Medical Mile/Michigan Street Developments

[John E]

Click Image For Website

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johne777/4061832294/sizes/o/

~John

[Kayak1]

I think we're going to see more substantial work on Butterworth Hospital after the Children's Hospital is finished. That's alls I'm saying and I aint's sayings no more.

Dining Services (Cafeteria) is the next major project. I have heard in the 10 Million Dollar range.

[GRDadof3]

Vinoly in town. Interesting comments about the other new buildings on Health Hill:

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2009/11/van_andel_institute_architect.html

[John E]

The Helen DeVos Childrens Hospital "wave" glass is being installed.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johne777/4104222310/sizes/l/

More in the November 14 2009 set:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johne777/sets/72157622803300426/

~John

[joeDowntown]

Great pic John. This looks like another piece of the Children's Hospital that got value engineered. Much more two-dimensional that the original renderings.

Spire: gone. Wave wall: much less intricate. Does this mean the suspension bridge is next to get dumbed-down?

Joe

The Helen DeVos Childrens Hospital "wave" glass is being installed.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johne777/4104222310/sizes/l/

More in the November 14 2009 set:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johne777/sets/72157622803300426/

~John

[GRDadof3]

Great pic John. This looks like another piece of the Children's Hospital that got value engineered. Much more two-dimensional that the original renderings.

Spire: gone. Wave wall: much less intricate. Does this mean the suspension bridge is next to get dumbed-down?

Joe

On the tour I was on, they said the cables are gone from the design, but it will still maintain the triangular shape with the soaring ceilings on the interior (it was too late to change that design).

[andrew.w]

Great pic John. This looks like another piece of the Children's Hospital that got value engineered. Much more two-dimensional that the original renderings.

Spire: gone. Wave wall: much less intricate. Does this mean the suspension bridge is next to get dumbed-down?

Joe

I thought the same thing Joe, but I went back and looked at the more recent renderings, the three-dimensional part appears to be wave like forms that are attached to and placed over the glazing rather part of the glazing itself. It is very possible that there is still more to be installed yet. I could imagine that cutting glass into curved shapes all over would be expensive, so approximating the wave with rectangles then covering the edges with something else that is curved might be a better option.

Personally, if the suspension cables wouldn't have actually held the bridge up (which they obviously didn't if the bridge can be built without them), I think they should be axed from the design. They may have looked interesting, but would have been structurally deceiving, and a waste of money and resources. I would have much rather seen a design that is both innovative and functional in some way. Heck, if the spire and suspension system really did hold the bridge up it may have been much more difficult to value-engineer it out.

Edited November 16, 2009 by andrew69@ltu

[GRDadof3]

I thought the same thing Joe, but I went back and looked at the more recent renderings, the three-dimensional part appears to be wave like forms that are attached to and placed over the glazing rather part of the glazing itself. It is very possible that there is still more to be installed yet. I could imagine that cutting glass into curved shapes all over would be expensive, so approximating the wave with rectangles then covering the edges with something else that is curved might be a better option.

Personally, if the suspension cables wouldn't have actually held the bridge up (which they obviously didn't if the bridge can be built without them), I think they should be axed from the design. They may have looked interesting, but would have been structurally deceiving, and a waste of money and resources. I would have much rather seen a design that is both innovative and functional in some way. Heck, if the spire and suspension system really did hold the bridge up it may have been much more difficult to value-engineer it out.

Yep, it looks like the latest design is a mixture of staggered glass panels and the wave-like structure:

[wingbert]

Yep, it looks like the latest design is a mixture of staggered glass panels and the wave-like structure:

Meh. I always thought that wavey look had the potential to get outdated looking in a big hurry. I'd much prefer something a little cleaner.

[ArsEcclesiae]

I have to say that I never much cared for the look of the basement structure to begin with. The bottom doesn't seem to marry with the upper portions of the building at all IMHO.

[GRDadof3]

Dude. Where'd all the cranes go? Where have I been? The only one left is the Tower 35 (?) crane.

[FloridaSpartan]

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2009/11/van_andel_research_institute_r.html

VAI receives 1.3 million grant for cancer research. Nice job.

[joeDowntown]

DeVos Children’s Hospital Cost: $292 Million

Up from the original $190 million dollar estimate. $100 million above the original price tag and the design value engineered to death. I have to imagine there is a good story behind this one.

Joe

[FloridaSpartan]

obviously a major FAIL by their estimator

[joeDowntown]

I was in Las Vegas last week and thought this building kind of had the same vibe as the Children's Hospital:

It's a luxury condo building (much taller than DVCH) in the City Center complex. If you haven't heard of City Center in LV, check out this Flickr page: City Center . I'd have to say it is one of the most ambitious construction projects ever. Rafael Vinoly (VAI architect) has a building (Vdara) in this complex. Cool stuff.

Joe

[andrew.w]

It's a luxury condo building (much taller than DVCH) in the City Center complex. If you haven't heard of City Center in LV, check out this Flickr page: City Center . I'd have to say it is one of the most ambitious construction projects ever. Rafael Vinoly (VAI architect) has a building (Vdara) in this complex. Cool stuff.

If I am correct, the building pictured there is by Norman Foster and is now ONLY a hotel building because of a very costly construction mistake. The building was originally planned at 49 stories. An error in the concrete steel reinforcing forced the building to be reduced to 28 floors and the condo element was entirely eliminated.

[joeDowntown]

Wow, buildings with funky blue glass patterns must be a real pain to build.

Joe

If I am correct, the building pictured there is by Norman Foster and is now ONLY a hotel building because of a very costly construction mistake. The building was originally planned at 49 stories. An error in the concrete steel reinforcing forced the building to be reduced to 28 floors and the condo element was entirely eliminated.

[John E]

One of my photos from the 28th floor of River House Condos of the Medical Mile Skyline that I took during ArtPrize is featured on the main page of Western Michigan Chapter of the Federal Bar Association's website.

Click Image For Website Source

http://www.flickr.co...485533/sizes/o/

~John

Edited December 22, 2009 by John E

[jbr12]

I noticed that the Spartan 'S' is on the north side of the MSU Building... I'm not a fan. It leaves much to be desired I think

[joeDowntown]

It's a nice shot. Now if we could only get rid of the Press building and the Federal Court building, it'd be great.

Joe

[Quercus]

[fotoman311]

Hmm...in this lighting and angles, I kind of like the new MSU Med School. The coloring looks much more like I remember in the renderings. Most times I've gone by though, I've been pretty blah on it.

Maybe I should only go by it in the morning on sunny days.

[droonus2000]

pedestrian bridge starting to be constructed next to the children's Hospital. Didn't have the camera handy.

[GRDadof3]

pedestrian bridge starting to be constructed next to the children's Hospital. Didn't have the camera handy.

I also saw that steel is going up on Tower 35. What happened to all of our photogs?

[John E]

I also saw that steel is going up on Tower 35. What happened to all of our photogs?

I have photos from Sunday in the January 2010 set:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johne777/sets/72157623058641225/

~John