New State Office Building at 8th and Broad St

[Downtowner]

13 hours ago, Hike said:

Sorry you had to deal with that. I’ve been in the construction industry most of my life, there are bad projects and there are good projects, hope your next one makes up for this. As for completion, won’t there be penalties if not completed by a certain date or did Covid change that?

I honestly have no idea I just know we have lost a lot of money on projects. I work for Davis and green and we lost millions on the dominion hq tower project. Same with Avery point. We had to do overtime so early in to these jobs which is never a good sign. Also the shortage of workers is the biggest thing. You can’t find anyone who wants to put in an honest hard days work anymore.

[Shakman]

COVID didn't have a major impact on the construction industry.   Supply chain crisis is having more issues than COVID.  While other industries hid in their basements, construction was still on going.  Every once in a while some projects were closed for a short period of time.  Usually those delays can extend the schedule.   We had a couple of positive tests on our sites but kept going without delay.

Edited July 7, 2022 by Shakman

[Brent114]

COVID meant overtime for me (renovation carpenter) and I was pissed about it. In those first few weeks I was sure that we would all die alone in our beds hacking and I was spending my last few moments on Earth watching homeowners fret over cabinet hardware.  It was very upsetting. 
 

Is this project delayed or is it just taking long because that’s  how big municipal buildings are? 

[Downtowner]

1 hour ago, Shakman said:

COVID didn't have a major impact on the construction industry.   Supply chain crisis is having more issues than COVID.  While other industries hid in their basements, construction was still on going.  Every once in a while some projects were closed for a short period of time.  Usually those delays can extend the schedule.   We had a couple of positive tests on our sites but kept going without delay.

Supply chain and shortage of workers is the two major issues in skilled trades industries. It’s tough but we’re making it through at the moment. 

26 minutes ago, Brent114 said:

COVID meant overtime for me (renovation carpenter) and I was pissed about it. In those first few weeks I was sure that we would all die alone in our beds hacking and I was spending my last few moments on Earth watching homeowners fret over cabinet hardware.  It was very upsetting. 
 

Is this project delayed or is it just taking long because that’s  how big municipal buildings are? 

I got the delta variant from a coworker and was fully vaccinated. I was so mad because my wife was pregnant. It led to alot of other issues where I had to quit my job for the time being with my wife being pregnant and my parents being in there mid 70s. Nobody cared about anything covid related and would never say if they ever had it or not. Made it tough to stay onboard when people were careless about it. Not even management cared even during the height of it. So once I had covid I had to think of my family and left my hvac job. Glad i did to be in the electrical field. Best decision I made. I’m happier with it and understand it better.

[Hike]

The RTD reports that the GAB is behind schedule and won't be occupied until after the 45 day session that starts on Jan. 11, 2023 (end of February 2023) and they will remain in the Pocahontas Building until then.  There are a lot of dominoes related to other buildings being developed and projects started related to the Pocahontas Building being vacated, so now,  the other projects will be on a delay if I'm reading the tea leaves by this schedule change.  Also, I had hopes for the GAB, now seeing it, in particular, the older saved classical facade attached to the new art deco building, I don't see the new building as new or being much different than what was there, it just looks ok, was hoping for WOW.  Thinking back to the VCU Gladding residence, where it married the classical facade in contrast to the glass dorms, those looked nice together as it allowed the classical facade to stand proud, the GAB has 2 distinct classical style facades lined up and competing with one another, as if mismatched.  The watercolor renderings provided were hard to distinguish that and now seeing it finalized in this photo, that's a detail where I may have questioned it, not that my judgement matters.

https://richmond.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/new-general-assembly-building-wont-open-until-after-next-session/article_0cc83bc4-70fb-53c3-a89d-8f23d06be24c.html#tracking-source=mp-homepage

 

 

Edited September 22, 2022 by Hike

[123fakestreet]

23 minutes ago, Hike said:

 the GAB has 2 distinct classical style facades lined up and competing with one another, as if mismatched. 

 

Agree. One looks nice, the other looks like a cheap imitation of it.

[Hike]

10 minutes ago, 123fakestreet said:

Agree. One looks nice, the other looks like a cheap imitation of it.

It also may be that these are lined up almost exactly side by side, if the new Deco was stepped back, as if honoring the classical, it may have been less of a side x side comparison and honored the existing higher style of classicism.  The other item is the "capitals" of the columns don't line up and that jumps out as if misaligned.  

Edited September 22, 2022 by Hike

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, Hike said:

It also may be that these are lined up almost exactly side by side, if the new Deco was stepped back, as if honoring the classical, it may have been less of a side x side comparison and honored the existing higher style of classicism.  The other item is the "capitals" of the columns don't line up and that jumps out as if misaligned.  

 

1 hour ago, Hike said:

The RTD reports that the GAB is behind schedule and won't be occupied until after the 45 day session that starts on Jan. 11, 2023 (end of February 2023) and they will remain in the Pocahontas Building until then.  There are a lot of dominoes related to other buildings being developed and projects started related to the Pocahontas Building being vacated, so now,  the other projects will be on a delay if I'm reading the tea leaves by this schedule change.  Also, I had hopes for the GAB, now seeing it, in particular, the older saved classical facade attached to the new art deco building, I don't see the new building as new or being much different than what was there, it just looks ok, was hoping for WOW.  Thinking back to the VCU Gladding residence, where it married the classical facade in contrast to the glass dorms, those looked nice together as it allowed the classical facade to stand proud, the GAB has 2 distinct classical style facades lined up and competing with one another, as if mismatched.  The watercolor renderings provided were hard to distinguish that and now seeing it finalized in this photo, that's a detail where I may have questioned it, not that my judgement matters.

https://richmond.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/new-general-assembly-building-wont-open-until-after-next-session/article_0cc83bc4-70fb-53c3-a89d-8f23d06be24c.html#tracking-source=mp-homepage

 

Looking up at it from Capital Street - the GAB looks (from that perspective) like a shorter, squatter, beefier version of the CNB Building.

[Brent114]

The building is exceeding my expiations.  The final touches can, as they say, make or break it.  
I hope  that it has regal and hefty light fixtures and big urn planters.  
 

The parking deck is very handsome but they installed really cheap and ugly light fixtures along the front.  
I haven’t seen any evidence of facade lighting at the GAB.  They had better light this building up at night.  If old city hall isn’t lit I’m gonna kill my self.  
 

This cluster along the three blocks is pretty impressive, IMO.  Light years from where these blocks were 3 years ago. 

Edited September 22, 2022 by Brent114

[Hike]

27 minutes ago, Brent114 said:

The building is exceeding my expiations.  The final touches can, as they say, make or break it.  
I hope  that it has regal and hefty light fixtures and big urn planters.  
 

The parking deck is very handsome but they installed really cheap and ugly light fixtures along the front.  
I haven’t seen any evidence of facade lighting at the GAB.  They had better light this building up at night.  If old city hall isn’t lit I’m gonna kill my self.  
 

This cluster along the three blocks is pretty impressive, IMO.  Light years from where these blocks were 3 years ago. 

Oh good, I’m reacting to a photo only and glad to hear it looks good on the ground and yes, those final details are everything. A respected architect I worked for said all the effort put into a buildings project,  the plumbing, steel, electrical,  every trade on a project, all comes down to the final details, in many instances, the lighting fixtures, furnishings, colors, finishes, landscaping, etc. are what people see and what will be the final impression of the entire project and those all happen at the very end.

Edited September 22, 2022 by Hike

[Icetera]

I also wonder if this will look better as it ages and develops a little wear like the older structure.

[Hike]

45 minutes ago, Icetera said:

I also wonder if this will look better as it ages and develops a little wear like the older structure.

I thought that too, also wonder if they still have to power wash the older facade and are doing that last, not sure if the darkened areas will come off like it's a mold, etc. could just be age.

Edited September 23, 2022 by Hike

[Brent114]

BTW, the treatment of the old Branch Baths building is one of my favorite things to happen in Richmond over the last 30 years.  It’s total class.

Edited September 23, 2022 by Brent114

[I miss RVA]

@Icetera-- re: the GAB aging and looking better: yes, I think it probably will take on that richer character once the newness of it wears off after the passage of time.

@Brent114-- integration of the Branch Baths into the Gladdings center was absolutely FANTASTIC! Great blending of old and new, historic and modern. This by itself, IMNSHO, totally blows up/destroys/eradicates the ridiculous argument of preservationists that large/tall/new structures somehow "diminish" or "detract" from older "historic" buildings. That fallacious, insipid and inane argument of "diminishment" by large/modern construction is a total red herring and should be viewed as the utter BS that it is. The Gladdings integration of the Branch Bath building is solid evidence that proves beyond ANY shadow of a doubt that an older, smaller, "historic" structure CAN ABSOLUTELY be enhanced by newer, larger, modern construction built adjacent to it or -- better yet -- mixing/integrating with it. 

Edited September 23, 2022 by I miss RVA