Medical Mile/Michigan Street Developments

[tamias6]

This is what I was referring to, taller and narrower. BTW Chris, it has an extra floor:

(what are those trucks hauling out of there?)

This current rendering looks like a cleaner tighter design. I like how the roof tops match in height as well as the rectanglar form just below the first tier of curved windows. Is just me or does this rendering shows a bus pulling out from between the two Phases onto Cresent St? Is there supposed to be a bus stop located between the two Phases?

[GRDadof3]

And we get 3 1/2 years to watch it all unfold.

http://www.mlive.com/grpress/frontpage/pdfs/Re_Friday.pdf

300 ft is unbelieveable. That spire will be the tallest object in Grand Rapids. I wonder how they will assemble it? I think it will be wow in a good way when the whole hill comes together.

I also just realized that the Children's Hospital structure itself will be about the same height as the JW Marriott (Marriott is 256', this will be 280')

[GRDadof3]

This current rendering looks like a cleaner tighter design. I like how the roof tops match in height as well as the rectanglar form just below the first tier of curved windows. Is just me or does this rendering shows a bus pulling out from between the two Phases onto Cresent St? Is there supposed to be a bus stop located between the two Phases?

Those are the hazardous waste trucks mentioned above. ^^

Here it is a bit larger with the Spectrum complex in the background. Sure wish I could get a cleaner version of the Lemmen Holton Cancer Center, which I think is the best building of that complex.

[tamias6]

Those are the hazardous waste trucks mentioned above. ^^

Hmm. Got to find a way to dispose of all those radio active mutant rats some how. Can't have GR destroyed in Godzilla-esque fashion.

[InSecurity]

I hope the spire is non reflective. Imagine the morning sun hitting it and throwing a laser light beam at eastbound traffic

[grcitydog]

I just hope the needle isn't too close to the helicopter landing pad. I would hate to see a copter impaled on that!

[tamias6]

I've updated my model of DTGR to reflect the current renderings. Here's how the children's hospital with it's spire will affect the skyline.

Skyline looking east from Westside

Skyline looking north-east from S-Curve

Pill Hill's skyline looking east from 131/196 innerchange

[joeDowntown]

I'm confused. Does the Needle and suspension wire go to the top of the building, or is it just the perspective we're seeing?

I like the suspension bridge aspect of it. As with every project, I have to see the materials. It is definitely funky. Let's hope it ends up unique in an "oh my god that's cool" instead of just "oh my gawd!".

Joe

[AlexPKeaton]

It doesn't stand out enough on your renderings, perhaps they need to build it up another 100 feet? I don't hate it, but I can't say I like it yet either. I'll reserved judgment for now. It's sort of cool, but it's so totally pointless. I like decoration, but this just seems a little bland. If they're going for an icon then they should go all out! (I'm sure they think they're already going all out though.)

-nb

[tamias6]

I'm confused. Does the Needle and suspension wire go to the top of the building, or is it just the perspective we're seeing?

I like the suspension bridge aspect of it. As with every project, I have to see the materials. It is definitely funky. Let's hope it ends up unique in an "oh my god that's cool" instead of just "oh my gawd!".

Joe

The spire's base will be located at grade on the north west corner of the building and will assend at an angle towards the children's hospital and will top out higher than the hospital's roof top by a fair margin. The hospital will have 14 floors which will put it at roughly 210' tall (assuming a 15' spacing between floordecks) while the spire will be 300 feet tall.

Here's a closer view of the model of the Children's hospital to clarify.

[Rizzo]

I think the pole is about 12' in diameter... Is that what you got on that?

[walker]

(what are those trucks hauling out of there?)

Stem cells

[beergeek]

In review of the floor plans it looks like there will be functions other than parking on those levels.

The only parking in this area will be for the peds ED. Parking for visitors for inpatients will be underground across the street, under the forthcoming towers buildings.

[6th Gen local]

I just hope the needle isn't too close to the helicopter landing pad. I would hate to see a copter impaled on that!

The FAA will have a say on that spire before this is all said and done as close as it is to the Spectrum Hospital landing pad.

[mgreven]

Maybe they'll put some cell phone towers on top of the spire.

[6th Gen local]

Maybe they'll put some cell phone towers on top of the spire.

At a minimum maybe a flashing red light?

[egrguy]

The FAA will have a say on that spire before this is all said and done as close as it is to the Spectrum Hospital landing pad.

Being that this is apart of the same complex, I would have to think they would have thought of this ahead of time. I hope they would anyway...

[GRDadof3]

The FAA will have a say on that spire before this is all said and done as close as it is to the Spectrum Hospital landing pad.

I don't know that the FAA has as much say over a privately owned landing strip/helicopter pad.

[6th Gen local]

I don't know that the FAA has as much say over a privately owned landing strip/helicopter pad.

They do have a say when towers and buildings are built near airports, even little airports.

[Weallneedhistory]

We need to find someone who can figure out how to power Grand Rapids through all the lightning strikes this spire might gather.

[GRDadof3]

The Press is stating that the new Children's Hospital will be steel girders, as opposed to a lot of the concrete we've been seeing lately.

Concrete replaces steel girders in high rises

(page 3)

Mainly due to higher floor to ceiling heights and added flexibility with floorplans. This hopefully will be going vertical by next Spring, just in time for the Marriott to be finished.

[tamias6]

I think it makes perfect sence to go with steel in a hospital building. Watching how St. Mary's and Spectrum constantly renovate, add on and change things around as time goes along is mind boggling. No sooner do they finish on project, they start another. Steel buildings have almost no interior structural walls to worry about so modifications can be easily made. With concrete, once its poured, that's it. It can't be changed.

[snoogit]

We need to find someone who can figure out how to power Grand Rapids through all the lightning strikes this spire might gather.

Thats not all that hard... You would need some utility scale batteries, some flywheels, and capacitors (giant, giant ones) with enough insulators and other protection devices to make sure the grid doesnt explode each time lightning strikes.

http://peswiki.com/index.php/Directory:Lightning_Power

thats an interesting article to read on lightning power.

Edited October 1, 2006 by snoogit

[Fitz]

This is what I was referring to, taller and narrower. BTW Chris, it has an extra floor:

(what are those trucks hauling out of there?)

It looks like the narrowing comes from the south side. The earlier renderings show the building all the way out to Crescent St.

[localtalent]

Those are the hazardous waste trucks mentioned above. ^^

Here it is a bit larger with the Spectrum complex in the background. Sure wish I could get a cleaner version of the Lemmen Holton Cancer Center, which I think is the best building of that complex.

I think this is an improvement over that earlier, flat rendering.

It's going to look very nice.