Quote:
Originally Posted by johnd
In regards the new towers: I am pleased the current renters at Trinity Plaza will have new rent controlled units to live in as part of phase one of the new project; however when completed, the three-tower complex will be one ugly addition to the neighborhood. In effect, this porject is our generation's version of the Fox Tower Plaza, but in tripicate! Sure the old building needed to come down, but in an effort to please eveyone, little focus was spent on the grim open space, the real impact on transportation around Civic Center, the visual impact on neighboring buildings, etc.
In sum, it is very difficult to make 24-stories of punched concrete facades very interesting in a neighborhood that includes the new library, Asian Art Museum and the beautifully restored City Hall. Yet despite the beauty of these and many other structures nearby, one will sadly be drawn to this gargantuan aesthetic blunder of a building, much like one is unfortunately drawn to a wart or other large deformity on an otherwise beautiful face.
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Well, if you consider "interesting" to be classic Parisian style design, then the Trinity Towers will fail miserably. However, I don't think that this is the ugly type of building that you see at Fox Plaza. You are going to two extremes in this area. Sure, this is a bit box-like, but I think that the concrete blocks in disparate shapes, on top of each other, along with the window hole will provide for a very intriguing modern look. This would not be unlike what we see with the new Federal Building. I personally love that design. I also think that as we see this neighborhood fill in, we will see a better mix of the classic, elegant, and the modern, daring buildings.
Now, I'm not going to argue that this building is "world-class", like you would see in Dubai or Singapore, but given all of the hurdles the developer has been forced to go through by our beloved city-councilmembers, I'm extremely pleased with this design and feel that it will go a long way towards revitalizing this neighborhood both in development and in attracting a larger population base.