Medical Mile/Michigan Street Developments

[PR-15]

Yeah, like insider trading. Once in a while you lose money.

I'm about to use Martha Stewart and Secchia in the same "sentence"...

Edited November 3, 2007 by PR-15

[mifunboy]

The new design is lame, the original ones are much cooler.

[torgo]

The new design is lame, the original ones are much cooler.

I'm not too high on the building either. I like the roof, but those little windows just scream "1960's bunker" to me.

[MJLO]

eh renderings never do a building justice. I think it will look ok, if the new office buildings going up are any indication.

[GRDadof3]

I too think the new plans are a little lackluster, especially since based on Ellenzweig's other work, I was expecting a little more razzle dazzle:

But it's way better than that obnoxious blue reflective glass, and the parking levels look very nice! You can barely tell where the parking is, which always bothers me when some building designs make it so obvious and no attempt is made to marry the parking with the rest of the building.

Now that I look at it, the med school looks a lot like the one in the center on the bottom of that collage, and even a little bit like the left side of the building in the bottom left . They look pretty nice finished.

[blueradon]

I think if the side facing west had a bit more glass to it rather than the small windows with the little "bumps" - I'd be more okay with it. But not too much glass like the older rendering where it looks like it eats up the whole building...

Although at the same time if the whole west side kind of had an arch popping out (like GVSU's building) and had all transparent glass - that would have been cool too.

Know what I mean?

[Veloise]

...

...

Hey, check out that horizontal cutwork design element atop the med school. It appears vertically on the lower left collage structure.

[snoogit]

If you include parking this building should be about 13 stories tall by the looks of the rendering.

[sparky05]

Sheesh. First picture post in who knows how long for me...

[sparky05]

[sparky05]

[GRDadof3]

Sheesh. First picture post in who knows how long for me...

And nice shot it is sparky! That is unbelievably fast work they are making of that foundation. It even looks above-grade at the Bostwick end.

[d8alterego]

Is it a foundation or a parking garage? I thought the original renderings had a parking garage or an emergency entrance below it.

[GRDadof3]

Is it a foundation or a parking garage? I thought the original renderings had a parking garage or an emergency entrance below it.

Part of it is below grade, with the Bostwick end being open. And yes, there will be parking and offices in the lower floors of the pedestal. Whether it's technically a foundation then, I don't know.

[Eridony]

It's slowly coming along. Thanks for the update.

[GRDadof3]

I don't know sparky05. I'm not a fan of the LH Cancer Center now that it is coming together. Something about the color of the stone and the color of the glass does not mesh well together. I guess I expected a lot more cream colors based on the rendering:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2036/195104...a4e5844b5_o.jpg

Ah well.

The parking ramp looks like it's almost ready to open, and they are putting the finishing touches on the streetscape planters:

I think they still have to install the big black louvers.

The first "file cabinet" is almost completely closed in:

[dtown]

Is that Towers building going to stay or will it be demolished?

[Michi]

Very sharp looking complex. I like all the green in the rendering!

[Allison Slater]

Towers Building will not remain.

[tamias6]

Towers Building will not remain.

...and good riddance. The old Towers Building is a disgusting looking building.

[torgo]

I don't know sparky05. I'm not a fan of the LH Cancer Center now that it is coming together. Something about the color of the stone and the color of the glass does not mesh well together.

I agree completely.

[AlexPKeaton]

I don't mind the glass, but the stone was an odd choice. Still, driving by tonight I thought the building looked sharp, figuratively and literally.

[sparky05]

I don't mind the stone, but I'm sort of up in the air about the glass as well. I think it may look pretty dated a few years down the road. It's the same sort of thing I think about the GVSU Engineering building.

[Michi]

The stone is my favorite element. I think it really accentuates Grand Rapids' "green" initiative and it add the perfect natural touch to the hillside, which itself is a great natural asset to have buildings built upon. I think the architecture will age well.

[Allison Slater]

I suppose I'd have to go back and see the stone and glass in person before I can formulate an opinion. Based on the pictures, however, the brightness of the glass compared with the brightness of the stone doesn't quite seem to match well. Like an off-key sort of mis-match.