CA: One Beale developer considers adding third tower to Downtown site

The original plan calls for 2 towers (insert LOTR references here), a 30-story apartment tower and 18-story luxury hotel, sitting on top of a 200 ft underground parking garage with 450 spaces.

The developer is considering altering the project in an effort to get state &/or federal grants to cover cost of the parking garage.

The new plan shows 3 towers, an added 12-story office building beside a larger 22-story hotel and separate 30-story apartment tower, and a larger parking garage with 600 spaces.

The new garage plans say the garage will be built at ground level rather than underground. The proposed 12-story office building would be built on top of the garage.

I'm a little concerned now that this project may not get off the ground.

Not a good sign. Building such tall buildings on the unstable sand of the bluffs and then putting a multi-story garage underground? Kind of makes me cringe. I was never so glad to move out of the 100 N. Main, a tall skinny building without reinforced steel.

(12-10-2015 05:05 PM)21-17 Best Time I Ever Ha Wrote:  Not a good sign. Building such tall buildings on the unstable sand of the bluffs and then putting a multi-story garage underground? Kind of makes me cringe. I was never so glad to move out of the 100 N. Main, a tall skinny building without reinforced steel.

Well, they can put a huge domed arena in a swamp in the bayou of New Orleans.

It's pretty amazing what engineers can do.

(12-10-2015 05:05 PM)21-17 Best Time I Ever Ha Wrote:  Not a good sign. Building such tall buildings on the unstable sand of the bluffs and then putting a multi-story garage underground? Kind of makes me cringe. I was never so glad to move out of the 100 N. Main, a tall skinny building without reinforced steel.

Are you an engineer?

(12-10-2015 05:36 PM)umbluegray Wrote:  

(12-10-2015 05:05 PM)21-17 Best Time I Ever Ha Wrote:  Not a good sign. Building such tall buildings on the unstable sand of the bluffs and then putting a multi-story garage underground? Kind of makes me cringe. I was never so glad to move out of the 100 N. Main, a tall skinny building without reinforced steel.

Well, they can put a huge domed arena in a swamp in the bayou of New Orleans.

It's pretty amazing what engineers can do.

Yes, they can, but should they? I notice those skyscrapers in Dubai, too, but I also notice some scary fires in them.

(12-11-2015 01:00 PM)salukiblue Wrote:  

(12-10-2015 05:05 PM)21-17 Best Time I Ever Ha Wrote:  Not a good sign. Building such tall buildings on the unstable sand of the bluffs and then putting a multi-story garage underground? Kind of makes me cringe. I was never so glad to move out of the 100 N. Main, a tall skinny building without reinforced steel.

Are you an engineer?

ha ha! No, but I had a damn fine geology teacher at Vandy who pioneered earthquake research on the New Madrid fault. I also have some knowledge of architecture from my major.

(12-11-2015 03:57 PM)21-17 Best Time I Ever Ha Wrote:  

(12-11-2015 01:00 PM)salukiblue Wrote:  

(12-10-2015 05:05 PM)21-17 Best Time I Ever Ha Wrote:  Not a good sign. Building such tall buildings on the unstable sand of the bluffs and then putting a multi-story garage underground? Kind of makes me cringe. I was never so glad to move out of the 100 N. Main, a tall skinny building without reinforced steel.

Are you an engineer?

ha ha! No, but I had a damn fine geology teacher at Vandy who pioneered earthquake research on the New Madrid fault. I also have some knowledge of architecture from my major.

Can you explain un-reinforced steel to us laymen?

(12-10-2015 02:07 PM)memp600 Wrote:  I'm a little concerned now that this project may not get off the ground.

I can't see it ever getting financed. It's a tough sell.

No, I can't, although I have heard one architect and several other people say the same thing. And my geology teacher said not only would he not work in the 100 N. Main, he would not live anywhere near the bluff, because of what happened in 1811-1812, liquefaction of the unstable sand and sloughing off of the bluffs all along the Mississippi. Lately, a new fault line has been discovered underneath the Mississippi River near Memphis.

My layman's understanding ~ maybe I should have said, unreinforced concrete ~ is that there are not enough steel beams to support that skinny building in the event of a major earthquake, or that they are not tied into the concrete walls and foundation in the best way. I am more familiar with older buildings which have unsupported masonry walls, like the one that partially collapsed on South Main recently.

The other problem that I have heard voiced with that building is that it is a 37-story building built on an 8-story garage. Perhaps not the best design for earthquake country. The architect told me that interior walls, contrary to popular belief, do indeed add some support to a structure.

Apparently, 100 N. Main has a twin building in Milwaukee.

Do you have some knowledge of this?

(12-12-2015 01:23 PM)21-17 Best Time I Ever Ha Wrote:  No, I can't, although I have heard one architect and several other people say the same thing. And my geology teacher said not only would he not work in the 100 N. Main, he would not live anywhere near the bluff, because of what happened in 1811-1812, liquefaction of the unstable sand and sloughing off of the bluffs all along the Mississippi. Lately, a new fault line has been discovered underneath the Mississippi River near Memphis.

My layman's understanding ~ maybe I should have said, unreinforced concrete ~ is that there are not enough steel beams to support that skinny building in the event of a major earthquake, or that they are not tied into the concrete walls and foundation in the best way. I am more familiar with older buildings which have unsupported masonry walls, like the one that partially collapsed on South Main recently.

The other problem that I have heard voiced with that building is that it is a 37-story building built on an 8-story garage. Perhaps not the best design for earthquake country. The architect told me that interior walls, contrary to popular belief, do indeed add some support to a structure.

Apparently, 100 N. Main has a twin building in Milwaukee.

Do you have some knowledge of this?

Sounds like we are equally uneducated on the subject.

(12-13-2015 07:59 PM)3601 Wrote:  

(12-12-2015 01:23 PM)21-17 Best Time I Ever Ha Wrote:  No, I can't, although I have heard one architect and several other people say the same thing. And my geology teacher said not only would he not work in the 100 N. Main, he would not live anywhere near the bluff, because of what happened in 1811-1812, liquefaction of the unstable sand and sloughing off of the bluffs all along the Mississippi. Lately, a new fault line has been discovered underneath the Mississippi River near Memphis.

My layman's understanding ~ maybe I should have said, unreinforced concrete ~ is that there are not enough steel beams to support that skinny building in the event of a major earthquake, or that they are not tied into the concrete walls and foundation in the best way. I am more familiar with older buildings which have unsupported masonry walls, like the one that partially collapsed on South Main recently.

The other problem that I have heard voiced with that building is that it is a 37-story building built on an 8-story garage. Perhaps not the best design for earthquake country. The architect told me that interior walls, contrary to popular belief, do indeed add some support to a structure.

Apparently, 100 N. Main has a twin building in Milwaukee.

Do you have some knowledge of this?

Sounds like we are equally uneducated on the subject.

Easy now, she went to Hutchison!