21 hours ago, KJP said:

 

All is quiet. PHS has been slammed by COVID-19. I wouldn't expect to hear anything for years. It's going to take PHS a long time to recover.

I’ve never been that person that likes to “promote a cause” but @KJP’s post underscored the reality that the performing arts are taking a major hit (I’m actually in that industry). I went to the PHS website and noticed that they have a “banner” asking for donations in light of the pandemic. I felt able to make one and thought others on this forum might feel they could as well - it’s something that we can actually do, besides posting a sad face- even if that donation is extremely modest - I’m certain that every bit of help will help. Playhouse Square is one of the many jewels of Cleveland - one of the brightest - and I know it will endure - but this is a brutal time. Thoughts go out to those most directly affected by those darkened stages. 

47 minutes ago, CleveFan said:

I’ve never been that person that likes to “promote a cause” but @KJP’s post underscored the reality that the performing arts are taking a major hit (I’m actually in that industry). I went to the PHS website and noticed that they have a “banner” asking for donations in light of the pandemic. I felt able to make one and thought others on this forum might feel they could as well - it’s something that we can actually do, besides posting a sad face- even if that donation is extremely modest - I’m certain that every bit of help will help. Playhouse Square is one of the many jewels of Cleveland - one of the brightest - and I know it will endure - but this is a brutal time. Thoughts go out to those most directly affected by those darkened stages. 

And be sure to check if your employer has a matching gift program. Every one of my donations to performing arts, cultural, or educational institutions is doubled thanks to my employer. 

Took this one yesterday afternoon... pretty happy with how it turned out. It’s definitely a great looking building!

Beautiful! Let’s hope that it reaches reasonable capacity relatively quickly given the Pandemic. I’m rooting bigtime for Playhouse Square.  

Edited September 27, 20204 yr by CleveFan

 

Can we get a gazillion more of these shiny towers please????

 

The Lumen is looking extra stunning this evening with the cloudy skies and fall colors. What a dramatic and bright addition to the skyline!

 

Definitely would’ve preferred this without the stripes, but nonetheless a great slice of modern glass architecture to contrast with the Keith Building!  Great pictures. 

3 hours ago, mrclifton88 said:

Definitely would’ve preferred this without the stripes, but nonetheless a great slice of modern glass architecture to contrast with the Keith Building!  Great pictures. 

What an important addition for Cleveland- the Lumen now one of my favorite downtown buildings. I may be in the minority- but I actually really like the stripes - it seems clear that they are an homage to the former “big boy” at the gateway to downtown - the Keith.  Yea, beautiful photos, @urbanetics_

Remember stripes are only on the south and east faces. The north and west faces are stripeless.

I'm with @CleveFan, the stripes look good. Those faces needed something interesting visually, since they don't benefit from the sweet reflections the North and West faces get.

5 minutes ago, Ineffable_Matt said:

I'm with @CleveFan, the stripes look good. Those faces needed something interesting visually, since they don't benefit from the sweet reflections the North and West faces get.

 

Likewise I agree with both of you --the stripes break it up nicely and add vertical emphasis.  

Would love to see a similar tower with large balconies go up next to the Caxton building parking lot.  Imagine the views of Progressive Field. 

 

I view this building as the most transformative building since Key Tower.  It's clean, modern and beautifully done.  Chicago is an example of a city that has a great mix between traditional and modern architecture.  I really appreciate cities that have both.  Sherwin Williams really has the opportunity to move Cleveland in that direction.  

4 hours ago, Ineffable_Matt said:

I'm with @CleveFan, the stripes look good. Those faces needed something interesting visually, since they don't benefit from the sweet reflections the North and West faces get.

I love the stripes. I saw a picture of the Hudson Yards development in NYC this morning, and it seemed to me an overwhelming field of glass where each building kind of gets lost in the ones surrounding it. Glass can be exciting when you have so few glass towers, but equally boring when you have too many that all look the same. We're very lucky to have 2 high level glass facades in the Lumen & Hilton, and I love the aesthetic diversity the stripes & changing angles add to the Lumen's facade. 

Hate the stripes. They look like they are glued on after-the-fact. When the light is right they stick out like a sore thumb. The above photo shows them in a more subdued light so not as bad a look as bright light.  

 

Even though l prefer all glass towers l agree a skyline full of them would be too much. No worries of that happening here lol.

count me in as pro the stripes. looks pretty slick to me.

Stripes or not, I wish the treatment went all the way to the top of the tower rather than ending at the first service floor, thus truncating the look.

I made a quick poll concerning the stripes to get a better picture of what the forum thinks. I'll link it below...

 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6LLGNF7

Thanks Pleco but I have one concern with your survey - it may lead to a slightly misleading take-away - unless you add up all the “yes  subgroups”  in the final tally. 

Unfortunately with a free account it limits responses to 40 max, but thank you to everyone who was able to participate!

It seems about 50% of people are happy with the design, ~20% would have modified them in some way, and 30% think Jack and Meg are icky. 

Here are the results from the poll:

Edited October 5, 20204 yr by Pleco

While a huge fan of the building in general, as I had commented upthread, I'm not a big fan of the stripes on the two faces, which were apparently added after the initial design review. I'm still unsure as to why the change was made and why they only changed two of the four sides. Regardless, I would love to see more glass towers interspersed with the traditional gray, beige and brown brick and mortar buildings throughout the CBD.

Edited October 6, 20204 yr by Frmr CLEder

I don't remember the building having that big gray hat in the renders, but I gotta say I kinda dig it

Crain's virtual forum this morning said they are 26% occupied currently.

The top floor viewing lounge opens October 13, I believe.  I’ll try and snag some pictures when they let us in.

3 hours ago, yanni_gogolak said:

Crain's virtual forum this morning said they are 26% occupied currently.

That means that the building went from 53 units occupied to 82 in less than a month which is amazing given that there is a pandemic. If this pace continues they will be fully leased within a year! 

Construction completed on The Lumen at Playhouse Square, adding another tower to Cleveland skyline

 

https://www.cleveland.com/realestate-news/2020/10/construction-completed-on-the-lumen-at-playhouse-square-adding-another-tower-to-cleveland-skyline.html

Hmmm. This part is not good to read in this article.   -  

While it’s unclear whether demand for downtown apartments will drop in the long term, recent statistics are not promising.

The Downtown Cleveland Alliance said in a report that 13.7% of apartments were vacant in the neighborhood at the end of June, compared with 7.8% during the same period last year. Some developers and worried that downtown has too many apartments, even as others propose plans to add even more.

 

2 minutes ago, simplythis said:

Hmmm. This part is not good to read in this article.   -  

While it’s unclear whether demand for downtown apartments will drop in the long term, recent statistics are not promising.

The Downtown Cleveland Alliance said in a report that 13.7% of apartments were vacant in the neighborhood at the end of June, compared with 7.8% during the same period last year. Some developers and worried that downtown has too many apartments, even as others propose plans to add even more.

 

I think with the pandemic, there just isn’t a way to tell what the long-term outlook will be. 

I responded here......

 

 

Here’s a skyline photo looking west from about 120’ in the air from a building around East 105th and Cedar.

 

I tried to get the Lumen dead center in the middle of the pic.  It’s the dark-ish building and really fits in from a height perspective.

1 hour ago, simplythis said:

Hmmm. This part is not good to read in this article.   -  

While it’s unclear whether demand for downtown apartments will drop in the long term, recent statistics are not promising.

The Downtown Cleveland Alliance said in a report that 13.7% of apartments were vacant in the neighborhood at the end of June, compared with 7.8% during the same period last year. Some developers and worried that downtown has too many apartments, even as others propose plans to add even more.

 

What do they expect? Of COURSE the vacancy was higher this year than last year, cause last time I checked we weren’t in a once in a 100 year pandemic last year. Like, duh. Folks got laid off, many people lost their jobs altogether, the city shut down and still isn’t back to 100 percent. I’d think you’d see a little bit of a difference. What a pointless stat with no context that is typical of the scared of our own shadow Cleveland media.

1 hour ago, inlovewithCLE said:

What do they expect? Of COURSE the vacancy was higher this year than last year, cause last time I checked we weren’t in a once in a 100 year pandemic last year. Like, duh. Folks got laid off, many people lost their jobs altogether, the city shut down and still isn’t back to 100 percent. I’d think you’d see a little bit of a difference. What a pointless stat with no context that is typical of the scared of our own shadow Cleveland media.

Also, does that include all the new units in Lumen that just came online? I wouldn't be surprised if a big part of that increase is simply new supply that hasn't had time to lease up.

No one should be surprised the vacancy rate has increased with the new supply in the market.  Vacancies will decrease as downtown is still a very attractive place to live.  it may take a bit longer given the pandemic.  

2 hours ago, Down_with_Ctown said:

Here’s a skyline photo looking west from about 120’ in the air from a building around East 105th and Cedar.

 

I tried to get the Lumen dead center in the middle of the pic.  It’s the dark-ish building and really fits in from a height perspective.

 

The Forest City.

 

I also realized from this vantage point, another building that's in the works (a bit taller than Lumen) will fit in quite nicely.

28 minutes ago, MissinOhio said:

 

The Forest City.

 

I also realized from this vantage point, another building that's in the works (a bit taller than Lumen) will fit in quite nicely.

Are you breaking big news here? 

5 minutes ago, CleveFan said:

Are you breaking big news here? 

 

No lol.  Just an observation based on forum discussions.

Isn't SCB the architect of the Lumen?  Its not on their website...

 

https://www.scb.com/projects/residential/

Finally got to get on the 35th floor.  It’s really really awesome. I’ll try and get some lake shots from the deck during the day.

 

 

Nice, thanks. What's on the 35th floor? is it a public party space for tenants? Is there an outdoor section?

9 minutes ago, Pugu said:

Nice, thanks. What's on the 35th floor? is it a public party space for tenants? Is there an outdoor section?

Yea it’s a public spot.  There is a deck too. The pictures of the street are from the deck.  Couldn’t get a good shot of the actual deck at night though.

Edited October 13, 20204 yr by Ruken

Morning views from 35.

 

 

I'm so happy this building was built but...oof those indoor amenity spaces are bad. That isn't design that invites people to comfortably spend time in them. They're going to go unused like most "fancy" amenity spaces in buildings. We actively avoid this type of design in our buildings and we put out tenant surveys every 6 months to the nearly 2,500 people who live in our buildings and the number one comment about amenity spaces in buildings we took over that already had spaces designed like this is that they aren't inviting and nobody wants to use them. It's a shame too. It's sacrificing comfort and usability for what someone deemed more flashy. And even then? That carpet? Bold red accents? It feels very dated already. This isn't where the world of building amenities has been going the last few years and it's a shame someone didn't tap into current design methodology for these spaces.

I want like a dozen more Lumen sized buildings, but really hope someone taps a different designer to work on these spaces in the future phases of this development and others.

Edited October 13, 20204 yr by jmicha

^Who was the designer of the space--was that Vocon?  I'm not a fan of that clear perimeter wall but its hard to see how high it is. If it is three-four feet or so that's okay---but if its taller than an adults chests that's not very well-designed. A quick fix within the perimeter wall may be add to some potted trees and plants.

Edited October 13, 20204 yr by Pugu

2 hours ago, jmicha said:

I'm so happy this building was built but...oof those indoor amenity spaces are bad. That isn't design that invites people to comfortably spend time in them. They're going to go unused like most "fancy" amenity spaces in buildings. We actively avoid this type of design in our buildings and we put out tenant surveys every 6 months to the nearly 2,500 people who live in our buildings and the number one comment about amenity spaces in buildings we took over that already had spaces designed like this is that they aren't inviting and nobody wants to use them. It's a shame too. It's sacrificing comfort and usability for what someone deemed more flashy. And even then? That carpet? Bold red accents? It feels very dated already. This isn't where the world of building amenities has been going the last few years and it's a shame someone didn't tap into current design methodology for these spaces.

I want like a dozen more Lumen sized buildings, but really hope someone taps a different designer to work on these spaces in the future phases of this development and others.

Can’t speak about the 35th floor because it just opened, but I can assure you the 5th floor is being used quite often.   I see the 35th floor as an event/dinner party type space as opposed to one where individuals hang out regularly. 
 

it’ll be interesting to see the use as the building gets more occupied.

 

 

10 minutes ago, Ruken said:

Can’t speak about the 35th floor because it just opened, but I can assure you the 5th floor is being used quite often.   I see the 35th floor as an event/dinner party type space as opposed to one where individuals hang out regularly. 
 

it’ll be interesting to see the use as the building gets more occupied.

 

 

Are you able to reserve the 35th floor for an event/party or does it always have to be open to everyone?

11 hours ago, cle_guy90 said:

Are you able to reserve the 35th floor for an event/party or does it always have to be open to everyone?

Would be a good spot for a Cleveland UO meetup!  

On 10/13/2020 at 8:59 AM, jmicha said:

I'm so happy this building was built but...oof those indoor amenity spaces are bad. That isn't design that invites people to comfortably spend time in them. They're going to go unused like most "fancy" amenity spaces in buildings. We actively avoid this type of design in our buildings and we put out tenant surveys every 6 months to the nearly 2,500 people who live in our buildings and the number one comment about amenity spaces in buildings we took over that already had spaces designed like this is that they aren't inviting and nobody wants to use them. It's a shame too. It's sacrificing comfort and usability for what someone deemed more flashy. And even then? That carpet? Bold red accents? It feels very dated already. This isn't where the world of building amenities has been going the last few years and it's a shame someone didn't tap into current design methodology for these spaces.

I want like a dozen more Lumen sized buildings, but really hope someone taps a different designer to work on these spaces in the future phases of this development and others.

 

I will be very blunt in saying that I don’t think we’re even looking at the same pictures. I think those spaces look AWESOME. And seeing as @Ruken is the target demographic and he clearly is excited about those areas, I’d say they hit their mark. That monster red painting on the wall is stunning, I love the contemporary fireplaces, the light fixtures are fascinating, the textured wallpaper adds a richness, the floor to ceiling windows are wonderful, and an outdoor space nearly 400’ above Euclid with clear perimeter fencing is just outstanding. (I agree that the carpet tiles suck and the tile on the fireplace appears a bit over the top.)
 

That said, you do have me very curious as to what you think a good, inviting common space for a large multi tenant building should look like. Please share some pics or links (perhaps in a more appropriate thread) as to what you think is better design. I’ll probably like whatever you post too - I’m a big fan of good common spaces. 
 

 

What @Boomerang_Brian said. I think it looks cool. The designer's definitely made the choice and went with it. Idk, maybe its looks too fancy to use? I am also curious as to what @jmicha's communal space looks like, for elucidation's sake. 

To each their own. I'll consider sharing some of our buildings. I'm hesitant as I'm not a huge fan of sharing work that'll clearly point back to who I design for if someone reverse image searches since they're all online. 

 

With that said, the market for this building is very much the same as the market for most of our buildings. I just struggle to see the comfort in these spaces which is my issue with them. It's a common problem with amenity spaces all over. But I won't highjack this thread with my design opinions. I hope it proves me wrong and is perfect for the market and leads to many more.

43 minutes ago, jmicha said:

To each their own. I'll consider sharing some of our buildings. I'm hesitant as I'm not a huge fan of sharing work that'll clearly point back to who I design for if someone reverse image searches since they're all online. 

 

With that said, the market for this building is very much the same as the market for most of our buildings. I just struggle to see the comfort in these spaces which is my issue with them. It's a common problem with amenity spaces all over. But I won't highjack this thread with my design opinions. I hope it proves me wrong and is perfect for the market and leads to many more.

That’s understandable. Perhaps you could share links of other people’s projects that you think DO hit the mark. Maybe other designers that inspire you? (And probably in a different thread.)