So is this bldg going to be 695 ft with the tiara, about what it was supposed to be originally?  Its already 565.

 

From the Enquirer

 

http://ow.ly/1Cek9

This building feels very Cincinnati to me. Somewhat retro but cool at the same time.

 

I've always thought this as well... Has points that resemble art-deco but is modern by 2010 standards too.

 

I dont care what anyone says, this building is NOT modern. 1980's mod. yes. 2010. no. what it is is an eyesore of catastrophic proportions.

 

Ok, so maybe a bit extreme. but it is ugly.

 

Ack, I have a problem with the word "modern" being used to describe contemporary architecture, but that's something I'll deal with.

 

No, the building is not contemporary in ANY way. That said, I think it has some great details and I think it WOULD be perfect in the Cincinnati skyline if they hadn't botched the proportions so horribly. Obata has some really good projects to his name, I don't understand how he messed that up.

 

It's really hard for me to judge this without the tiara completed. Right now it's a kinda blah but still a huge improvement for the skyline. It's always felt like a Cincinnati counterpart to Louisville's AEGON Center:

 

And it seems like these tiara trusses are going to be quite numerous:

 

 

Should we change this thread title to Great American Tower at Queen City Square? Does anyone actually call it Great American Tower? http://queencitysquare.com/

The building is definitely not ugly, but it could have been more slender. It will  (to me) be a very welcome addition to the skyline.

The building is definitely not ugly, but it could have been more slender. It will  (to me) be a very welcome addition to the skyline.

 

Couldn't have said it better.

Is the Crown going to be white!??! Blah. I thought it was just going to be stainless steel.

 

The cost of doing that whole thing in stainless steel would be astronomical.

 

And can you even imagine the amount of glare that thing would have in direct sunlight?

I think people are getting annoyed at the word "tiara" it's being abused and the final design looks nothing like a tiara.  It actually reminds me of the front cover to the Jaws novel lol.

Hopefully it won't fall down during a severe thunderstorm.

Being white, it should be able to take on nicely whatever color lighting scheme they want to put on it at night

^No actually it was going to be shorter than 665 feet (correct me if I'm wrong) but somewhere in the development stage I heard that two more stories were being added to the actual building.  Bottom line is the building alrady looks kickass.

So is this bldg going to be 695 ft with the tiara, about what it was supposed to be originally?  Its already 565.

 

From the Enquirer

 

http://ow.ly/1Cek9

 

They probably included the core's height which when built the tiara will included about 28' of it. So no it won't be 695'.

    Quote

 

        Well, the design of this was first proposed in the late-1980s, and shelved until 2002, so yeah.

 

 

 

    Actually, this design has nothing to do with the 1980s versions.  The 80s versions had two different designs.  The first was a giant square structure in the middle of the block with one setback about halfway up with a flat top.  The other one which was extremely cool, was twin 40 story towers with spired tops.  One tower sat where 303 Broadway is today and the other sat where the rotunda is today.  I wish I still had a copy of the rendering!

 

I stand corrected.

 

Have you looked at the renderings of the past at http://cincyimages.com?

 

I have not ever seen the oldest rendering shown.  I wish I would have gotten the ones I mentioned, I have never seen them anywhere else, plus there were a few of Fountain Square West that I have never seen anywhere else.

OK, i posted a year or two ago that the exact height is 664'-9".  To put that boring discussion about height to rest, here are pictures snipped from an actual drawing.  The top of the tiara (1179'-2" ASL) minus the third street lobby (514'-6" ASL) makes a total height of 664'-9"

 

 

Lower portion of the "Tiara" went up on the north side this morning.

rounded up to 665'. End of discussion and moving on..... :clap:

^Yes, it's tall, it's cool, anywho...One thing I noticed that the drawings don't really show is the horizontal bridge portions to the tiara actually jut outward.  It looks really cool. from the side view.  You can see it if you drive by the building and look from the side.

rounded up to 665'. End of discussion and moving on..... :clap:

 

I heard that the manufacturer made a slight error in the length of the top frame for the tiara and it will actually be 670'?

 

> End Snarky Comment! LOL

 

Seriously tho, I wonder how they're going to light this thing?  It will be interesting to see it at night.

rounded up to 665'. End of discussion and moving on..... :clap:

 

I heard that the manufacturer made a slight error in the length of the top frame for the tiara and it will actually be 670'?

 

> End Snarky Comment! LOL

 

Seriously tho, I wonder how they're going to light this thing? It will be interesting to see it at night.

 

 

Hahaha, 5 feet is not a "slight" error. 

Lighting choices should be interesting:

1.) lighting from within the "tiara" outward or lighting from the outside looking inside

2.) lighting with LED (more versatile/economical) or traditional lighting source

The prevailing thought is that they will light the entire top of the building since they are using white-colored steel (as seen in previous photos) for the top which should reflect color extremely well.

Note: My thoughts here are mostly guesses - would appreciate anyone who can verify official QCSII lighting plan (if indeed finalized and ready for public knowledge).

Where is that webcam link again? (I'm serious this time) ;)

Is the "tiara" completely enclosed by glass panels or is it a steel structure that is open to the elements?  I can't tell from the renderings.

Where is that webcam link again? (I'm serious this time) ;)

 

http://queencitysquare.com/construction.htm

 

Pls bookmark this link!

 

Soon Carew Tower will be bowing down to CincySkyline's new Ruler, her Majesty GAT @ QCS!

Is the "tiara" completely enclosed by glass panels or is it a steel structure that is open to the elements? I can't tell from the renderings.

 

Enclosed with glass paneling.

Glass panelling? Wow, that interesting...I'm more excited to see what the heck this is going to look like now. Most of those renderings had it open frame. What are your sources Sherman?

The same source that told you it is now going to be 670' and not 665'. :P

 

In all actuality, you should check out the renderings that Cincyimages has. All of the versions of the tiara are obviously glass enclosed. There is no reason not to have it sealed.

 

http://www.pbase.com/cincyimages/queen_city_square

Obviously those are old unofficial renderings. This is the actual official rendering of the building.

 

This clearly has the tiara non-enclosed. :roll: I'm sorry it doesn't make sense to make this thing have glass panelling - too expensive; think

Bank of America Plaza in Atlanta.

 

Don't get me wrong, I actually like the idea of a glass panels. I just don't know if that's really the plan or not.

Sassy today, aren't we? ;)

 

Those are renderings compiled over the years, much like the current QCS rendering. You can take that as you will, but it's pretty obvious.

 

I put in an inquiry to W&S.

Obviously those are old unofficial renderings. This is the actual official rendering of the building.

 

This clearly has the tiara non-enclosed. :roll: I'm sorry it doesn't make sense to make this thing have glass panelling - too expensive; think

Bank of America Plaza in Atlanta.

 

Don't get me wrong, I actually like the idea of a glass panels. I just don't know if that's really the plan or not.

 

How do you know if it's glass or not? Glass is clear, so is nothing.

I think it will all be enclosed in glass so it'll look like a shark with frickin laser beams attached to it's head;)

How do you know if it's glass or not? Glass is clear, so is nothing.

 

We shall see soon so this a moot point.

At 6,650", the tiara will be enclosed with mirrored glass that will hide 40 different webcams.

Each of which shoots lasers.

At 6,650", the tiara will be enclosed with mirrored glass that will hide 40 different webcams.

 

OMG I laughed so F'n hard at this...classic dude...rofl! "40 Different webcams" :lol:

 

But you do know that 6,650" is like 554'...which is shorter than the building is proposed and of course shorter than Carew Tower excluding the Flag Pole. :-D

 

So it would be just a regular building in Cincy with Laser Mirrors and 40 webcams in 40 different locations. Hey that might not be such a bad idea, seriously. I can think of 40 locations to put those cameras to show the different perspectives it would give. Awesome idea!

 

1) Devou Park,

 

2) Mount Adams

 

3) Dayton, Ky

 

4) Covington, Ky

 

5) Carew Tower Observation Deck?

 

6)...

From Queen City Discovery

according to this article, the tiara will be open: http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/blog/2010/04/crane_operator_stays_on_for_one_last_mega_job.html

Got a call from from W&S today and she confirmed that it will be open.

Given all the rooftop HVAC equipment that needs to vent to the outside, there's no reason they would even consider making it enclosed.

^So you're saying it'll be a steaming tiara?  ;-)

When the outside air is cold enough, it will be a water-condensing tiara.

Princess Diana must still be steamed!

mmmm...figures. Like I said it doesn't make any sense to make it enclosed. Glad my comments were vindicated. 8-)

Woo! I also feel vindicated! Vindication all around!

With all the water condensation that will be happening up there, I just hope the tiara doesn't start growing moss.

 

Why? They might get a higher level of LEED certification with a "green roof" ... or, uhh, a green tiara.

 

What Rob Alpern has to say about tiara lighting:

White light, from both inside and outside.  The rest of the tower will feature various uplighting on the façade.  Exterior lighting won’t start until late this year.

 

 

If its going to be white I hope its at least LED white and not yellowish incandescent light. I still wish they would use some sort of rgb color rotating system..like Van Wormer library on UC's campus.

Crane operator stays on for one last mega job

By Dan Monk, Business Courier of Cincinnati, April 27, 2010

 

They call him Rocky, the Maxim Crane Works employee whose room with a view is the cab that holds the crane controls at Great American Tower at Queen City Square.

 

Rocky Shamblin is at least 670 feet above the pavement when he’s in his perch. We’ve been trying for weeks to get an interview with Rocky, just to find out what life is like up there. So far, no luck. Instead, we offer these comments from Ken Jones, vice president and general manager in the Cincinnati office of Turner Construction Co. That’s the firm in charge of construction at the 1 million-square-foot office tower, where crews are now assembling the 130-foot tiara that will serve as the building’s 300-ton crown.

Here's a few shots I took from Covington earlier today.

 

 

Awesome shots man! That beauty sure looks good when it's sunny out! :laugh:

 

They only got one air handling unit?  Seems rather limited given the sq footage of the building.

That's a chiller, not an air handling unit. There may be additional chillers installed on the top of the parking garage to the north.

 

I'm guessing each floor of the building will have its own air handling unit(s), located in the central core.

Thanks for the amazing pictures!