Medical Mile/Michigan Street Developments

[joeDowntown]

I would be shocked if anyone is actually surprised by the final location. I think it was in the cards for a long time but being publicly funded probably had to seem open-minded.

Honestly though, it seems like the right site to me. If they had built near College I think it would have been dumb. I like the massive density of medical that is going to exist on those three corners.

[AlexPKeaton]

That conceptual rendering is downright hideous! It seems to lack any sort of cohesiveness or unifying theme. It looks modern but without any thought put into it. At least it's not a final design, but it's also not a good place to start. I actually prefer what was the original design, though if they could add a little more height that would be nice.

[Rizzo]

MSU: We want something cool and 'in.' Cut holes into the roof and cantilever it so it looks different

Render artist: OK ...

Edited January 19, 2007 by Rizzo

[GRDadof3]

That conceptual rendering is downright hideous! It seems to lack any sort of cohesiveness or unifying theme. It looks modern but without any thought put into it. At least it's not a final design, but it's also not a good place to start. I actually prefer what was the original design, though if they could add a little more height that would be nice.

I think the original design looks like a mental hospital. Let's hope something more inspiring shows up.

[AlexPKeaton]

The original design may not have been some spectacular achievement, but at least it was understated and tasteful. This new rendering is a train wreck.

[GRDadof3]

MSU's press release

..with some additional details highlighted. As Chris Knape mentions today, $20 Million from Secchia is astounding, and more than Devos pledged for the new convention center.

Giving MSU med students the ability to work alongside the top-notch researchers at VAI will be huge compared to what the current MSU - CHM is offering. Imagine going to a class being taught by Dr. George Vande Woude, or working one-on-one with one of the other researchers that have come from around the globe to work at VAI.

[NorthEnder]

MSU's press release

..with some additional details highlighted. As Chris Knape mentions today, $20 Million from Secchia is astounding, and more than Devos pledged for the new convention center.

Giving MSU med students the ability to work alongside the top-notch researchers at VAI will be huge compared to what the current MSU - CHM is offering. Imagine going to a class being taught by Dr. George Vande Woude, or working one-on-one with one of the other researchers that have come from around the globe to work at VAI.

i'm still in shock about the $20MILLION dollar figure. I knew Secchia loved MSU, and Grand Rapids, but that is such a large amount.... It's definately wonderful that we have residents who love Grand Rapids, and are willing to put their fortunes back into it.

[joeDowntown]

You gotta love the philanthropy in this town. Like these people or not, they are putting crazy amounts of money where there mouth is.

Joe

..with some additional details highlighted. As Chris Knape mentions today, $20 Million from Secchia is astounding, and more than Devos pledged for the new convention center.

[GRDadof3]

You gotta love the philanthropy in this town. Like these people or not, they are putting crazy amounts of money where there mouth is.

Joe

That was one of the reasons that the thread started about Secchia bothered me so much and why it was deleted. And they are still not out of the woods yet:

Secchia's recovery will take longer than originally thought

Apparenlty the woman who rear-ended them never even got a chance to hit the brakes, going 70 mph....

I agree that she probably shouldn't get a ticket. Traffic "stopped" on the highway is a fluke and extremely difficult to adjust to.

[beergeek]

I'm not sure where the best place to put this is but rather than start a whole new thread. . .

A little birdie told me that the powers that be at Spectrum have agreed to invest $67M in the Blodgett campus over the next 5 years. I have no idea if there's a press release forthcoming or not...but this should lay to rest the constant rumors of Blodgett's demise. Hopefully some of the $$ will go into updating the much-needed-but-horribly-antiquated Burn Unit.

On other Blodgett notes....Spectrum (but mainly BL) will be certified as a Join Replacement Center by JCAHO sometime this summer.

[Veloise]

That was one of the reasons that the thread started about Secchia bothered me so much and why it was deleted. And they are still not out of the woods yet:

Secchia's recovery will take longer than originally thought

Sis tells me that GR has a much better trauma center than Sparrow. So perhaps he/they'll be better off here, not to mention being home and not camping in Lansing. (No offense to the 517)

[Veloise]

MSU's press release

..with some additional details highlighted. As Chris Knape mentions today, $20 Million from Secchia is astounding, and more than Devos pledged for the new convention center.

...

In 2007 $$ vs. whatever-year-it-was that DVP became more than a glint?

[GRDadof3]

In 2007 $$ vs. whatever-year-it-was that DVP became more than a glint?

It was just back in 2003 (edit: 2000 or 2001 when it was started) that Devos donated money to the expansion, that Chris was referring to, that earned him the naming rights.

[NorthEnder]

It was just back in 2003 that Devos donated money to the expansion, that Chris was referring to, that earned him the naming rights.

Remember though, this has been in the works for a great number of years, so who knows when the original pledge was made.

[GRDadof3]

The next thing that all of these new partnerships in GR need to do to build on this momentum is start a Diabetes Research Center (Type 1 and Type 2). Type 1 is a horrible disease, and Type 2 is skyrocketing in the U.S. and showing up in younger and younger children (it was rarely even diagnosed in children a decade ago).

[GRDadof3]

AlexPKeaton,

You're right, the more I look at that design, the more I agree it's sort of a train wreck. That glass is horrible.

Here are a few I found on-line. I love the glass and architectural detail on these.

NOBODY is doing mirrored glass anymore (or at least not currently).

[joeDowntown]

I like this one. It's fantastic!

[tamias6]

I heard on WZZM last night that the artist misspelled "Michigan" in Michigan State University as "Michgan". I checked it out to confirm but the image I have is a small low res one. So, on the rendering, take a good close look at the signage located on the perapet on the building's south face just under the roof over hang with the three holes to see if that's true.

[beergeek]

The original design may not have been some spectacular achievement, but at least it was understated and tasteful. This new rendering is a train wreck.

The more I look at it, though, the more it makes sense....it looks like one of the new towers mated with one of those GRCC fortresses and had this ugly love child.

[midude]

2. Who came up with that awful green "S"? It's a medical school, but a football stadium. Not even in blessed A2 are any buildings except the Stadium marred with a block "M." Not that there's anything wrong with a block "M," mind you.

You've obviously never been inside the hospitals in Ann Arbor. There are banners hanging in the Taubman Center (main entrance) with the whole block M, rah rah thing. There are even quotes from "The Victors" emblazoned on them.

I say there is absolutely nothing wrong if a school wants to show a little esprit de corps.

[RustTown]

GRdad, aren't those additional photos of Canary Wharf in London? Perhaps you'd want to make note of that, because it was pretty confusing.

[GRDadof3]

GRdad, aren't those additional photos of Canary Wharf in London? Perhaps you'd want to make note of that, because it was pretty confusing.

Right above the pictures is this:

Here are a few I found on-line. I love the glass and architectural detail on these.

I'm pretty certain all the GR forumers knew those weren't the real proposed designs. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th are all Canary Wharf. The first is some kind of medical research facility designed by Perkins & Will (I believe).

[joeDowntown]

The second and third are possibly Canary Wharf. I don't think the first is. Either way, I don't think it is all that confusing to say "this is what the building should look like".

GRdad, aren't those additional photos of Canary Wharf in London? Perhaps you'd want to make note of that, because it was pretty confusing.

[rleuthueser]

The latest north elevation panorama:

December 2005 and December 2006 - a lot of digging and a lot of concrete

Life Garden formwork at the tunnel portal

[dtown]

Nice panos!