urbanMSP

Thanks for the reports on all of these projects. This one holds great potential to really add some spice to the cityscape. It is great that they have opted to use the Guthrie ramp for parking access. The trip down Washington from 35W to the end of the North Loop is getting more and more interesting.

On 800 are they still planning to use the “self cleaning” panels on the exterior?

Yes, the bio-concrete is still in the mix. On a similar note, they mentioned that the green roof and all the garden alcoves mean that there will actually be more square feet of vegetation on the site when it's complete than there is now, as an empty grass lot.

That's great! I've seen some applications of the bio-concrete and the stuff looks great. The thought of all of those vegetated alcoves and the green roof just makes me happy. I hope they have some good resources on the ideal plantings for all of that. This building has me a lot more excited than !!. !! is a deep bow to past history, and 800 Washington is a look to a possible future. I don't mind bows to history here and there, and I certainly appreciate the whole historic preservation movement, but it will be good to see something come out of the ground that is truly forward directed and experimenting.

New plans: http://minneapolismn.gov/www/groups/pub ... 219346.pdf

Wow.

This is definitely one of the best projects in the city, in so many ways.

New plans: http://minneapolismn.gov/www/groups/pub ... 219346.pdf

Damn, that is sexy.

Niiiiice! Love those small retail spaces. This one keeps getting better.

It's still a good project, but I like the look of the shorter, original building better. It's a little too massive and bulky for me now.

On the plus side, I like all the retail spaces. And it kept the pocket garden/green spaces.

On the negative side, half the units on levels 4 and 5 look directly into the parking ramp (15 feet away, at least they should get some light). Also, the parking being connected to the city-owned Guthrie ramp is aesthetically nice, but will be frustrating for residents depending on when they want to arrive or leave. When a show lets out, people can sit in that ramp for 15-30 minutes trying to leave. I guess if you lived there you would learn to time your exits.

This one bodes well for Aecom’s future work here! Hope they can get the St Paul project up and running!

Do it do it do it. Now. Approve. Go.

Critiques:
- 3 bedroom layouts are not good, bordering on bad.
-Retail entrances should be inset. Not only does it offer slight protection from the elements, it is more inviting. The design offers nothing at street-level other than a flat glass plane.

The SW facing multi story indoor winter garden is gonna be super sweet. Glad to see larger units proposed but yep, those 3-bed layouts just hurt to look at.

This is interesting. I like that.

Maybe it's because I'm middle aged, but I think about risks of ownership in this building. How well tested are all these interesting elements? It says "Condominium" so I'm assuming these are owner-occupied units, and it's a lot to ask a pool of random somebodies to invest their money in something that could be very expensive to maintain. I'd be worried about how they're going to control all the moisture that will be introduced into the structure. It's not hard for companies that want to demonstrate their green credentials to manage the maintenance on expensive commercial buildings with green roofs, etc., but what about a HOA in a relatively small mixed-use building? I worry that the building will deteriorate quickly due to an HOA being unwilling to tackle the huge costs of maintaining a building with complex and expensive ongoing maintenance needs.

This is interesting. I like that.

Maybe it's because I'm middle aged, but I think about risks of ownership in this building. How well tested are all these interesting elements? It says "Condominium" so I'm assuming these are owner-occupied units, and it's a lot to ask a pool of random somebodies to invest their money in something that could be very expensive to maintain. I'd be worried about how they're going to control all the moisture that will be introduced into the structure. It's not hard for companies that want to demonstrate their green credentials to manage the maintenance on expensive commercial buildings with green roofs, etc., but what about a HOA in a relatively small mixed-use building? I worry that the building will deteriorate quickly due to an HOA being unwilling to tackle the huge costs of maintaining a building with complex and expensive ongoing maintenance needs.

Thanks for the insight! It’s definitely good that we think about these things. All really good questions.


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Also, the 3-bedroom layouts make me think of Metric's "Satellite Mind".

The concerns about the unique features of this building are certainly legitimate. The cantilever on the west end of the building will create heating issues for the units directly above it. Our freeze thaw cycles will put any containment system for all of the greenery to a hard test. Even the winter garden will bring in humidity control issues, all of which could have expensive consequences for the homeowners.

I live in a condo with relatively few amenities. I am also president of the HOA board and am painfully aware of how quickly costs for seemingly minor problems can escalate into financial disasters, especially in matters involving water and the physical fabric of the building.

On the other hand, technologies for roof gardens , green roofs, and container grown trees have advanced dramatically in recent years. “Green walls” and other types of indoor gardens have become much less experimental. I would guess that the addition of six floors to the original plan was at least partially influenced by the need to spread the risks of the features over a broader field. The floor devoted to office sosc3 and the first floor commercial spaces give this building an advantage over ordinary condominium buildings that are entirely made up of residential units

I really like having something unique from any other project in town. Glad they are trying something new. But a few concerns, as BBMplsMN stated, access via Guthrie ramp could be awful. I used to live in what is now called Bolero Flats across from the Orchestra Hall which has shared ramp access through the 11th and Marq ramp. You could easily be trapped for 20+ minutes after concerts, and the timing of when shows get out varies, so it isn't always predictable. The windows for the north side 4th floor units are really bizarre. Several are directly behind columns and another window is aligned with the elevator shaft, even when window placement, as viewed from the exterior, seems random, which you would assume is for the benefit of interior views. But actually, one studio unit's only window is directly behind a column. I guess if you are only looking at the parking ramp anyway... its like the designer was thinking they don't need a window at all.

Controlling water penetration looks like a huge challenge. I hope the project is successful- we really need more creativity in building design. Some of the challenges they have created should be easy fixes (thoughtful window placement), but others- potential water intrusion and actually keeping the plants alive and healthy in recessed spaces will be difficult. Good luck to the team!

Where is this in the approval process?

Its not dead yet, AECOM is looking to get an extension: