8 replies to this topic

[urbanguy]

What do you folks think are the prospects for seeing 500+ foot skyscrapers in the region covered in this forum?

Do you think that we will ever witness any in the near future or our lifetime?

Of course if there were to ever be any skyscrapers of 500 ft. or higher, chances are they would likely be built in either San Juan, Honolulu and Anchorage. I don't think that the other cities like Ponce, Mayaguez, Fairbanks, Juneau or Hilo will see any, sooner.

From my understanding San Juan and other cities in PR have strict height limits in places and seems to be even more strict than Honolulu but I wonder if Anchorage has any? I haven't heard of any height limits there and although it is a smaller city it would be a trip if it were to have a 500 footer before the other two. Being that Anchorage has a large oil company presence you just never know.

So what are your thoughts?

I know that there was a push to raise height limits many times in Honolulu to at least 500 ft or slightly higher especially when the citys' tallest First Hawaiian Center was proposed to be built but it didn't happen of course. However, it was allowed to go over 400 ft because of its design/set backs. Most buildings in the city area max out at 350 ft with near a dozen at or around 400 ft and a couple more just over it. In an ideal world it would be nice to see height limits raised for places in or near the CBD to the Mid Town (Kaka'alo/Ala Moana) areas but the "Thousand friends of Hawaii" or whatever they are called would probably crush any effort. I think that eventually the city will have no choice but to go higher as the city continues to grow but i may never see it, unfortunately.

[Jaykar]

If is true that they are gonna build a 50 stories building in the Condado area, that's the only chance  San Juan has to have a skyscraper of 500 ft. But I strongly doub it.  So my guess is that Honolulu will have it first.

[willacoochee]

I am pretty sure Anchorage has height limits, due to the strong possibilites of earthquakes.  I'm not sure what the limits are, but Anchorage will probably not see a 500 ft building any time soon.  But then again you never know.

[D-MAN]

I have very good insider information that the 50-story tower for San Juan has initiated the permission process and that it looks very good. Usually, the problem is financing, but not in this case, the money is there and the comapny behind it is very serious. They already have 4 other projects in Puerto Rico and the do not forsee any problems with this one. The height restrictions of San Juan affect only aiport routes and the airport vincinity, Condado has no height restrictions.

[jdkacz]

Why would Anchorage want 50-story skyscrapers? The mountains in the background are more then enough.

[Jaykar]

D-MAN, on Oct 17 2006, 11:26 PM, said:

I have very good insider information that the 50-story tower for San Juan has initiated the permission process and that it looks very good. Usually, the problem is financing, but not in this case, the money is there and the comapny behind it is very serious. They already have 4 other projects in Puerto Rico and the do not forsee any problems with this one. The height restrictions of San Juan affect only aiport routes and the airport vincinity, Condado has no height restrictions.

Well that's good to know. Its a pitty that with no height restrictions the Condado area and many other areas of San Juan Metro are full of twin towers. Another thing is that if the Golden Mile was designed to be San Juan's CBD why they decided to build it in Hato Rey just right in the middle of the route of airplanes going to LMM International. If there's no height restrictions in Condado well, as I said before its the only chance SJ has to see a 500 ft skyscraper, unless the construction of that 50-story building would inspire another companies and constructors to build higher buildings in the area.

[urbanguy]

jdkacz, well a 500 + ft. wouldn't even put a dent in the skyline in comparison to the surrounding mountains! It will still make for a nice skyline though!

Jaykar, i wonder what the floor to ceiling ratio would be for the proposed 50 story building, because there are a few buildings that are 40-46 or more stories in Honolulu yet they are not even near to 500 ft. They are of course residential which i think has smaller floor to ceiling ratios while office towers are higher maybe 10-12 ft or more?

[Jaykar]

urbanguy, on Oct 19 2006, 05:52 PM, said:

jdkacz, well a 500 + ft. wouldn't even put a dent in the skyline in comparison to the surrounding mountains! It will still make for a nice skyline though!

Jaykar, i wonder what the floor to ceiling ratio would be for the proposed 50 story building, because there are a few buildings that are 40-46 or more stories in Honolulu yet they are not even near to 500 ft. They are of course residential which i think has smaller floor to ceiling ratios while office towers are higher maybe 10-12 ft or more?

Yup I know. Thats why I said that if constructed that's the only chance (as far as I know) SJU has to have a 500 ft skyscraper. Because as you said there are buildings similar in stories but are smaller or higher. For example London's One Canada Square, with 50-story it has a height of more than 700 ft. We have to see how tall that building would be.

[Jaykar]

Developers added more height to the San Juan Bayside Towers by adding more floors to each building. A year ago it was said the towers would be 37 and 32  stories tall. Now after the construction of the towers already started a new article says each tower will be 50-story high. So there's a good chance of San Juan having a 500 ft skyscraper. With this two buildings now San Juan has four 50-story towers on agenda and a few more  between 30 - 40 stories. Finally the city is looking up instead of looking to spread over. Still we gotta see how the ratio of each floor will be, but there's a good chance for reaching the 500 ft goal. Only time will tell.


"Bayside I & II-Currently under construction, Bayside I & II is a mixed-use residential and commercial project in Miramar consisting of a marina and 531 apartment units divided between two 50-story towers, all overlooking San Juan Bay. The waterfront property is located next to the Parque Central and the Fisherman’s Village and represents a private-sector investment of $125 million."

http://www.caribbean....id=0&ct_name=1

Current projects (50-story high)

Miramar Area
San Juan Bayside I (Already started construction)
San Juan Bayside II (Already started construction)

Condado Area
Ocean Walk
De Diego Development Area

For the Hato Rey, Condado and Santurce sectors there are buildings ranging between 30 and 40 stories high in agenda. Actually the tallest building in the Hato Rey area has only 27 stories and is a residential building. Tallest office tower 22 stories. Tallest building in the city right now is a 29-story tower (Caribbean Sea View Tower, near the Convention Center District in Miramar) In the next couple of years San Juan skyline is going to change.

Also Mayaguez will be the host city for a giant Christopher Columbus statue. The statue will be 120m (+390 ft.) tall and it will be build just in time for the celebration of the  2010 Central American and Caribbean Games. The tallest building in the city is around 200 ft. tall.  Finally Puerto Rican cities are looking up.