Church Street Plaza | 28-Story Office/Hotel [Phase 1 Under Construction]

[AndyPok1]

Am I missing something? It's the same width as 55W? Most major buildings take up an entire block when possible?

[IAmFloridaBorn]

It's ugly if it looks like this. Yuck.

[Jvest55]

It's modern looking, which is all that you need to command high price per sq. ft for office space. 

Edited February 22, 2020 by Jvest55

[nite owℓ]

I still prefer the original rendering for its rotated tiers and the continuity of glass into the base/podium gave the illusion of a more proportionate looking building. Not a fan of the precast concrete being so prominently incorporated into the new design and I have a feeling the vertical accent thing is not going to age well at all!

 

[JFW657]

Been wanting to do this for awhile now.

I was tired of looking at that unfinished tower and all that construction junk in the foreground.

So I put on my work boots, tool belt and my hard hat, headed down to South St and Garland, went up in the building and finished installing all that missing glass.

Then I went over across I-4, finished  up all that landscaping and moved all the heavy equipment out of there.

Took me a good half an hour or so, but it was worth it just to satisfy my OCD.   

[jgardnerucf]

Add new truist logo and remove suntrust logo, add @JFW657 logo and add buzzards on the conquistador and add extreme traffic jam with a publix truck and a spaceX launch in background. I'll wait. :-)

[nite owℓ]

1 hour ago, JFW657 said:

Been wanting to do this for awhile now.

I was tired of looking at that unfinished tower and all that construction junk in the foreground.

So I put on my work boots, tool belt and my hard hat, headed down to South St and Garland, went up in the building and finished installing all that missing glass.

Then I went over across I-4, finished  up all that landscaping and moved all the heavy equipment out of there.

Took me a good half an hour or so, but it was worth it just to satisfy my OCD.   

I'd like to make a request... get rid of the berms. Reminds me of the countryside - and not in a good way, yuck. Maybe if they were nicely terraced w/FL-friendly vegetation and stone retaining walls, but grassy highway plains look so CHEAP & out of place in an urban environment.

Even the basics would be a huge improvement:

Edited February 23, 2020 by nite owℓ

[JFW657]

6 minutes ago, nite owℓ said:

I'd like to make a request... get rid of the berms. Reminds me of the countryside - and not in a good way, yuck. Maybe if they were nicely terraced w/FL-friendly vegetation and stone retaining walls, but grassy highway plains look so CHEAP & out of place in an urban environment.

Even the basics would be a huge improvement:

 

I'll see what I can do.

I was just using whatever elements of the existing picture that were available.

If I can find a picture of a new style concrete retaining wall from the same angle, I might be able to.

But the biggest issue is the old worn out notebook computer I do Photoshop on has started acting goofy on me.

Don't know how much longer it's going to last.

Don't want to spend hundreds on a new one, so I'll have to try to find a reputable place that sells refurbished used ones pretty cheap.

[nite owℓ]

4 minutes ago, JFW657 said:

I'll see what I can do.

I was just using whatever elements of the existing picture that were available.

If I can find a picture of a new style concrete retaining wall from the same angle, I might be able to.

But the biggest issue is the old worn out notebook computer I do Photoshop on has started acting goofy on me.

Don't know how much longer it's going to last.

Don't want to spend hundreds on a new one, so I'll have to try to find a reputable place that sells refurbished used ones pretty cheap.

My request to you was in jest/an opportunity to vent, but it is something I believe the city should automatically implement.

[jgardnerucf]

Add a 7-11.                      Refresh Computers up in longwood.

[spenser1058]

Oh Thank Heaven!

[jrs2]

On 2/22/2020 at 7:55 PM, JFW657 said:

Been wanting to do this for awhile now.

I was tired of looking at that unfinished tower and all that construction junk in the foreground.

So I put on my work boots, tool belt and my hard hat, headed down to South St and Garland, went up in the building and finished installing all that missing glass.

Then I went over across I-4, finished  up all that landscaping and moved all the heavy equipment out of there.

Took me a good half an hour or so, but it was worth it just to satisfy my OCD.   

Great job.

I just don't get how the same developer can design Tower 1 knowing they'll do Tower 2, make them completely different in design even though they are virtually touching each other, and use different colored glass, and the piano keys.

It just seems like a real architect took a massive dump one day on a piece of paper, smeared it with a pencil, signed it, and  passed it off as a design plan for that set of blocks.  Or maybe it was a crappy architect.

I mean... Hudson Yards as some wacky looking towers in it, but at least they have similar design elements among them.  This has nothing of the sort.  Whomever approved Tower 1 knowing that Tower 2 was to look like this needs to be publicly flogged and then electrocuted.

I mean, just look at the podium of Tower 2.  No part of it is congruent with Tower 1.

Somebody please get a New York or Chicago architect here, or at least someone who isn't using three different types of drugs when designing Tower 1's west façade, Tower 1's east façade, and Tower 2.

[spenser1058]

21 minutes ago, jrs2 said:

Great job.

I just don't get how the same developer can design Tower 1 knowing they'll do Tower 2, make them completely different in design even though they are virtually touching each other, and use different colored glass, and the piano keys.

It just seems like a real architect took a massive dump one day on a piece of paper, smeared it with a pencil, signed it, and  passed it off as a design plan for that set of blocks.  Or maybe it was a crappy architect.

I mean... Hudson Yards as some wacky looking towers in it, but at least they have similar design elements among them.  This has nothing of the sort.  Whomever approved Tower 1 knowing that Tower 2 was to look like this needs to be publicly flogged and then electrocuted.

I mean, just look at the podium of Tower 2.  No part of it is congruent with Tower 1.

Somebody please get a New York or Chicago architect here, or at least someone who isn't using three different types of drugs when designing Tower 1's west façade, Tower 1's east façade, and Tower 2.

Remember when we had a mayor who actively used his bully pulpit to suggest design elements of proposed buildings to guide the future look and feel of downtown ? 

Edited February 24, 2020 by spenser1058

[Jvest55]

Jrs2 ... what do you expect. Orlando developers don't even build with the forethought that people from all 4 sides will view the buildings. Look at the back of Tower 1 from inside downtown vs the I4 side. Look at the back of Dr. Philips center vs the entrance side. Seems like a bad joke by now. 

[HankStrong]

At least the round building is gone!

[aent]

My guess is the architect wanted them to look completely separate due to the larger width of the site and didn't think the design was cohesive to a "twin towers" style layout. I tend to agree with that. I do like the older rendering better though... new one looks like budget cuts off that. I did really like the original design personally. But I also liked phase 1, much more edgy and interesting then we usually get downtown.

[JFW657]

25 minutes ago, aent said:

My guess is the architect wanted them to look completely separate due to the larger width of the site and didn't think the design was cohesive to a "twin towers" style layout. I tend to agree with that. I do like the older rendering better though... new one looks like budget cuts off that. I did really like the original design personally. But I also liked phase 1, much more edgy and interesting then we usually get downtown.

I never thought they'd do identical or even nearly identical buildings, but I figured they'd incorporate some of the design elements from phase 1 into phase 2 as opposed to the night and day difference they're planning. 

[aent]

9 minutes ago, JFW657 said:

I never thought they'd do identical or even nearly identical buildings, but I figured they'd incorporate some of the design elements from phase 1 into phase 2 as opposed to the night and day difference they're planning. 

Even so, why is that necessary if they're trying to make them look separate and avoid the look of the large width of it?

Plus with the amount of complaining from people about how ugly phase 1 was, we're angry they're not copying the design elements from it now?

They want this building to look different from each perspective (as they did from within phase 1 as well). It is all a modern design, I must say I like it overall. Could it be better? Yes, but its way better than most of the projects we get. We're complaining they added another glass color when phase 1 has a bunch of different glass colors. I'd say the designs are fully compatible, but different.

[JFW657]

37 minutes ago, aent said:

Even so, why is that necessary if they're trying to make them look separate and avoid the look of the large width of it?

Plus with the amount of complaining from people about how ugly phase 1 was, we're angry they're not copying the design elements from it now?

They want this building to look different from each perspective (as they did from within phase 1 as well). It is all a modern design, I must say I like it overall. Could it be better? Yes, but its way better than most of the projects we get. We're complaining they added another glass color when phase 1 has a bunch of different glass colors. I'd say the designs are fully compatible, but different.

Well, I never said it was "necessary" to make them look similar, nor have I complained that phase 1 was ugly.

I've been mostly complimentary to the phase 1 design.

All I meant was that I (mistakenly) assumed that the phase 2 design would draw some.... inspiration I guess.... from phase 1.

[IAmFloridaBorn]

3 hours ago, aent said:

Even so, why is that necessary if they're trying to make them look separate and avoid the look of the large width of it?

Plus with the amount of complaining from people about how ugly phase 1 was, we're angry they're not copying the design elements from it now?

They want this building to look different from each perspective (as they did from within phase 1 as well). It is all a modern design, I must say I like it overall. Could it be better? Yes, but its way better than most of the projects we get. We're complaining they added another glass color when phase 1 has a bunch of different glass colors. I'd say the designs are fully compatible, but different.

You're really calling the design Madoern?

[jrs2]

17 hours ago, aent said:

Even so, why is that necessary if they're trying to make them look separate and avoid the look of the large width of it?

Plus with the amount of complaining from people about how ugly phase 1 was, we're angry they're not copying the design elements from it now?

They want this building to look different from each perspective (as they did from within phase 1 as well). It is all a modern design, I must say I like it overall. Could it be better? Yes, but its way better than most of the projects we get. We're complaining they added another glass color when phase 1 has a bunch of different glass colors. I'd say the designs are fully compatible, but different.

As to Phase 1, I would say they should've never put piano keys on it; if it ended up looking like a fat glass box then so be it, it's better than 55W or most precast. Then,  would have made the hotel portion 5 stories taller (on the conservative side.  Then, I would've replaced the beige precast elements with a big city grey instead.

As for phase 2, the garage portion (I am assuming- the first few levels), that look to be olive green squares, should instead be that metal grating seen in Phase 1.  What does olive green have to do with bluish grey glass?  Answer: absolutely nothing. 

[TRENCH]

On 2/22/2020 at 8:18 AM, AmIReal said:

Nothing new to report, just a rendering from B&B showing phase 2. This may have been posted previously.

my literal reaction to this design

 

 

 

[cwetteland]

My mother always told me, "two wrongs don't make a right."

[Jvest55]

Raleigh-based Highwoods Properties Inc. (NYSE: HIW) since 2006 has been marketing the estimated $57 million, 228,000-square-foot Capital Plaza 3 high-rise at 270 E. Pine St. The 15-story building hasn’t broken ground and no leases have been announced.

And it’s not the only one. Lincoln Property also is proposing a $130 million-plus,34-story tower with 210,000 square feet of office and 228 hotel rooms northeast of South Street and Garland Avenue. It hasn’t signed any leases or started construction yet, either.

Regardless, both developers are seeking monthly rents north of $40 per square foot for office space in their respective future skyscrapers so they can turn a tidy profit after building and selling the high-rises.

http://bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2020/03/19/filling-the-void-despite-available-space-downtown.html

These aren't going to happen in this environment 

[spenser1058]

Tbh, I think we got a fair number of projects in during this cycle. Obviously, not as high as some of our tallbois were itching for but several empty spots got filled in.

Of course, I’m shocked, shocked! I tell you, that nothing came of VMC this time around, but hope springs eternal.

I suppose now the question is whether or not when we come out of this little downturn we’ll have to go through another phase of five-story apartment buildings to prime the pump.