Charlotte Arts Master Plan

[tiblerbrit]

I disagree, I think the light wall looks pretty interesting.

[atlrvr]

I guess you would could it the wall...but it's not stand alone...it's the back facade of the building. I spoke to the architects at great length about this at a design charette. That facade is along the lot line, and abuts a surface lot owned by Eastern Federal, so it's safe to say that lot will eventually be developed, and this wall of the AACC will be completely obscured/abutted by a new building's facade.

With those circumstances in mind, and the narrow width of the AACC's site, it made most sense to put all mechanicals along the back, to maximize exhibits space. Therefore, it would have been foolish to add windows to that facade, because everyone standing on Tryon would be staring at air ducts, water pipes, elevator mechanicals, etc. So the design challenge was to have an opaque facade that would still be interesting to look at, until future development completely obscures it......with all that as design criteria, I personally think they hit a home run, but to each his own.

[rooster8]

Are there any plans for the Eastern Federal lot?

[atlrvr]

Bob Bertgess said at a Wachovia Tower meeting that he has been in contact with the owner of the lot, and that they are confident that a quality development will eventually occur there, but that no definitive plan was in place. What I interpreted was that Wachovia wants to make sure that they like what is developed there, to fit in with their campus vision.

I fully expect a high-end hotel/condo comination, but that is just my opinion.

[dubone]

Is that some type of wall with lights separating the AACC from St. Peter's? It looks horrible.

This wall that you are referring to is a zero-lot-line wall that is expected to be covered completely by an abutting project in the next few years. That is the Eastern Federal site people are asking about. They have simply done an inexpensive treatment to have it not be a blank wall in the intervening years, but not too much to throw away money in the medium term.

There would be an outcry if they spent a lot of public money on a facade that bricked over within a few years. This is just a lighting scheme with a simple metal frame.

[krazeeboi]

This wall that you are referring to is a zero-lot-line wall that is expected to be covered completely by an abutting project in the next few years. That is the Eastern Federal site people are asking about. They have simply done an inexpensive treatment to have it not be a blank wall in the intervening years, but not too much to throw away money in the medium term.

There would be an outcry if they spent a lot of public money on a facade that bricked over within a few years. This is just a lighting scheme with a simple metal frame.

Thanks for the info. Although it will be temporary (and we don't know for how long), I hope it looks better when actually built. From the rendering, it looks to be a pedestrian turn-off--although not as bad as some that exist along College. Woof.

[atlrvr]

A little update on the naming of the theatre and AACC. The 1,200 seat theatre will be called Knight Theatre (this may have already been released).....the AACC will be named after former mayor Harvey Gantt.

[uptownliving]

Bob Bertges gave an update on the Cultural Facilities to the City Council tonight.

First and foremost he reported that all of the facilities were on budget and have not had to sacrifice anything major to remain on budget. They will have bid packages going out in the coming weeks for some of the projects.

Gantt Afro-Am: Construction will begin Feb 2008. They are in the process of selecting a nice piece of outdoor art that will go in the small Tryon St place in front.

Bechtler: Construction will begin September 2007. Mr Bechtler has decided he wants to receive accredidation for this muesum. This will allow traveling shows and artwork from other muesems to be shown here. Bechtler will be footing the $500K bill to upgrade security and climate control systems to receive the accredidation.

Knight Theatre: Construction will begin September 2007. They had an updated computer generated rendering they presented. The building still looks pretty much the same...just more realistic. Bertges talked about how they plan to energize the blank wall of the theatre. He said they are looking at doing an interactive art piece that would take the pictures of pedestrians on the sidewalk and then project it up on the side of the building.

Mint: Construction will begin May 2008. They showed a rendering of the open air arcade between the Mint and Wachovia tower. They really want to energize this area with outdooor activity. Bertges said it will be about the same size as Latta Arcade. Bertges showed off a large sample of the concrete matieral that the Mint will be clad in. It is designed to look like beige marble. I had been skeptical of this but now that I have seen it in person and up close I have to say it looks pretty good.

[Neo]

It is excellent news that Bechtler is paying to upgrade the art museum so that we can host traveling exhibits. This will definitely help draw more folks in from the area than possible without those exhibits IMO. That is one thing to be very excited about!

[atlrvr]

The African American Cultural Center will be unveiling the name for its new museum on South Tryon this Friday at 11:30am at the Westin.

[buds]

The African American Cultural Center will be unveiling the name for its new museum on South Tryon this Friday at 11:30am at the Westin.

and the name is....?

(I just wanted to get this thread going again. )

[Raintree21]

According to the AACC website, they named it after Harvey Gantt.

[Mobuchu]

2-25-08

The Knight and Bechtler are above ground now.

AACC rising

[tiblerbrit]

Found this rendering of the Bechtler. This is the first computer-rendering I've seen and might be a more realistic representation of the facade. Is the Fire-Bird-Man sculpture going on the second level now? I always thought it would be at risk of being damaged at street level.

[nonillogical]

Found this rendering of the Bechtler. This is the first computer-rendering I've seen and might be a more realistic representation of the facade. Is the Fire-Bird-Man sculpture going on the second level now? I always thought it would be at risk of being damaged at street level.

Last I was told, it was still supposed to be at street level. However that area over the left wing is going to be some kind of open patio, so it would still have the scale/detail impact for the people up there. I hope it stays on the street though as it would generate a lot of interest in the museum and make the whole area more welcoming. It's an amazing sculpture.

I'd also like to point out that this is going to look incredible at night with the glass core of the building glowing. It's not nearly as intricate (or large, obviously) as the new Mint, but I think it may make the bigger impression.

[rockhilljames]

It's starting to grow on me.

I've also never made the connection between that building and our areas history of clay and pottery until now.

[nonillogical]

It's starting to grow on me.

I've also never made the connection between that building and our areas history of clay and pottery until now.

I didn't read the whole thread but did you guys know this building is designed by Mario Botta? He favors this terracotta look pretty often so I doubt there was any regional intention. This is only his second building in the US, after the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

http://www.botta.ch

[Raintree21]

I didn't read the whole thread but did you guys know this building is designed by Mario Botta? He favors this terracotta look pretty often so I doubt there was any regional intention. This is only his second building in the US, after the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

http://www.botta.ch

It's been mentioned several times in this thread and the Wachovia thread that he was the designer/architect but it was back in '05 and '06.

[tozmervo]

The terra cotta is going up on the north side of the Betchler. Summary Judgment? Awesome. That museum is blasting away my relatively low expectations. The cladding is going to look absolutely amazing when they are done! I'll be taking photos for sure this weekend unless someone beats me to it.

[Guest]

The terra cotta is going up on the north side of the Betchler. Summary Judgment? Awesome. That museum is blasting away my relatively low expectations. The cladding is going to look absolutely amazing when they are done! I'll be taking photos for sure this weekend unless someone beats me to it.

It was designed by Mario Botta, I've had nothing but high expectations for this project. I can't wait to see it completed. How couldn't someone love the incredibly impressive overhang. If anyone gets a chance to take a picture for us who no longer live in Charlotte it would be greatly appreciated. Anybody know how many projects Botta has actually done in the US, because I can't think of too many off the top of my head. I know he did the museum of modern art in san fran.

[atlrvr]

^ That's it....this is only his 2nd US project. Perhaps will pick up some architecture tourists.

We have a Pelli (sort of), and we're getting a Pei (sort of) and a bona fide Botta, plus there are those that consider Portman in the upper echelon of architects....the Westin certainly has its fans.

[Andyc545]

^ That's it....this is only his 2nd US project. Perhaps will pick up some architecture tourists.

We have a Pelli (sort of), and we're getting a Pei (sort of) and a bona fide Botta, plus there are those that consider Portman in the upper echelon of architects....the Westin certainly has its fans.

I think his website has been linked on here before, but I'll relink it again here. His work is nothing short of spectacular, and I've had the chance to see the museum in San Fran and it is incredible. These are the types of projects that continue to look good with age unlike some of the projects we unfortunatly obtain in this city. The whole arts project will be a long-term gem for the city, also hopefully raising a few eyebrows on what would be nice to see more in the city.

[nonillogical]

yeah i posted it only a few posts up!

The terra cotta is going up on the north side of the Betchler. Summary Judgment? Awesome. That museum is blasting away my relatively low expectations. The cladding is going to look absolutely amazing when they are done! I'll be taking photos for sure this weekend unless someone beats me to it.

yeah although it is not nearly as big as the mint will be, the overhang is incredibly impactful. this is pretty damn small-scale for Botta but he really knows how to create a sense of awe in his buildings.

and for those of you who know your artists, just wait till you see what some of the collection consists of.

/inside info. can't divulge the details.

[atlrvr]

The Terra Cotta is amazing...I didn't have my camera when I drove by.

I will say that I had low expectations of this because of the large blank walls, but after seeing the texture of the facade so far, I'm defintely much more interested. The cantileved (though its supported) portion is really imposing and impressive in person.

[Mobuchu]

Some updates on the different buildings in the project.

9-20-08

AACC

Bechtler

Knight