Embassy Suites (30 stories, 500 rooms), 1 Hotel (18 stories, 221 rooms)

[CenterHill]

1 minute ago, smeagolsfree said:

I am trying to keep an open mind here for all of you that support greenery on buildings as use in architecture, but this is why I am against it. This is why is does not work for me. The picture says it all! It is supposed to be green all year long, not just part of the year, but all year. This may have been a failing of the sprinkler system, a poor choice on the part of the landscape architect, or some other unknown reason. Bur regardless, this should not have happened. If this is a LEED certified building, then I would have hoped they would be using rainwater or brown water for to water these plants or maybe it got too cold for them, but they needed to take that in to account by looking at what zone we are in.

This happened in December when the temperature dropped 60 degrees in 8 hours to -1.   The leaves were not prepared for such a sudden drop and literally froze on the stems, along with most of the other ivy and evergreens in the central US.  Plants in my yard look the same. Horticulturalists are urging everyone to be patient and see if the plants come back in the spring.   

[smeagolsfree]

1 minute ago, CenterHill said:

This happened in December when the temperature dropped 60 degrees in 8 hours to -1.   The leaves were not prepared for such a sudden drop and literally froze on the stems, along with most of the other ivy and evergreens in the central US.  Plants in my yard look the same. Horticulturalists are urging everyone to be patient and see if the plants come back in the spring.   

Even so, that is a hazard of putting greenery on buildings. It should not be done in this zone. If this start coming back in early spring and you have another very cold freeze which is possible, then back to square one. It is possible with Crape Myrtles' too as late freezes can kill all or part of a tree. That can be a risky tree to plant as an ornamental, so we don't see them downtown. They are not on Metro approved tree list anyway. 

Granted I know what you are saying because my Burford Holies look like crap right now too, but they did not defoliate and are still somewhat green.

[FrankNash]

^^^The English  Ivy was a good choice but, just before the freeze we had rain then a hard freeze for three days in the  single digits it killed  many plants in Middle Tennessee.  Notice around town all of the dead hollies and skip laurel.  Established English Ivy in Middle Tennessee will stay green during the winter.  They will have to replant.  

[chc3]

Now I know what happened to my plants! I was gone for a month and was dismayed when I saw my patio planters.

[MontanaGuy]

13 hours ago, FrankNash said:

^^^The English  Ivy was a good choice but, just before the freeze we had rain then a hard freeze for three days in the  single digits it killed  many plants in Middle Tennessee.  Notice around town all of the dead hollies and skip laurel.  Established English Ivy in Middle Tennessee will stay green during the winter.  They will have to replant. 

I walked by there yesterday and it looked really bad.  I hope they can do something with it even if they have to replant it as you suggest.

[smeagolsfree]

I would be happier if they just take the crap down and paint pictures of plants. This is a zone where this can keep happening. It is like putting plants on building in Moscow or in Dubai and expecting noting to happen. Anywhere you can have a heavy devastating freeze, this is the chance you take. If these plants are dead or if they are dead to the ground and have to be replanted and I were the property owner, I would be pissed.

This is not the tropics. I was not a fan of plants hanging down the sides of buildings in the first place as it distracts from the architecture of the building. Also, if it is a residential building, what point do the plants or vegetation get in the way of the resident's view.  I know there are a number of folks on the board that disagree with me on this, and this is my personal opinion. I think it looks stupid like panty hose on Joe Namath.

[Baronakim]

On 1/30/2023 at 7:57 AM, smeagolsfree said:

I would be happier if they just take the crap down and paint pictures of plants. This is a zone where this can keep happening. It is like putting plants on building in Moscow or in Dubai and expecting noting to happen. Anywhere you can have a heavy devastating freeze, this is the chance you take. If these plants are dead or if they are dead to the ground and have to be replanted and I were the property owner, I would be pissed.

This is not the tropics. I was not a fan of plants hanging down the sides of buildings in the first place as it distracts from the architecture of the building. Also, if it is a residential building, what point do the plants or vegetation get in the way of the resident's view.  I know there are a number of folks on the board that disagree with me on this, and this is my personal opinion. I think it looks stupid like panty hose on Joe Namath.

I am all in favor of pantyhose on Joe.  Anyway, I am definitely one who disagrees with you on the greenery.  Would you also avocate  chopping down the southern magolias around town because they were damaged or outlawing trees like mimosas?  However I have no use for mimosas other than for drinking.    I remember back in the 1960s we had a similar extreme cold event; all the mimosas were killed. probably happend this time too.  Because greenery on buildings is possible, I think it adds a great deal of relief from all the blue grey glass I saw going through town today.  At least the hanging greenery doesn't roost bird flocks (though bats would be awesome IMO)  and make it a target for the city fathers to chop it all down.  My two cents... maybe three.

 

Edited February 1, 2023 by Baronakim

[Rick Dalton]

I like it as well. There’s a 1 hotel in midtown Manhattan and they have harsher winters.

[smeagolsfree]

16 hours ago, Baronakim said:

I am all in favor of pantyhose on Joe.  Anyway, I am definitely one who disagrees with you on the greenery.  Would you also avocate  chopping down the southern magolias around town because they were damaged or outlawing trees like mimosas?  However I have no use for mimosas other than for drinking.    I remember back in the 1960s we had a similar extreme cold event; all the mimosas were killed. probably happend this time too.  Because greenery on buildings is possible, I think it adds a great deal of relief from all the blue grey glass I saw going through town today.  At least the hanging greenery doesn't roost bird flocks (though bats would be awesome IMO)  and make it a target for the city fathers to chop it all down.  My two cents... maybe three.

 

Absolutely get rid of Mimosas as they are non-native, invasive trees and were brought over from Asia in the mid 1700's. I am just saying this is the wrong zone to try this in. My personal opinion is that is looks stupid as hell on a building, but that is my opinion. If you want a tree house, then build it in the woods.

[Baronakim]

4 hours ago, smeagolsfree said:

Absolutely get rid of Mimosas as they are non-native, invasive trees and were brought over from Asia in the mid 1700's. I am just saying this is the wrong zone to try this in. My personal opinion is that is looks stupid as hell on a building, but that is my opinion. If you want a tree house, then build it in the woods.

The Engish ivy was perfectly suited to our climate zone and indeed even farther north.  What killed it was an abberation of unusual rapid temperature drop which seemed right out of "Day After Tommorrow".   Our zone is adequately defined for the use  the hotel had.  I do  quite agree about the mimosas and respect your opinion  about using  such vegetation on the building.  But cultures have been doing that since gardens in Babylon.  I suppose however, that your objections do not include the green roof on the convention center, just the specific example of the hotel usage.  Different strokes....

Edited February 1, 2023 by Baronakim

[smeagolsfree]

I know Randy. I respect you and your professional opinion and work. It is just not my cup of GREEN tea I guess. LOL

[markhollin]

Courtesy of Kalucci:

[MontanaGuy]

I walked by awhile ago and noticed that a green color has replaced the brown.  I hope it stays that way but I wonder how much effort and money it took to make it happen and if they feel like it was worth it.

[CenterHill]

8 hours ago, MontanaGuy said:

I walked by awhile ago and noticed that a green color has replaced the brown.  I hope it stays that way but I wonder how much effort and money it took to make it happen and if they feel like it was worth it.

Did they replace all the ivy or did it come back?  The ivy in my yard looked completely dead after the December flash freeze but it has all come back and is now green and healthy. 

[smeagolsfree]

They replaced it. I drove by as they were putting new in. It will be good until the next big freeze that will take it out.

[Rick Dalton]

Looks good now. Hopefully they changed the species to something more hardy

[Baronakim]

On 5/31/2023 at 7:51 AM, smeagolsfree said:

They replaced it. I drove by as they were putting new in. It will be good until the next big freeze that will take it out.

The species was fine and the hardiness is probably adequate for the "next" big freeze.  I am pretty sure the reason it all died was the rapidity of the temperature drop.  Yes, we will have more hard freezes, but the kind of freeze that nuked so much around Nashville  was probably once or twice in a century.  I was up in Illinois  and Kentucky yesterday and the cold damage there was extensive with shrubbery, but nowhere near as damaging to evergreen trees and ivy as it was here.  It probably was because the temperature drop, while sudden, was not so great a range and the plants were able to handle it.

Edited June 2, 2023 by Baronakim

[CenterHill]

10 hours ago, Baronakim said:

The species was fine and the hardiness is probably adequate for the "next" big freeze.  I am pretty sure the reason it all died was the rapidity of the temperature drop.  Yess, we will have more hard freezes, but the kind of freeze that nuked so much around Nashville  was probably once or twice in a century.  I was up in Illinois  and kentucky yesterday and the cold damage there was extensive with shrubbery, but nowhere near as damaging to evergreen trees and ivy as it was here.  It probably was because the temperature drop, while sudden, was not so great arange and the plants were able to handle it.

Right.  It was a freak weather event, a “bomb cyclone” that crippled most of the US with blizzards and local temperature drops of 50+ degrees in a few short hours.  Meteorologists labeled it once in a generation.   Your average Nashville winter freeze is not going to kill ivy or most of the other typically hardy plants that succumbed to this one event.    Glad the insurance came through (my assumption) and replaced the One Hotel plantings.    

[FrankNash]

^^^I agree with Baronakim.  I drove by the hotel today.  It's English Ivy like before.  It will thrive for many years. 

[markhollin]

New vines for 1 Hotel looking good.

Looking NE from intersection of 8th Ave. South and Demonbreun St: