Fun with renderings

April 27, 2007
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Browning/Dora proposalThis is one of four proposed projects for an acre of state-owned land along the canal between Ohio and New York streets. What do you think? Property Lines has been asking for the other renderings but so far to no avail. This proposal, from Browning Investments and Dora Brothers Hospitality, calls for more than 250 hotel rooms and retail space, including along the canal.
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  • That's a lo-res rendering, time to try lightwave...
  • Are they going to do anything about the algea in the canal now that the city is trying to attract more attention to it
  • That rendering is pretty blah if you ask me. Good density but other than that, it does nothing for me. A lord knows we really don't need another hotel in that area. There's already one right on the canal and many others in the area. Canal-front land should be saved for much better uses. Let's hope the other proposals are better.

    As for the algae, I don't particularly care about the plant form growing on the bottom, but I understand other people not liking it. What needs to be dealt with NOW is all the crap floating on the surface. It's really disgusting in the corner by the state museum right now. And if you look closely, there seems to be a film across the entire surface in some areas. I know removing the plants is a much more complex task, but it would take a park service worker with a bucket and a skimmer less than a day to clean the majority of that stuff off the surface of the water. Or use some people punished with community-service like they did last year!
  • There is better architecture going up in Carmel. Why oh why does everything in Indy have to be soooo bland? It makes me sick to see some of the great and daring architecture in cities like Kansas City, Louisville & Cincy, while Indy piddles away in mediocrity.
  • I agree with everyone's statements that it is blah. It looks like an annex to the state government center to me.
  • i completely agree with maria and jason266...i recently was in downtown louisville and atlanta, and their skylines are both much more impressive. it's not necessarily the need to build huge structures, just structures with more appeal than a box with windows. indy continues to miss great opportunities to amaze us - over and over and over. it seems like if you are a developer in indy, you can only think dollars and cents, and throw aesthetics out the window...can there ever be a balance?!
  • Hopefully the other proposal will look better than this. But it won't matter, the city always seems to choose the most architecturally boring and bland suburban buildings. The city loves to proclaim its building a world class city, but living in Indy my entire life, I really can't find anything that is world class except for our war memorials. Indy hasn't done anything world class since the early 1900s.
  • Ted -- I agree regarding the lack of modern world-class architecture in Indianapolis, but what about the Cultural Trail? Other cities have similar trails, but none are of the scale and quality of the one being built in Indy. This is really going to be a unique, world-class amenity for us.
  • I dislike this design, the city should demand so much better. Something that doesnt; look like a 1980's design would be best.
  • Downtown Louisville, an impressive skyline? I must have been away for quite a while because the last time I was there, except for the Humana Building designed by Indy's own Michael Graves, Louisville doesn't have any better skyline than Indy. Now what they are planning, with the 62-story Museum Plaza condo, retail and museum building - a modern architectural masterpiece, will be exciting and leap Louisville way past Indy.

    At the same time, I don't find this rendering all that bad. It's better than the original proposal for the JWMarriott Hotel. By the way, when will we see the revised proposal for that project? It seems to be taking a very long time to get that put together.
  • Jim -- I think you mean it's taking a VERY, VERY long time to put together. They're overdue on the financial deal between the city and the developers that was to be worked out by April 1st and they're also behind on the redesign that was due mid-April if I remember correctly.

    I only hope that the delay in seeing the redesign has something to do with Jonathan Hess -- the city's architect liason with the Whiteco architects -- fighting for a better design for the city.
  • I don't know who trained the architects that design the majority of the buildings in Indianapolis, but they need to be fired. What erroneous design ideology is spawning all of these architectural atrocities?

    I wonder, do the architects employed here ever travel outside Indianapolis city limits? Do they even live in the city? Have they ever looked at commonplace design magazines, such as Wallpaper, Abitare, or Architectural Digest and seen what is being built elsewhere? Do they comprehend the power they have to impact a city? Do they care?

    It seems their only inspirations are the existing mediocre mix of buildings and their bottom line.

    I am a designer and it hurts my soul to look upon such ugliness on a daily basis. I have a growing inclination to leave the city soon and the aesthetic choices Indianapolis has made during the last 40 years have a lot to do with that desire.

    Rant over. ;-)
  • JimB and others re: the Louisville skyline: a lot of its drama is due to the river and the BRIDGES which is something Indy is missing. There is no big natural physical thing here that anchors the man-made elements of the skyline.

    And I agree: the rendering shown is awfully bland.
  • I agree Ablerock, it hurts me to see subpar after subpar after subpar project being built in Indy. Its a state of mind in Indy, just settling for good enough, not going above and beyond. Not being daring. Not taking risks. Its this state of mind that drive the creative class like yourself out of Indy. Its what leads to the massive brain drain of the college educated out of Indy. Its a vicious cycle that unfortunately won't be ending anytime soon.
  • We will not see quality urban design until we start to expect/demand quality urban design. There is definitely a mindset in this City that any development is good development and design becomes an afterthought.

    Take the MSA redevelopment proposals for example, everyone is so caught up with the Target factor and/or the any development it good development mindset and forget that this particular site deserves better development (ie. increased density, good URBAN design).

    For partial taxpayer-subsidized development (ie. hotel mundane, convention center), the City should set a precedent and require the developers to spend the time/money necessary to create structures worthy of being built in downtown Indianapolis. We have a great opportunity to build upon the progress that has been made over the past few years and it is time to take the next step and raise the bar when it comes to quality urban design.
  • Speaking of hotel mundane...are we ever going to get new renderings?

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  1. liek the rest of America

  2. These quaint,obsessed musings by the stalkers are certainly entertaining, but I'm trying to figure out what, if anything, all the yelping below has to do with Zak Brown.

  3. It's evident that Moffett was pushing the right buttons and corporate America is now trying to squash him. He just wanted to withdraw the free pilot services provided to the company by the pilots to try and put some pressure on a company that has not been interested in negotiating a contract in over 5 years. The company does not provide a contract because not having one has saved them a bundle of money. Shame on any Republic pilots not standing behind their union leader just because things are getting tough, can you not see such strategic moves by the company as putting the last union president in a corporate position and into THEIR pocket. Do you really believe the last union president is so appalled at the attempts by Moffett, do you not remember his oppositions to the company? We stood behind him. It has been proven over and over again for thousands of years without fail, a man cannot serve two masters. Anyone that believes people vote contrary to their paycheck and livelihood deserve to be taken advantage of, the recent statements by the former union president are laughable as he denounces the current union president from his new corporate position. Have you ever seen a drafted sports player score points for his previous team, it cannot be done, he is not on the pilots side anymore, he gets his money a different way now than you and I do, and he should not be allowed to remain on the seniority list. A drafted player brings strength, credibility, tactical knowledge, and a strategic advantage to his NEW team, he would not be drafted or paid were it otherwise. We are all forced to choose only one side to play for and support, not doing so has many references in life such as insider trading and shaving points, all illegal for good reason. This basic fact is why corporate moguls, scientist, and engineers all sign non-discloser agreements and non-compete clauses, as protection in case they are lured into switching sides as our former union president has done. No NFL coach ever drafted a player so that both teams could benefit and better understand each other, they are recruited to win the game against that former team, period. Likewise the company does not recruit the former union president by accident or mutual understanding, its strategy. Don't confuse playing the game with good sportsman-like conduct in support of common business and prosperity goals, with the requirement to only play for one side. Good men we all love and favor fall subject to this manipulation, often without their knowledge, and it is not a betrayal of their friendship to oppose them when they switch sides. If we did not love and trust them, they would not have been chosen and lured to the other side in the first place. The deception by the drafted player is not made at a conscious level, it's just human nature and it's all about money and power which corrupts our ability to be objective and loyal to two masters. This is why our court system created the defense attorney, and why our military created counter intelligence. Its strategy and its propaganda, and it works, and that's why the "powers to be" manipulate the chess pieces by sometimes changing their colors. Some players know they are being manipulated when their color is changed, but it brings them more money and power so they do not care. The rest have good intentions but do not even realize they are being manipulated. This tactic is also known by another name, Divide and Conquer. In battle sending an imperfect message with an imperfect team is obviously not ideal, but it's still being sent by YOUR team, your union leader, a leader that has common goals and common rewards with you, they are the best, because we have elected them to do a job for us. If you are not backing Moffett but believing the spin by those that have recently switched sides, you are taking food out of your own mouth. Showing unity and backing an imperfect situation still results in taking just as much ground, it's about unity and bargaining power. It's not necessary to wait around for that perfect attack because it will never come, the company will spin and attempt to destroy anyone that gets in their way. Ultimately it's not about any specific attack anyway, ASAP or whatever it makes no difference, it is and always has been only about power. If this company cared about safety it would not build pairings with 8 hour overnights, come on, are you that naive? Besides, do you really think Hoffa cares, no, he got a call from corporate America and was squeezed into denouncing Moffett. If he didn't they would spin the safety card against him and the Teamsters National with implication for truckers, future contracts, insurance rates etc...saying something like the Teamsters use safety as a bargaining chip, blah blah blah... Do you really think any pilot is going to do something unsafe for the contract, absolutely not, the only ones threatening safety here is the company with reduced rest, fatigue, and poverty. Do you not find it odd that Hoffa and the Teamsters are opposing a Teamster president publicly? Would the Teamsters National not normally support and work with one of their own? Why did they not sit down and help him strategize, correct any mistakes, and charge ahead? Would the Teamsters National not normally support and leverage a contract for all those pilots that have been paying Teamster dues, isn't that why we have all been paying Teamster dues in the first place? I sure haven't been paying dues so that the Teamsters National could come along and write this kind of an article undercutting our union leader and our unity. Whose side is the Teamsters National really on, it's obviously not the Republic pilots side.

  4. No matter what Moffatt does the company is going to spin it like he is the terrorist and brainwash people like you into believing it, wake up, back your players that are trying to change things for you and your livelihood. Where has Hoffa been for the last 6 years, except collecting our dues. Seriously, do you really think an FO going for upgrade, signed off by a checkairman ready for the upgrade, who then fails, is not even capable of returning as a First Officer.

  5. whoa!

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