SUCH. A. FLOP.

Outside of this site, I haven't found one person that likes this project. It's a boondoggle.

[austlar1]

I don't know whether I like this building or not. I'll reserve judgement for the finished product. What I don't like is the fact that we are pouring over $100 million bucks into a four or five story building that is taking five years to complete while much larger and more expensive projects have gone up nearby in half the time. It seems almost beyond comprehension. Austin taxpayers are entitled to a full accounting. I think some heads need to roll.

[ahealy]

I never really get angry with things like this, but this building is hideous AND a total failure on every level. It really should've been scrapped long ago. I don't understand how we got here....

[the Genral]

There are a lot of modern elements throughout this building that doesn't blend well with its very unmodern exterior. If you put a terra cotta roof on it, it would blend in very well with most of the buildings on the UT campus. Given its location, I suppose they wanted it to blend in instead of having a structure more like the previous pics. Part of the delay is being blamed on the fire suppression system given the number of floors and expansive wide open spaces. I think it falls on the construction management and lack of a time delay penalty. If I recall, this did not go to the lowest bidder. Being over voter approved budget and behind schedule will no doubt make it harder for the COA to convince voters to approve future projects, like the intake project without some sort of guarantee. That being said, I don't care for the exterior, but I like the useable space outside especially along the creek and the views of dt from inside. It will draw people in. There are some wins out of the existance of this building.