AUSTIN | Fairmont Hotel | 595 FEET SPIRE/456 FT ROOF | 37 FLRS | Complete

[Jdawgboy]

It's even uglier than before! And that areal view confirms just how stubby it will look. It's as others have said. Another cookie cutter replica of the JW. I miss the original design even more. I really wish our Fairmont would be a 1,066 room version of this..

http://www.cpp-luxury.com/wp-content...night-view.jpg

[tie_guy]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

It's even uglier than before! And that areal view confirms just how stubby it will look. It's as others have said. Another cookie cutter replica of the JW. I miss the original design even more. I really wish our Fairmont would be a 1,066 room version of this..

http://www.cpp-luxury.com/wp-content...night-view.jpg

I'm sure we can all agree that the current plan is less attractive than the original design, but it isn't ugly. I looks like a prettier/more sleek JW Marriott IMO and most seem to be happy with that.

Personally, those Flame Towers are fugly. They remind me of Easter Peeps.

[KevinFromTexas]

I actually like the orientation of this. If the broadside of the building had been facing east we'd have a slab blocking much of the view of downtown from I-35 and the east. It's still going to be a large wall when viewed from north and south along I-35, but at least the most interesting part of the tower will be facing east and west.

Also it's not even going to show up from a few spots actually. Only the spire will be visible from the Butler Park observation hill because Four Seasons Residences will block it. But it should be visible from the Long Center and its parking garage. From the boardwalk, you'll likely only see it from the beginning of the boardwalk. And you probably won't see it again from the boardwalk until you're east of I-35 because of all the waterfront highrises. It's also going to be blocked by Four Seasons Residences from those parking garages on Mopac. And you won't see much of it from the Zilker Clubhouse because of Block 1, Ashton and One Congress Plaza. The view from Zilker Park will be slim between One Congress Plaza and Four Seasons Residences.

Nice tip, AusTxDevelopment! I'll have to remember that. There have been several times I wished I could grab a larger file size from the Business Journal.

[Austinite101]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

I actually like the orientation of this. If the broadside of the building had been facing east we'd have a slab blocking much of the view of downtown from I-35 and the east. It's still going to be a large wall when viewed from north and south along I-35, but at least the most interesting part of the tower will be facing east and west.

Also it's not even going to show up from a few spots actually. Only the spire will be visible from the Butler Park observation hill because Four Seasons Residences will block it. But it should be visible from the Long Center and its parking garage. From the boardwalk, you'll likely only see it from the beginning of the boardwalk. And you probably won't see it again from the boardwalk until you're east of I-35 because of all the waterfront highrises. It's also going to be blocked by Four Seasons Residences from those parking garages on Mopac. And you won't see much of it from the Zilker Clubhouse because of Block 1, Ashton and One Congress Plaza. The view from Zilker Park will be slim between One Congress Plaza and Four Seasons Residences.

Nice tip, AusTxDevelopment! I'll have to remember that. There have been several times I wished I could grab a larger file size from the Business Journal.

I'm really hoping the Waller development shines so that Fairmont becomes an afterthought in that area. At least from a visual standpoint.

[resansom]

Thanks for the tip, re the "*600" at the end of the URL - I couldn't figure out why those images weren't working!

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by tie_guy

I'm sure we can all agree that the current plan is less attractive than the original design, but it isn't ugly. I looks like a prettier/more sleek JW Marriott IMO and most seem to be happy with that.

Personally, those Flame Towers are fugly. They remind me of Easter Peeps.

Haha, it took me a couple of minutes to see what you were saying but I finally saw it.

I will say I love how the Facade of those buildings can have any color and design they want. It looks like the skin of the buildings has it built right in between the floors. It would be nice to see developers put more effort into lighting here.

I also used that as an example of a bold design. Austin is in desperate need of something other than square and rectangle boxes. This is where I'm putting hope with the ECC site. If anyone is going to push the boundaries, it sounds like it will be them.

[pscajunguy]

I think it is butt ugly!!

[Digatisdi]

Okay so I will say this about the Flame Towers, they're a lot better in person, especially from İçərişəhər. I was in Bakı on vacation back in 2012 and they were absolutely stunning.

[tie_guy]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

Haha, it took me a couple of minutes to see what you were saying but I finally saw it.

I will say I love how the Facade of those buildings can have any color and design they want. It looks like the skin of the buildings has it built right in between the floors. It would be nice to see developers put more effort into lighting here.

I also used that as an example of a bold design. Austin is in desperate need of something other than square and rectangle boxes. This is where I'm putting hope with the ECC site. If anyone is going to push the boundaries, it sounds like it will be them.

I agree with needing something other than squares and rectangles. I'm actually still a big fan of slanted rooftops. Something similar to 1000 de La Gauchetière in Montreal would be fantastic! And yeah, I guess my immediate complaint of the flame towers was how tacky the flamed lighting looked.

[KevinFromTexas]

Yeah, we already have architecture like that in the US. It's in a place called Las Vegas. Dubai, too, has really thrown me off modern architecture.

[tie_guy]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

Yeah, we already have architecture like that in the US. It's in a place called Las Vegas. Dubai, too, has really thrown me off modern architecture.

Dubai does nothing for me. If I want modern architecture done right, I look to Hong Kong or Shanghai. Dubai has the height, but lacks character.

[tie_guy]

Just wanted to chime in that while this building will look similar to the JW Marriott, it'll arguably look better. Plenty of cities have buildings that look similar to their neighbors. Chicago has the Park Tower



And

Elysian Tower


Elysian isn't as nice as Park Tower even though it was built after it. I'm ok with Fairmont looking similar to the JW Marriott because it'll look better, to me.

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by tie_guy

Just wanted to chime in that while this building will look similar to the JW Marriott, it'll arguably look better. Plenty of cities have buildings that look similar to their neighbors. Chicago has the Park Tower



And

Elysian Tower


Elysian isn't as nice as Park Tower even though it was built after it. I'm ok with Fairmont looking similar to the JW Marriott because it'll look better, to me.

Oh yea, no doubt that cities have buildings that look similar to other buildings they have, but if we are going to have a tribute building designed after a current tower, it would have to be Frost only 300 feet taller.

I actually think it's a good thing for buildings to have a wide range of lighting options and uses them. I enjoy cities that have flashy or a lot of lighting. I've always been jelous of Dallas with their tallest outlined in neon and on the facade. It can change color as well. I would love to see more exciting lighting for Austin.

[MichaelB]

It's fashion.
We've been going thru a big mid-century revial phases. JW, Fairmont... and 5th and Brazos are all on trend within popular styles. ( all harken to Lever House) It's the challenge of having too many things built at once. We are better off with steady growth over time. It's how we ended up with our "80s" central core of buildings that dominated the skyline for so long. Booms tend to mark a smaller city more clearly over time.

[tie_guy]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

Oh yea, no doubt that cities have buildings that look similar to other buildings they have, but if we are going to have a tribute building designed after a current tower, it would have to be Frost only 300 feet taller.

I actually think it's a good thing for buildings to have a wide range of lighting options and uses them. I enjoy cities that have flashy or a lot of lighting. I've always been jelous of Dallas with their tallest outlined in neon and on the facade. It can change color as well. I would love to see more exciting lighting for Austin.

Yeah, I've always been pretty jealous of the Bank of America tower in Dallas. That green is captivating. It's aged well too, I think. Fountain Place is my favorite Dallas building, but does nothing for the night view.

Also, I drive down Cesar daily and they've been lighting the Bowie up at like 3PM. I guess with the hour change and overcast skies lately, but the lights still popped.

[jngreenlee]

Originally Posted by hereinaustin

Would have been really nice with I-35 cut & capped and with the original hotel design... maybe the cut & cap can still happen. :|

What's that ugly red roofed building to the eat of this thing?

[Slappy]

Originally Posted by jngreenlee

What's that ugly red roofed building to the eat of this thing?

That's the old Palm School.

https://www.wallercreek.org/archive/...f-palm-school/

[austlar1]

Dove by the site and peeked today. Absolutely nothing happening yet. No equipment on site and no workers. Just the same old empty lot. I won't relax until I see some action there.

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by austlar1

Dove by the site and peeked today. Absolutely nothing happening yet. No equipment on site and no workers. Just the same old empty lot. I won't relax until I see some action there.

I also noticed that the two excavators were gone. They were only brought in for the groundbreaking photo Op. But not to worry. The last permit filings for the lane closures around the site said construction would start on 12/01.

[The ATX]

Notice how they were strategically parked by the groundbreaking tent for a nice photo op: