Jump to content

Granby Tower

utcltjay

By utcltjay
in Norfolk

Recommended Posts

Padman Hamlet

Padman

Posted
Posted

Probably not, given the investment risks involved. But....the tallest in the state title does add a certain marketing cachet, not to mention better views. And the renderings do change. The massing is much nicer with 34 to 36 floors, and Humphrey's web site continues to not show the design, even though it's clearly one of their best, if not their best. I think something really could be up here, but don't raise your hopes too much.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 2.9k
  • Created
  • Last Reply
vdogg Megalopolis

vdogg

Posted
Posted
Those are mechanical floors, not living floors....and adding floors in the current market doesn't make sense, if anything they'd reduce, especially with Marathon having as much trouble with the financials as they've had. Let's be thankful we're even getting the 34...
Link to comment
Share on other sites
vdogg Megalopolis

vdogg

Posted
Posted
That's exactly what I was wondering. It looks way too much like the previous rendering to be new - I can't imagine the painter reproducing exactly the same scene but adding two more floors to the tower rendering. If, indeed, they did add floors but they kept more or less the same design I don't think it would justify a brand new rendering. Then again, I could be wrong. I don't have the older image in front of me to compare the two.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
vdogg Megalopolis

vdogg

Posted
Posted

Here are the actual specs for the tower. This document says 31 floors but with a 365ft base height I think that the 3 mechanical floors make up the rest of that so 34 overall still sounds accurate. I doubt it's 36 and if it were 31 the base height would be a bit closer to 330-340ft. With this in light, while Granby is pretty tall, the Westin will still appear visibly taller. I had my doubts about that at first but with the Westin at 413ft currently that nearly 50ft will make a large difference. The overall height for Granby though will be 490ft, which is very decent and only 10ft short of Virginia having its second building over 500ft. :)

granbyspecs.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites
vdogg Megalopolis

vdogg

Posted
Posted

I posted this in HR but I guess i'll post it here too. Looks like the local market is bucking this national trend, which should help Granby out. :)

January sets home sales record

Dont dismiss the housing market just yet.

At least in Hampton Roads, new numbers suggest people are still buying. In fact, last month was the best January on record for home sales since January of 1994.

Van Rose Jr., president of Rose & Womble, said 425 homes sold last month, with an average price of $414,000. The record is 428 homes in 1994.

The figures are based on a comparison of data from the Real Estate Information Network. By using REIN data for all years, Rose said the comparison is valid.

But a shift has occurred.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ace707 Hamlet

ace707

Posted
Posted
Here are the actual specs for the tower. This document says 31 floors but with a 365ft base height I think that the 3 mechanical floors make up the rest of that so 34 overall still sounds accurate. I doubt it's 36 and if it were 31 the base height would be a bit closer to 330-340ft. With this in light, while Granby is pretty tall, the Westin will still appear visibly taller. I had my doubts about that at first but with the Westin at 413ft currently that nearly 50ft will make a large difference. The overall height for Granby though will be 490ft, which is very decent and only 10ft short of Virginia having its second building over 500ft. :)

granbyspecs.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites
vdogg Megalopolis

vdogg

Posted
Posted

Yeah, I go by base height and width for how tall a building will look. Granby has something going for it in that it's widest portion is actually skinnier than the Westin's widest portion. This is due to Granby actually being more symmetrical that Westin. Dominion is 44ft taller than AH without the spire. The Westin is 413ft high currently, once the crown starts it will be up to 458ft and then the actual spire will be placed. With the 413ft current height Granby's base height will be 48ft shorter. Now here's the thing, while Granby is physically shorter its spire is far more integrated with its design than the Westin's. It doesn't look like it was just placed on top but it is more organically connected to the structure itself. I believe that this will tend to give it some lift (Think Empire State Building. The ESB would be nothing without that spire). Also, it is still 25ft taller that Dominion with its base height and that too will be noticeable. Also, Granby has no AH like building next to it (yet) that draws attention and height from the structure itself. It's kind of out in the middle of nowhere which I believe will make Granby appear to soar when approaching from 264. It's all about context, and while officially shorter, Granby will still look quite formidable, just not as tall as Westin.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
urbanlife Town

urbanlife

Posted
Posted

yeah, Granby would look like one hell of a tower over in that area. It is a shame that the Brambleton tower won't be there to compliment the Granby. I think it would of been really cool to see this new modern skyline developing over on that end.

One can only hope that the GSA do something impressive with their expansion to the Fed Courts building.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
vtfan18 Whistle-Stop

vtfan18

Posted
Posted

Wow I've been MIA for a little bit of time and haven't gotten a chance to catch up. Not sure if this has been covered but Granby Tower just recently got approval from the Norfolk Design Board for blue "tinted" exterior glass. Should add a nice touch to the overall building. Its sort of shown on the rendering but they just got the ok. I have a very interesting insider story with regard to how this project ever got underway and how it involves GSA and the multi-million dollar grant. I haven't decided if I'll post the info or perhaps email it to people if they are interested b/c its a "sensitive" matter. I'll keep you guys posted on how I decide to go about this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.