TDA RFP - 1st & Boulder

[SXSW]

I guess you could enter through your patio door that faces Boulder. 

Agree if the front door opened onto Boulder these would actually be pretty cool.   One more floor would be better too, or at least a rooftop patio.  Too bad since this is on a potential streetcar route.

I was in Houston recently and they have entire neighborhoods of these types of "town homes" that neglect the street/sidewalk and face inward.  Like this they are built with a suburban mindset in an urban setting.

[tulsa1603]

Judging by the east elevations, the most windows and the outdoor living space that people would hang out on (patio, balcony, whatever) are facing Boulder, so I'm not quite clear on how these ignore the street.  There also appear to be gates at each patio that would allow access to Boulder.  I don't think they're particularly original, but I don't think all is lost, they actually make quite a bit of sense to me.  The most important thing is that there is "life" facing the street, and per the plans, the living areas and outdoor spaces face the street.  Just because the front door doesn't, that doesn't mean much.  Think of the "front door" as more of a service entrance - close to the garage side for access to the car.  If the laundry room and bathroom went to the Boulder side, with small/no windows, I would be upset.  This actually makes perfect sense to me.

[jacobi]

Considering the corporate clientele who will likely own these, I'm sure that no visible public entry is exactly what they are looking for.


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[sgrizzle]

I don't think you can count the patio door as an entry as your standard run-of-the-mill patio door locks from the inside.

[nathanm]

If it's built out to the sidewalk, which it appears to be, and doesn't involve a street-facing big blank wall, it's not hurting anything. It's just not as good as it could be or as good as we should expect. Empty parking lots and block-long blank walls are much worse for the streetscape than patios and balconies.

[DowntownDan]

These renderings have them looking alright.  I'd prefer the rowhouse style with the front door to the street but I guess their idea is for the rear patio to have the view of the skyline.  I guess I can understand it.  And I'm not in the market for one of these so I'm guessing they did some research and expect that they can sell these with this configuration.

http://100boulder.com/index.html

[saintnicster]

These renderings have them looking alright.  I'd prefer the rowhouse style with the front door to the street but I guess their idea is for the rear patio to have the view of the skyline.  I guess I can understand it.  And I'm not in the market for one of these so I'm guessing they did some research and expect that they can sell these with this configuration.

http://100boulder.com/index.html

Oof, those prices @_@  Between 206 and 230k a unit, with 18 units total

[patric]

Judging by the east elevations, the most windows and the outdoor living space that people would hang out on (patio, balcony, whatever) are facing Boulder, so I'm not quite clear on how these ignore the street.  There also appear to be gates at each patio that would allow access to Boulder.  I don't think they're particularly original, but I don't think all is lost, they actually make quite a bit of sense to me.  The most important thing is that there is "life" facing the street, and per the plans, the living areas and outdoor spaces face the street. 

Not for the units that line up with the Acorn streetlights at eye level.  I imagine those will likely have curtains and doors that never open because of the intrusive high-intensity light outside.

Architects like the "splash" an acorn gives to blank walls, but these aren't, they're windows to people's living and sleeping spaces, and Acorns are not only inappropriate but uninspired. 

[Conan71]

838 to 910 square foot studios.  The financing through mid-first is 15 year fixed or 5 or 7 year ARMs.  Might work for some young professionals who don't want to be bothered with a yard and have few worldly possessions.  Certainly not attractive to families.

[Townsend]

Not for the units that line up with the Acorn streetlights at eye level.  I imagine those will likely have curtains and doors that never open because of the intrusive high-intensity light outside.

Architects like the "splash" an acorn gives to blank walls, but these aren't, they're windows to people's living and sleeping spaces, and Acorns are not only inappropriate but uninspired. 

BB gun

[TheArtist]

Wow, I actually caught myself doing a genuine face palm.  These definitely say "Don't walk here."  Not much of an improvement over a parking garage being up to a sidewalk, and definitely a downgrade from the grass and trees that were there before imho. These remind me of "Communist or Project" type developments.   Perhaps I am odd but when I go home I like to walk up to or drive up to something inviting at the end of the day, not shuffle up to something that looks like a "workers living cubicle" out of some dreary dystopian movie like Metropolis.  I love contemporary architecture and all that, but these are slit your wrist depressing.  

Hate to say it, but even the new ones in Greenwood are depressing to walk past as well.  Went by those one evening when it was nice and they were about as inviting to walk past as an alley or back side street.

Both of these places are kind of like something you see in the big cities that was squashed into perhaps a dark awkward, out of main view, available spot and rented out to poor people who then hope to get into someplace better asap.  I wouldn't be at all surprised to see something that looks just like this in a sic-fi movie in which they were described as "The slums of the future. Here is where the workers and slaves, the most downtrodden and wretched of society live."   And you would react saying "Eeew how horrid those places look. Those poor people who have to live in that day after day."

Gawd these are awful.      

[jacobi]

Those prices are beyond obscene.  I think these will All be owned by Williams, Magellan, etc.


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[Conan71]

Wow, I actually caught myself doing a genuine face palm.  These definitely say "Don't walk here."  Not much of an improvement over a parking garage being up to a sidewalk, and definitely a downgrade from the grass and trees that were there before imho. These remind me of "Communist or Project" type developments.   Perhaps I am odd but when I go home I like to walk up to or drive up to something inviting at the end of the day, not shuffle up to something that looks like a "workers living cubicle" out of some dreary dystopian movie like Metropolis.  I love contemporary architecture and all that, but these are slit your wrist depressing.  

Hate to say it, but even the new ones in Greenwood are depressing to walk past as well.  Went by those one evening when it was nice and they were about as inviting to walk past as an alley or back side street.

Both of these places are kind of like something you see in the big cities that was squashed into perhaps a dark awkward, out of main view, available spot and rented out to poor people who then hope to get into someplace better asap.  I wouldn't be at all surprised to see something that looks just like this in a sic-fi movie in which they were described as "The slums of the future. Here is where the workers and slaves, the most downtrodden and wretched of society live."   And you would react saying "Eeew how horrid those places look. Those poor people who have to live in that day after day."

Gawd these are awful.      

I agree mostly, Artist.  Problem is, the developer must still believe downtown is a dangerous place to live.

The renderings do show that balconies or patios line up to the street.  I'm not sure if people who live in downtown are ready to have a front door exposed to a heavily traveled road for fear of nightly home invasions by roving bands of homeless folk.   

[Cats Cats Cats]

Given the amount of growth in downtown living I'm surprised they would stop at 2 floors.

[Gaspar]

What a marvelous example of disposable architecture.  The most redeeming feature of this development is that it can easily be torn down for future development.

If you could purchase condos at IKEA, I imagine this is what they would look like.  Of course they would have a name like TDDÖANG STED.