CincyIntheKnow

Rumor has it the lack of development on the exterior is due to difficulties between DH and Gensler. Hopefully they can work their differences out, otherwise the project could be delayed even more by a switch.

Based on the enquirer article it seems like we will get a quirky facade with contextual materials. If executed properly, this could work really well along the lines of the Contemporary Art Center. I like the light well, and am intrigued that future expansion of the offices would be down into the above ground parking. It seems counter intuitive, one would think more office tenants would lead to an increase of parking demand, and removing the above ground parking will only add to that. I wonder if this is a precursor to another garage to be built elsewhere, perhaps at 4th and plum? Maybe it is part of 3CDC's long term strategic plan?

There are plenty more effective ways for me to learn how to be an architect than to design a glorified Port-o-Let, especially when I'm spending tens of thousands of dollars for the opportunity. A typical graduate elective studio for M.Arch. students at DAAP -- one I took last year -- involved helping design a health clinic in rural Tanzania, on a site with no electricity, sanitation, or running water, using materials that could be sourced locally and assembled by locals with very little training in building construction. And then one or two students from our group had the opportunity to spend their co-op on site in Tanzania to help supervise construction. IMO, such a studio has far more educational value than anything offered by this project. Society has far more important design-related challenges to address than to redesign a modular public toilet that can simply be ordered from a catalog. The suggestion to use DAAP students for this particular project seems to have very little to do with any inherent educational value, and more to do with trying to skim a few dollars off the price by using unpaid labor. I'm a firm believer in learning design by taking on real-world projects that have a clear humanitarian focus, but your attitude seems to be more along the lines of, "Wow, this project is too expensive. Let's just get some DAAP kids to design it for free." Such an attitude is demeaning and insulting to the real issues that get addressed within the various DAAP programs, and it's insulting to practicing architects and designers who expect to get fairly compensated for their work. While I agree that it can seem demeaning to design a toilet, and it pales in comparison to some other design opportunities, I will admit that one of my most enjoyable studio experiences at DAAP was a kiosk design studio. Spending so much time in the macro scale, I personally gained a lot working at the micro for that project. I get your frustration to the "let the DAAP students solve the problem" phrase that gets thrown around a lot on this board, but I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss this project as a design studio, if it were to happen.

It is a corporate-owned store... good luck convincing "the man" to change.

This has been in the works for a while. Will be between the JR and still unopened Wine Guy. Carryout only location.

I don't blame them, I NEVER want to touch Camp Washington, at ANY time. I understand I might be in the minority there, but to me it doesn't have good flavor. Good for people watching though.

Conjecture: I have a feeling the steps are staying, it is just they are not meeting the water. I would guess the blue line is the existing shore-line.

You think they are safe even though they don't slice their meat... IN THE STORE!?!?!?

From what I hear that is not the case. They are moving the Norwood location to the new Rookwood Development.

"M" is going to be a wood brick oven restaurant, casual atmosphere, same owner as Cumin

Really? (Julius) Caesar's Palace was "inspired" by the Greeks? I guess indirectly, but I digress. While I am hardly making an argument for EIFS, it is one thing to recall something historically and regionally significant but entirely something else to make a Classical-looking building in the desert. And I have walked by these one story cap buildings in Columbus; while stylistically they are not contextual, they are quite successful in scale and function. I think most of the arguement in this thread is based on a desire for visually interesting architecture as aopposed to the monotony of the Banks Phase I. I do agree that you dont have to be classical-looking EIFS to be visually interesting, though.

Not bad... Ideally the change in material would have coincided with the introduction of balconies along the lines of Liebeskind's original design for the Ascent (i.e. hiding the balcony in the depth of the brick) because the stepping looks a little too random right now. That being said, it is an improvement over the Moody Nolan/ C+R crap thats there right now. Edit: Looks like the thumbnail on the previous page does just that: http://www.emstructural.com/category/recent/ Why not do that on the other sides?

I like the idea of a sculpture garden/ water feature in the park elements of the caps. As far as the buildings themselves, the inherent question to me is what use truly bridges the gap between the Banks and the rest of Downtown. I am skeptical that a predominantly retail development is needed. Something unique yet in synergy with the existing office/ residential mix of the city would be ideal.

Other than Inn the Wood (an unfortunate loss) and Akropolis (I don't think anyone really went there), what are you remembering that I am not? Baba Budan's relocated, and I am quite glad they got rid of the crappy Hardees, Arby's, and Taco Bell.

Most built work that we gripe with are designed by Cincinnati firms. While BHDP did design the glass garage structures in WP, fountain square and smale were given to design firms outside of the state. Better talent pool? Better budgets? Or better clients? BHDP also did Fountain Square. Washington Park is a local architect (BHDP) and landscape architect (Human Nature). Smale is being designed by Sasaki Associates, which is a world renown landscape architecture firm. The City of Cincinnati and 3CDC (to some degree) have good track records of not value engineering good design away, but most for-profit developers strip down designs to get as much profit out of projects as they can. BHDP was the architect of record on fountain square, but not the designers. Perhaps 3CDC should have been the developer of the Banks instead?

Most built work that we gripe with are designed by Cincinnati firms. While BHDP did design the glass garage structures in WP, fountain square and smale were given to design firms outside of the state. Better talent pool? Better budgets? Or better clients?

Did anyone else notice the date on those massing studies... January 24, 2012. This has been in the works for quite some time.

Oh God. Please tell me that it isn't a cul-de-sac, since it appears that there might be a roadway/garage entrances between the two buildings. To me seemed like an upper plaza with steps that curve around it and go to the sidewalk below.

With the amount of high speed vehicular traffic this intersection sees ground floor retail simply isn't viable. That being said, I don't know who would want to live at such a high traffic intersection. I don't think they look that bad. They seem to respond fairly well to what I believe is the Junior League building across the street as well as the unfortunate office building at its caddy corner, but it is impossible to tell due to the intentionally blurry rendering. I do agree that the corner treatment/ stair element is a huge missed opportunity.

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It all depends on whats included in that 36 million. If it is the previously reported 200,000SF that is a measely $180/SF, not much room for high design if that includes interior fitout, elevators, lobbies, etc.

I was thinking a Wolfgang Puck type restaurant would do gangbusters at the Banks. Unique enough that each restaurant has its own menu and feel, notorious enough to attract people form the burbs. That being said, those two plots in front of the Freedom Center are huge, and would require something more substantial in scale or iconic like an ESPN zone or a Rainforest Cafe.

Is it bad that I actually like the "back" of the Banks more than the "front"?

I can not imagine many pizza places pulling in $50k a week, especially on delivery alone. A million dollar store is considered the threshold for a very successful casual restaurant concept, or $20K a week. What often helps some places overcome this threshold is higher price point, catering, and/or alcohol sales. I would think the expected weekly threshold for the Mahogony concept to be 30-35K.

So was it an anachronism that the Italianate fad of the 1850's was inspired by Italian villas of the 1500's? Or was everything up until modernism just "inspiration" because construction methods didn't change much until then? I do see what you are saying, but I think of an anachronism as something that seems patently out of place for its time, like a caveman with a gun. In a neighborhood of building style X, why not keep building in style X? Also, what about the small movement in architecture, allied with New Urbanism, that wants to resurrect classical architectural design conventions? Would they have to come up with some style that was totally novel in order to avoid being an anachronism? Replication/ imitation are not the same as inspiration in my opinion. Would I advocate buildings inspired by Italinate architecture in this neighborhood, absolutely. Do I want Italianate infill because it looks like it belongs, no. Throughout history there have been movements based on a sense of architecture having lost its essence, or traveling down the wrong course. Initial works of these movements often are reflections of the last time period that carried that essence to be identified with. I.E. Neo-classical was a result of of feelings of order and beauty lost in architecture, Post-modernism the lack of humanity, New-Urbanism to density and community. These works are often replications, and are an anachronism. In time the movements develop an identity beyond replication. At this point they are not an anachronism, but an inspiration based on a concept, and a modern (in time not style) execution of said concept. In the intellectual realm, it is one thing to be based on any concept, new or old. It is entirely another thing to be a replication of style. Replication is the easy way out, but it is an option.