Short Changed?
Over the past few years Raleigh residents have enjoyed the excitement of a new building rendering on several occasions. The dreams and hopes of our next generation of buildings is typically energizing and builds expectations of a better tomorrow. As Raleigh’s tallest building takes form, we can now look back at a couple of artist renderings and see how close they were.
For best results, open each photo in a new tab, then switch back and forth to compare.
The popular skyline rendering can be compared to the picture on the right, taken on February 29, 2008. The nearly topped-off RBC Plaza stands in the center while the convention center and Marriott have completed their massing. It appears that the RBC Plaza’s rendering was the most accurate. While the building is actually farther to the right and is wider than portrayed, the size is fairly close. The building’s 22nd floor (marked by the yellow horizontal band) steps back at almost the same point relative to Two Hannover Square, but the residential floors will not be quite as tall as the rendering shows (the buidling’s highest inhabitable floor has been poured). I added a black triangle to the photo to show where the spire will top out (based on proportional measurements of lower floors compared to the cutaway diagram). Because the spire itself reaches the same height but the residential section is indeed shorter, the spire will proportionally be slightly larger than shown in the rendering. The error is minor, however. The rendering’s portrayal of the building’s blue glass is somewhat overly saturated in color. On the other hand, the shadows in the glass are full of errors. Overall, though, the RBC Plaza rendering is an accurate portrayal of what is being built.
The second project, the convention center, is also well portrayed. The rendering’s structural details are impressive, especially the NW corner’s glass protrusion and the roof’s support features. The building did not end up being as tall as hoped, though. The resulting roofline is about 40 feet lower (as compared to the Sheraton’s windows) and is much flatter than portrayed. Overall this is a good rendering, though.
…And then there is the Marriott. When the rendering was published, it was met with a chorus of boos. The insipid design in a prominent location was criticized as a missed opportunity. Critics at least were optimistic about the building’s massing and future contribution to the skyline’s density. In reality the building is an enormous disappointment and shows the rendering’s wild inaccuracies. The Marriott is vastly shorter and farther to the right than anticipated. Its windows are proportionally much smaller, making the building more similar to the high-rise jail than a second rate hotel design. Finally, is it me or does the photo show the hotel leaning to the left, somewhat, compared to One Hannover Square (Bank of America)? While the actual placement of the Marriott’s tower is much farther east than anticipated, the Progress One building is still visible and gives the appearance of more density. Perhaps we are lucky that more buildings appear in the “money shot”. Overall, though, the Marriott rendering turned out to be a poor one.
Another anticipated area this decade has been North Hills. Shown here is the Alexan rendering and a photo taken on February 20, 2008. Like the convention center, is it impressive how many details were included from the streetlight design and Storehouse awnings, to the black oval Alexan sign straight ahead. The artist did not anticipate the site’s terrain, though. In actuality The Alexan sits much farther back from and higher than Lassiter Mill Road. The error is most evident in the stairway that had to be built in front of the Alexan’s first storefront. The rendering shows a quite walkable, seamless site whereas reality offers pedestrians a busy street plus a flight of stairs to continue their experience. This is not a bad rendering, but the terrain issues prevent this from being a great one.
One of Raleigh’s most anticipated projects was the Entertainment and Sports Arena (RBC Center). The 1990s rendering and final product turned out to be extremely similar. There are several fairly minor differences, though. The rendering shows the building’s ovoid shape continuing, unbroken, at the main entrance. Some design changes by The Carolina Hurricanes included a bumped out entrance which allowed space for a ticketing lobby, retail store, club restaurant, Hurricanes offices, and the VIP entrance. The roof ring level is also bumped out, and houses the CanesVision video production studios. Another difference is the green glass and the absence of red in the actual structure. This is the exterior’s big failure . The original plan called for a rose-based smoked glass. Unfortunately the wrong color, green, was ordered and the result is ugly. Finally, high resolution versions of this renderings show multicolored uplighting on the roof’s ring. In actuality this aluminum crown is uplit with disappointing white light. Festive colored lighting (as shown in the rendering) would improve the building’s nighttime appearance. Overall, though, the artist did an excellent job with proportion, scale, and terrain and produced and excellent rendering.
Which Will Be Taller?
The Soleil Center and the RBC Plaza are currently under construction and will soon be Raleigh’s tallest two towers. Which will be taller? If you read the News & Observer’s articles (such as today’s " Triangle Skylines Evolve ") you’ll believe a recurring misnomer that Soleil will be taller. The 41-story Soleil Center will be 480 feet tall and will contain hotel and condo floors. The RBC Plaza has a different structure. It will include retail, parking garage, office space, and residential. Its 32 floors will reach 538 feet tall , capped with a 23 foot spire. The difference is in the height of the floors, and hotels and residential traditionally have shorter floors.
The N&O story reads: "What other metropolis would put its tallest building – the 43-story Soleil Center…- in one of its deepest valleys." The word tallest implies sheer height, and the RBC Plaza wins by at least 58 feet. In fact the bulk of the building is going to be 12% taller than the Soleil Center , so it is incorrect to assert that we are "putting" our tallest building at Crabtree.
Law Enforcement Center Rendering Available
The proposed $226 million Clarence Lightner Public Safety Center will be the new 17-story home for the Raleigh Police Department, Raleigh Fire Department, and the Wake County Emergency Operations Center. Plans call for the current Police HQ to be razed. ( map it )
A rendering is now available at WRAL’s site, and it shows the view from Martin and McDowell Streets, looking north. The rendering does not include the nearby planned Reynolds tower, but does sit nicely. There seem to be several different facade styles, using mostly dark glass, which is a welcome change to downtown Raleigh. Further information will be needed, however, to see what experience this building brings to pedestrians. The building currently sits in a brutal alley of faceless walls and pedestrian boredom.
Wake County Unveils Justice Center Plans
Wake County unveiled plans for its new Justice Center project . The complex will replace rise at Salisbury and Martin Streets, and feature an 11-story tower. The $214 million complex will offer several new courtrooms, much-needed room for records, offices, and underground parking. ( map it )
The famed Garland Jones building (former First
Citizens
Federal Bank above, left) building will be razed, raising much angst among the architectural community. The building is one of the few of its style in North Carolina, but is not registered as an historic place. The building’s neighboring parking deck and the
8-story brick building
next to the safety center will also be removed.
The construction timeline extends to the project’s completion in 2013. The plan allows for completion of the county’s L-Building (including a parking deck) before demolition of the current courthouse parking deck. Once completed, the building will connect to the existing courthouse and safety center via underground tunnels.
While the project is a much needed improvement to an ever tightening supply of space for the county, the project has some design weaknesses that can still be overcome.
The property’s redevelopment is a long-awaited opportunity to correct one of Nash Square’s corners. The square is one of only two remaining squares in the Christmas plan for Raleigh, and provides a valuable place for its nearby community that should be the focus of its surroundings. The current parking garage at McDowell and Martin, instead, treats Nash as a seemingly random, undeveloped lot. Joe’s Place at Dawson and Martin, on the other hand, fabulously addresses the grand park across the street, as will the Hue condominium building.
The picture above, left is the projection from Nash Square. The picture on the right is in Washington, DC, and addresses the intersection with a very bold corner. The architects, to their credit, did put one of the Justice Center’s entrances on the McDowell/Martin corner, however it is way too understated and vague. Just as Progress II’s Wilmington St. corner fails to address this important urban intersection, the Justice Center’s offset entrance and smoker’s patio is no way to formally address Nash Square.
From the square, the eye finds its way back to the complexes central, stubby tower. Perhaps bringing the building’s exterior fully to the corner with a rounded, ascending front would give Nash Square what it deserves. Perhaps a coffee shop or a small restaurant much like The Dawson’s Borough would invite interaction between the square and the building.
Salisbury Street’s projection (above) misses an opportunity as well. The Justice Center’s base is planned to abut the Public Safety Center. The new building’s tower is not only inset from the Public Safety Center’s tower, it also sits back from Salisbury St. Unfortunately the complex’s facade sinks away from Salisbury, too, in order to create an outdoor plaza with a central fountain. Do we really need another outdoor plaza with no programming (other than smoking) in Raleigh? Wouldn’t it be more interesting to pedestrians to fill this space with another coffee shop or small food outlet? A pedestrian walking this stretch of Salisbury will be greeted with two plazas of people hanging around on the right and a blank wall on the left. We need to avoid cavernous, blank blocks.
Tonight’s session the building’s features and design was an unusual, welcome, open extension by building designers. There are three more planned , and each lasts from 5pm to 7pm:
- Feb 12: Northern Regional Center (NRC), 350 Holding Avenue, Wake Forest
- Feb 18: Knightdale Town Hall, 950 Steeple Square Court, Knightdale
- Feb 19: Wake County West Regional Library, 4000 Louis Stephens Road, Cary
Here are a few more of the plates shown at the presentation ( even more ) (2/15 update: The images are part of this .pdf file, which is now available ).
Seem Familiar II?
One of the tallest buildings in Manhattan’s Lower East Side is the 687-foot-tall 55 Water Street . It was built in 1974. Featuring an almost identical facade, Raleigh’s One Progress Plaza was completed in 1977 and has 21 floors (~280 feet).
Seem Familiar?
Check out the Dominion Tower in Norfolk, VA completed in 1987. Standing at 340 feet tall, there are 26 floors. Raleigh’s Wachovia Capitol Center was completed in 1991 and is 400 feet tall with 30 floors.
Harmon’s Floating House Featured in Architectural Record
Raleigh’s Strickland-Ferris house , perched above Crabtree Creek, is featured in the January 2008 issue of Architectural Record . Designed by architect Frank Harmon , the 1,800 square foot "floating" house" sits on nine wood trusses sitting on concrete columns among a dense forest of trees.
The street side appears to be almost windowless, but the northern, forest facade is a wall of steel and glass giving the residents a feeling that they are floating among the trees.
Powerhouse Plaza Plans 10 Story Hotel/Office Complex for Downtown
The preliminary site plan (.pdf file) for a new 10-story highrise in downtown has just been submitted to the City of Raleigh. Williams Realty and Building plans a mixed use building at West and Jones Streets, across from 42nd St. Oyster Bar ( map it ), that will house 4 stories of office space and a 134-room hotel on 5 stories. The structure will have an internal 397-space parking deck, an indoor pool, 7,684 square feet of ground-level retail, and a 4,969 square foot rooftop restaurant.
That giant crashing sound you heard was the dam breaking. Both Bob Winston and the Williams are now interested in the redeveloping areas of downtown. For years now semilocal money has led the way in downtown’s redevelopment, but now we are seeing long-time natives getting in the game!
Note: The site plan portrays the building with East, not North, at the top of the page. The bottom of the page is bordered by 42nd Street, so the buildings across from the restaurant will be razed.
CAPTRUST Tower At North Hills East Begins Construction
Construction has officially begun on the 17-story mixed use tower in North Hills East known as the CAPTRUST tower . A joint venture between Duke Realty and Kane Realty, the tower will feature retail and restaurants on its first floor and will contain parking internally. A “high-end, national white tablecloth restaurant” is planned as well.
The tower is the centerpiece of the new eastside development of the 100-acre North Hills complex. North Hills East plans include a high-density retirement community, residential tower, retail, and a full-size, two-story Harris Teeter supermarket.
CAPTRUST Financial Advisors will be the building’s major tenants, however according to CNNmoney.com , other tenants of the 274,000 square foot building include Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak, & Stewart, PC, and CD Richard Ellis. The building will be completed in 2009.
New Project: The Lassiter
The final piece of the “ North Hills West puzzle is The Lassiter . Standing at seven stories, the building’s plan includes 49 condominium units with 10-foot ceilings, underground parking, terraces, and an overall figure 8 design that allows each unit to be an end unit.
They’ve prepared a nice video that includes renderings not featured on the project’s website.
Wal-Mart Pulls SE Raleigh Plans
WRAL is reporting that Wal-Mart will not build a store that was planned for Sunnybrook and Rock Quarry Roads. Good news or bad news? SE Raleigh has a dearth of new retail, but is Wal-Mart what it needs?
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