The Atlanta Highrise Boom!

[Martinman]

Wow.....that's an amazing amount of development. I really hope that as the surface parking lots disappear, and land values continue to rise, that some of the owners of the office buildings that have those horrible 80's style open spaces and plazas, will look to maximize their value and infill these spots with low and midrise buildings.....there are just some really suburban site plans that will stick out like a sore thumb as these newer properties are built with a much more urban streetscape.

[Martinman]

Trump rendering from this week's ABC. Even with the waterfall I still don't like the base.

[adelosky]

Sorry if already posted, but I don't remember seeing anything on Skyline @ Lindbergh. I just saw the sign today driving up Piedmont from 85.

http://www.skyline-atl.com/

Anyone have any info on it's status?

[micropundit]

Does the Trump Towers newest rendering validate 12 Centennial's design solution?

[storstark]

I have been skulking around this thread for a couple weeks now and have been very impressed with the insight of the readers. Seem to know a lot about the new developments, are well read, and have a good aesthetic and urban planning sense (not that I would know--I am a mere dilettante).

Anyway, I can bear it no longer, I must come forward...I find the design of Twelve Centennial heinous. It already looks like it was part of the 1980's boom and it's not even finished. It didn't look great in the renderings and it looks even worse now that it's being built.

I am grateful to Novarre for injecting a lot of steam into the Midtown revival. I remember working on the 18th floor of 999 Peachtree back before Metropolis was built and Midtown felt like a bit of a wasteland. Now it's pretty easy to see it becoming a truly urban center, thanks in large part to several Novarre projects. Nonetheless, I get the sneaking suspicion that one day in the not too distant future we will regret having let Novarre build a dozen essentially concrete pillars with shiny blue glass windows all over town. Spire already looks dated and their other projects resemble large bunkers that often pass for apartment towers in third world capitals.

The Metlife project might look a lot like 12th and Midtown but at least it's going for the right kind of look. We need more delicacy and grace. I think Aquarius, the W, and a handful of other projects add that. Hopefully they will be built soon enough to draw attention to the omnipresent, cheesy, blue-glass signatures of Novarre.

[storstark]

Martinman, in the above picture of the Mandarin site, you reference two more Novarre projects along 14th, next to the Four Seasons. What are those called and have they released any renderings?

[Trae]

Their website has been updated. All I can say is...Wow!

[macdaddy]

Whew!

[Andrea]

This reminds me a lot of the Buckhead Grand, although I like the whimsical treatment at the top better. Are they about the same height?

[convulso]

does anyone know whether there's a functional component in the aquarius' spire design? the ventilation is in evidence (nicely done, if it turns out that way), but what about the shape of the spire? if it's merely aesthetic, i'm not complaining; just curious if there were more going on than my virgin eyes can see.

[shanthemanatl]

This reminds me a lot of the Buckhead Grand, although I like the whimsical treatment at the top better. Are they about the same height?

[Martinman]

Martinman, in the above picture of the Mandarin site, you reference two more Novarre projects along 14th, next to the Four Seasons. What are those called and have they released any renderings?

[Martinman]

This reminds me a lot of the Buckhead Grand, although I like the whimsical treatment at the top better. Are they about the same height?

[verge]

I have been skulking around this thread for a couple weeks now and have been very impressed with the insight of the readers. Seem to know a lot about the new developments, are well read, and have a good aesthetic and urban planning sense (not that I would know--I am a mere dilettante).

Anyway, I can bear it no longer, I must come forward...I find the design of Twelve Centennial heinous. It already looks like it was part of the 1980's boom and it's not even finished. It didn't look great in the renderings and it looks even worse now that it's being built.

I am grateful to Novarre for injecting a lot of steam into the Midtown revival. I remember working on the 18th floor of 999 Peachtree back before Metropolis was built and Midtown felt like a bit of a wasteland. Now it's pretty easy to see it becoming a truly urban center, thanks in large part to several Novarre projects. Nonetheless, I get the sneaking suspicion that one day in the not too distant future we will regret having let Novarre build a dozen essentially concrete pillars with shiny blue glass windows all over town. Spire already looks dated and their other projects resemble large bunkers that often pass for apartment towers in third world capitals.

The Metlife project might look a lot like 12th and Midtown but at least it's going for the right kind of look. We need more delicacy and grace. I think Aquarius, the W, and a handful of other projects add that. Hopefully they will be built soon enough to draw attention to the omnipresent, cheesy, blue-glass signatures of Novarre.

[Martinman]

Is that MetLife's project?...it looks an awful lot like Daniel's project 12th & Midtown

[krazeeboi]

This reminds me a lot of the Buckhead Grand, although I like the whimsical treatment at the top better. Are they about the same height?

[Andrea]

Hopefully Aquarius won't look like a giant silo from the back like BG does, at least to me.

[convulso]

so how much credit, then, does john portman get for starting up the ATL skyline?

[Andrea]

so how much credit, then, does john portman get for starting up the ATL skyline?

[convulso]

He stayed with downtown when most developers were fleeing for the burbs. You can certainly criticize his style (which I do), although it is no worse than what many of his contemporaries were doing and what many people continue to do today.

[storstark]

Let's face it, Zaha Hadid, Rem Koolhaas, and Frank Gehry weren't exactly knocking down the door to build projects in Atlanta before they became stars, and that's what it would have taken to get transcendental architecture in Atlanta in the eighties and nineties because people didn't care enough to pay the premium.

One Museum Place, 1180, and the Calatrava rendering are the first real international heavyweight designs in Atlanta (1180 to a much lesser extent), with the exception of the Woodruff/High campus (And the Meier structure and the Piano addition will continue to be some of our most important architectural pieces for quite some time).

I think it's a matter of building momentum and setting a standard in a city. I would love to see developers start to try to outdo each other by getting bigger and bigger stars for their designs.

On the other hand, one of the things that gives Atlanta its own feel is that so much of it was locally developed. It's important to have a balance between world-class and hometown feel. For a long time we only had a hometown feel. I'm glad that it seems we're beginning to incorporate the "world-class" element.

p.s. How devastating that the city scrapped the Calatrava 17th Street bridge in favor of a DOT design. Would have made such a statement driving in from the north, especially when framed by Aquarius to the east, Metlife development to the west and the new W straight ahead.

[dan326]

Atlanta is incredible with all these skyscraper projects. I like the Trump Tower particularly. I actually like the base because from the perspective of somebody on street level, it would seem to give of a dominating, larger than life effect.

[ryanmckibben]

Atlanta is incredible with all these skyscraper projects. I like the Trump Tower particularly. I actually like the base because from the perspective of somebody on street level, it would seem to give of a dominating, larger than life effect.

[verge]

Let's face it, Zaha Hadid, Rem Koolhaas, and Frank Gehry weren't exactly knocking down the door to build projects in Atlanta before they became stars, and that's what it would have taken to get transcendental architecture in Atlanta in the eighties and nineties because people didn't care enough to pay the premium.

One Museum Place, 1180, and the Calatrava rendering are the first real international heavyweight designs in Atlanta (1180 to a much lesser extent), with the exception of the Woodruff/High campus (And the Meier structure and the Piano addition will continue to be some of our most important architectural pieces for quite some time).

I think it's a matter of building momentum and setting a standard in a city. I would love to see developers start to try to outdo each other by getting bigger and bigger stars for their designs.

On the other hand, one of the things that gives Atlanta its own feel is that so much of it was locally developed. It's important to have a balance between world-class and hometown feel. For a long time we only had a hometown feel. I'm glad that it seems we're beginning to incorporate the "world-class" element.

p.s. How devastating that the city scrapped the Calatrava 17th Street bridge in favor of a DOT design. Would have made such a statement driving in from the north, especially when framed by Aquarius to the east, Metlife development to the west and the new W straight ahead.

[adelosky]

p.s. How devastating that the city scrapped the Calatrava 17th Street bridge in favor of a DOT design. Would have made such a statement driving in from the north, especially when framed by Aquarius to the east, Metlife development to the west and the new W straight ahead.