366 replies to this topic

[Rickydavisfan21]

looks like an official Nascar Store, just like there is an NBA Store in NYC

[kpryde4u]

could there be a possible HQ move for NASCAR from Daytona to Charlotte?

[dubone]

kpryde4u, on Mar 7 2006, 01:28 AM, said:

could there be a possible HQ move for NASCAR from Daytona to Charlotte?

Officially, no.  But some people on UP are saying that it is being considered on the inside.  My guess is that it is years and years away, but certainly we have set the stage.

From my perspective, though, there clear is at least the possibility that Nascar will need more space, otherwise why would they be buying an option on the land across Caldwell.

Rickydavisfan21, on Mar 7 2006, 12:25 AM, said:

So what can we say for materials, Concrete Glass, and Aluminum. or what?

I really hope they use stone of some sort for the non-metal, non-glass sections.  With concrete so high in price, the relative price of stone is surely a good deal, and it definitely will add to the quality of the building and appearance.  I kind of think because it shows a yellowish tint that it won't really be concrete, but who knows.

[charlotte_bon_vivant]

I don't like the rendering for the new "tower". For starters, it doesn't look like a tower. Just a standard office building. I also hate the logo on the building. It goes against my personal aesthetic. I do like the streamlined look of the building, but the logo is too busy. I guess it you want people to know NASCAR is there, that's the way.  

[Rufus]

Could the tower be anything other than offices? i know it says that it is an office building, but what company would want to go into a building connected to another company's hall of fame?

[atlrvr]

Well I'm not sure how you design an office tower to look like something other than an office tower, but personally this design is neither stunning nor ugly to me.  I agree that it needs to be stone (please no EIFS), but concrete would be acceptable.

At 300,000 sq. ft., we are probably looking at 750-1,000 jobs in this thing.  It would make sense for SPEED TV to go here, as corporate licensing offices for sponsers (a lot of these are in Huntersville right now).

[dubone]

I was speculating earlier that the extreme increase in concrete prices might actually make stone a higher possibility.  If concrete has risen to the point where it is twice as expensive as it used to be, and stone is now only a little bit more, it might be perceived to be a great relative value.  I have a feeling that Pei or really anyone won't be too accepting of low quality materials in a structure intended to be an icon for the city.  I could be wrong, but I think they'll go upscale here.

[Miesian Corners]

Not to backtrack, but do y'all think Yvonne Szeto designed the office tower?  I can't find this project anywhere on the Pei website.  

Overall, I like the project's design.  I also like the transparency of the tower.  It will make a nice Euro-mod additon to the uptown skyline.

Edited by Miesian Corners, 07 March 2006 - 08:41 PM.

[atlrvr]

I don't think much effort was put into the tower design, not that I don't like it, but because of time constraints and the relative uncertainty of the tower.  It looks ok.....if they could do a bit more with the opaque portions then I would like it better.

[Miesian Corners]

atlrvr, you hit 2000 and no bells and whistles?  May I be the first to congratulate you on your postings extrordinaire!

Edited by Miesian Corners, 07 March 2006 - 09:36 PM.

[Rickydavisfan21]

Its just he's been far outshined by metro and his 10,000+ posts, hahaha, me and my 300 something :-( I feel so unspecial but anyways, CONGRADULATIONS ATLRVR, *POPS OPEN BOTTLE OF CHAMPAGNE* *LIGHTS CIGAR*

[dubone]

You worked so hard to get to 2000, and it is as anticlimactic as Y2K!

MC, I distinctly got the impression that it was just a preliminary design for the tower.  However, I kind of think the Pei firm was retained, because it doesn't make sense to have hired someone else.

[dubone]

The north facing side looks identical to the south facing side on the other renderings. That said, I agree with everyone that it is boring.  I am optimistic that they have retained the same arch firm and that the designs will now be refined and improved.

[Charlotteman]

Normally I don't care for company logos adorning roof lines on towers either.  Jacksonville, Florida has a plethora of this, and to my eye it looks garish, tacky.

But in the case of the HOF tower, I think it will look kinda cool:)

Sure the tower, as seen, is nothing to write home about.  Perhaps a public dialog a la public comments about the back of Courtside, might lead to improvements or even better, a Pei design.

[CarolinaDaydreamin]

I think it would be cool if each floor's windows had a different color, like the NASCAR logo. I think they were trying to make a tower that had similar looks to the hall without drawing attention away from it.

[Rickydavisfan21]

I like it, I hope the entire wall facing away from us is blank, just concrete or whatever, that would be cool, just a black wall, maybe with a couple windows randomly placed, would be a great modern skyscraper ( used this word lightly), I love it It could be something we need more of, it is one of our first real modern buildings, and I think that it should be ultra modern

[dubone]

Well, here is the north and west side of the tower:



here is the south and east side of the tower:




Again, I'm not sure this is the final rendering, but I doubt we will see a major departure from that, but I don't know.

It could have just been added conceptually as a proposal and then would be actually designed once they get an agreement.

No chance, though of the north and east side getting a blank wall, as that is the skyline view.  No designer would block out a skyline view for its tenants on purpose.

[Rickydavisfan21]

Is that pic found or photoshopped?
I am glad that they didn't change the front, and make it more conservative like the back. I like that picture from the front with the tower in the back, because yea I like that "nascar tower" doesn't really look connected to the building in the front, and it doesn't take away too much from the back, but yea I figured no blank wall as much as I would love it so I guess it just the same from front as in the back, just with the wrap reversed, I like that idea, but I like mine better, hehe, if only it wasn't skyline view.

[Unifour]

I don't think there was any doubt Charlotte would win the bid. At least, not for me. I don't think of Kansas City, Atlanta, or Richmond (wasn't that the other city?) when I think of Nascar. I think of Charlotte and Daytona. I figured Charlotte would win because it is a much bigger city and a bigger market for it. The new tower and museum should move uptown up the ladder a bit as a destination point for the Carolinas. It's exciting to see an emerging metropolis just down the road grow into a cosmopolitan city. For me, the biggest disappointment was hearing that it won't begin construction until NEXT YEAR and is not expected to open until 2011(?). I was shocked by these dates. Can't they put the pedal to the metal and get moving sooner? They build skyscrapers in less than a year nowadays...

Edited by Unifour, 08 March 2006 - 06:05 PM.

[NCtarheel]

I actually like the tower, but i'm doubtful this is the absolute final rendering. I like that the glass bows out a little bit to make it appear more rounded. The logo isn't that big of a deal for me, given that the tower won't be that tall.....and by that time it will probably be completely dwarfed by many other buildings in uptown, so that it's not that noticeable like the buildings in Jacksonville. I hope once the tower is complete, it retains the stark white color in the rendering...so maybe they wont use super cheap materials.