I think now that two towers will be visible from these distant points, more people will realize that they can see downtown from far-off lands. 

Viewing the skyline from the Poweleit Bridge today (which we know gives us the most distant head to toe view of the skyline-thus allowing good comparison of building heights) it is evident that QCSII core is now taller than Scripps.  It is apparently taller than PNC and still shorter than Carew.

New skyscraper gets 'green' rating

 

The Enquirer • November 20, 2009

 

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20091120/BIZ01/911210366/1076/BIZ/New+skyscraper+gets++green++rating

 

 

The Great American Tower at Queen City Square has landed a gold level of pre-certification under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.

 

The certification is recognized across the real estate industry as confirmation that a building includes environmentally friendly designs and construction practices. Great American Tower was originally registered to achieve a silver LEED Core and Shell certification rating. The core and shell program evaluates the entire project except for the interior spaces.

^That's excellent.  This tower is starting to show no matter where you are.  They don't have many more levels for the elevator shaft either.

Behind The Scene Of The Tallest Building In Town

 

http://www.local12.com/news/local/story/Behind-The-Scene-Of-The-Tallest-Building-In-Town/R1SJpwSxWUSpbd9QzkqqaQ.cspx

 

The tiara will be lit by floodlights, designers going for the crown jewel in the Cincinnati skyline. That tiara top is going to weigh 400 tons. It's being made in Missouri and will be put together piece by piece here on site. How will it get to the top? Turner's not really sure... a big, big crane. No one has ever done this before. It will require some complicated engineering.

 

 

Hopefully the Science/Discovery Channels guys get wind of this!!  I'll be there for this event!!

Now this will be worth watching on whatever cam happens to be working that day.

So I was down there today and what I notice from a height perspective is this:

As best as I can tell the core will add two more levels and then be done.  This where the roof is and the tiara begins.  Add the 160 feet and you get the idea of where you eye will be when focused on the top of this behemoth.

Not much. I just took these on my lunch break earlier in the week. Of course things are a little different now. The glass in now up to the top of phase I and the core and steel are a little higher. Anyways, here you go.

 

 

Awesome, thanks! Those pictures give a little perspective to just how large the building is going to be.

I'd like that building a lot better if it were located about three blocks further north. Same with the Scripps building, for that matter.

^Nah Na, It will be good once the Banks start getting some lower rise buildings in front.    Along with getting rid of that god forsaken Berlin wall on the river.

This should be about right:

Look at past renderings...this does not appear right...:)

I am rarely wrong.

Here's the same thing without turning the elevation into a blue blob. Sometimes blobs scare people.

 

Visible from Fairview Park:

 

Visible from OTR:

Looking south:

 

Is it just me or does Carew tower still look like it will be taller than QCS?  I think that tiara adds exaggerated height and not true height to this building.  Yes it will reach further in the air but the office floors are much lower and Carew tower will still be King of that dept.

You're forgetting that QCS sits lower than Carew.  You have to walk down a slight hill to get from 4th to 3rd.

That is a good point.  You're right there is a big hill maybe 50-100ft lower.

That is a good point.  You're right there is a big hill maybe 50-100ft lower.

 

We've covered this a few times already:

 

What will be the total height of QCSII with elevation?  Will it really be taller than Carew Tower if you take elevation above sea level into account?  For some odd reason this building is actually shorter than Carew tower because Carew tower has 49 floors, this building will have 8 fewer floors; but it's listed at 660ft?  That tiara isn't that tall is it?  I think this building is an illusion and Carew Tower will still be Cincinnati's true tallest building.

 

Carew sits at 550 feet above sea level, while QCSII is at 514 feet above sea level.  That's only 36 feet higher, elevation wise. (Got these numbers from CAGIS)

 

QCSII is supposed to be 660 feet to the top of the tiara, while Carew is 574 to the top of the roof.  QCSII is about 86 feet taller.

 

Accounting for the change in elevation, QCSII will still appear to be 50 feet taller than Carew.

 

The spire is supposed to be 160 feet, and that's pretty much what it looks like in the renderings.

Some photos from a beautiful Saturday afternoon downtown:

 

 

 

Chill guys, chill.

The view coming down the cut in the hill looks exactly as I had hoped, and makes the city appear much larger than it previously did. Though I do miss seeing the P&G boobs from that angle.

ugh.  this is really turning into one ugly building.  sorry to be a downer, but it is not a pleasant looking structure in the least.  how did this get by?  It needs to be thinner. 

I just wish we'd get actual photos of these places where "ooh, I can see it from ____" and "the view from ______ really shows how it'll look!" HelLO?!? City's new tallest building?!? Ohio's soon-to-be 3rd tallest?!?  Ah, f' it, at least we have these descriptions of how it looks! :roll:

Can anyone get over to Devou park in Ky for a picture?

One day.

 

I posted a few from Devou Park a while back.

ugh.  this is really turning into one ugly building.  sorry to be a downer, but it is not a pleasant looking structure in the least.  how did this get by?  It needs to be thinner. 

 

As much as I've been trying to withhold judgement until it's complete, I have to agree... It's exciting that Cincinnati is getting a new tallest building, I can't say I'm impressed with QCII. Without the tiara, it looks like another mediocre office tower you'd expect to find in Orlando or Houston. With the tiara, it looks like a fat teenager that got crowned prom queen.

If you go to the Local12.com website and navigate to the article titled "Similarities Between New Skyscaper And Carew Tower", you can watch a video report about the building.  In the video, Deborah Dixon said that she was on the 27th floor at a height of 332'.  I don't know how many floors were above her, but it might help visualizing the scope of the final tower if you look on a diagram and find the 27th floor.  :wink:

It's definitely higher than the 27th floor, considering this was taken today from the 27th floor of Atrium II (sorry about the poor Photoshop stitching, I didn't feel like spending an hour wrestling this thing together accurately):

 

Another view from the 27th floor (sorry about the nutty wide angle distortion):

 

 

Today from Fairview:

 

From Mt. Adams:

 

 

I really believe Civvik's rendering is not accurate. Go back and look at past renderings about a year ago...it does not look squat to me, although it could be a little slimmer.

Great photos Jake, sorry I couldn't make it today. Did you see Ronny there?

I really believe Civvik's rendering is not accurate. Go back and look at past renderings about a year ago...it does not look squat to me, although it could be a little slimmer.

 

It's not a rendering. It's not "my interpretation." It's just the elevation photoshopped onto the picture. If you're hoping for a slim, elegant tower you're going to be disappointed.

It is amazing to me the beautiful architecture in cities like Dubai and Hong Kong, but then I realize that just beyond the core downtowns lies poverty for the most part. Still, I wonder why there is not more bold architecture in US buildings (remember the plain architecture of the world trade ctr?

Thanks to everyone for going out and taking photos of QCS!

I think viewing it from that due north/south angle WILL have a squatting effect on the building because of it's width.  The sqaut effect is directly related to the proportion of width to height.  You know like looking at Shaq vs. Kevin Garnett both about the same height but KG appears taller because he is skinny. 

 

Viewing from a 45' angle or direct E/W angle will expose the thinner side of the building and have a slimming effect.  That is why I think that view from Covington's riverwalk and the accompanying overlay by Civvik has the effect it does.  And the overlay looks spot on as far as how tall it will appear from that angle.

Let's keep this in perspective. Cincinnati's buildings are very small. What we consider the "newer end of Cincinnati's skyline," the clump of buildings around Atrium and Chemed, barely crack 100 meters. We're talking suburban Atlanta. Our skyline seems impressive because it is dense and diverse, and it sits on a highly constrained stage, where every vantage puts the buildings right in front of your face. And the current tallest, which sets the scale for everything else, is incredibly skinny.

 

So, when a totally average new tower comes along, it betrays all those little tricks.

It is amazing to me the beautiful architecture in cities like Dubai and Hong Kong, but then I realize that just beyond the core downtowns lies poverty for the most part. Still, I wonder why there is not more bold architecture in US buildings (remember the plain architecture of the world trade ctr?

 

$$$

For a city of its size, Cincinnati has a decent collection of innovative new architecture. It's a shame that QCSII doesn't follow in that manner.

Some cities need innovative architecture.  Cincinnati doesn't.  Our city is cool the way it is;)

I'll settle for architecture that's merely good, even if it isn't necessarily innovative.

Monday morning Quarterbacking/Engineering is always easy!    I like the design and am thrilled with the final product up until this point so far!  No matter how squatty, short, and obese it is!!

Awesome pics! I wasn't expecting to see so many photos when i clicked on the thread. It just keeps growing and growing...

^I agree that the Houston/Orlando comparison is way off.  It looks more like something that would be in Atlanta, which isnt a bad thing.

I'd say that Cincinnati architecture is in pretty sad shape if Atlanta is the best it can aspire to.

I'm not sure why people have forgotten that this is corporate architecture, and that very very few corporate HQs of this size are ever innovative designs. It's unfortunate but that's how it usually plays out.