Harwood District: The Azure (375 FT. / 31 ST.)

[JasonDallas]

If you look at the Azure cam right now you can see a big fire in Oaklawn. http://netcam.harwoodinc.com/

The WFAA Love Field tower cam seems to have a better image of it.

Jason

[jsoto3]

Dallas firefighters are battling a two-alarm blaze at an apartment building on Maple Ave.
http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/VideoPlayer/makeASX.php?title=beloint_wfaa&live=1&adurl=adcontent/grubbsmurano8306.wmv

[Boredkid]

Whats burning?

[4th Generation]

Vacant units at Maple & Knight St.

It got upgraded to a 4-alarm towards the end of the newscast.

[Tnekster]

You can just start to see the glass exterior on the webcam. It is kind of hard to see but it is making its way up at the bottom of the screen, looks like about floor 7-8. http://netcam.harwoodinc.com/

[Boredkid]

Ya there has been glass for a week or two... It is going to be a very cool looking building when its all said and done...

[Tnekster]

That webcam picture has turned really crappy for some reason.

[AZDallasite]

The webcam is fixed now. Did they change the color for the glass? What you can see on the webcam appears gray, nothing even close to being blue.

[BigD5349]

^You have to see it at just the right angle to catch the blue hue. Maybe it will look more obvious when all the glass installed, but so far, it's mildly disappointing to me. Of course, I understand that the people living there would want a subtle shading inside their homes.

[hamiltonpl]

This building looks pretty imposing coming south on 35 towards downtown.

[AZDallasite]

^ Jut imagine how great the skyline will look from 35 with Azure and Victory Tower complete.

[Tnekster]

^You have to see it at just the right angle to catch the blue hue. Maybe it will look more obvious when all the glass installed, but so far, it's mildly disappointing to me. Of course, I understand that the people living there would want a subtle shading inside their homes.

I think some of the glass is less blue than others. I think what they are putting up right now looks more grey than blue.

[Mephis Gooseberry]

^ Jut imagine how great the skyline will look from 35 with Azure and Victory Tower complete.

... and Ritz 1, Cirque 1 and Hunt should be visible from 35.

The House, Ritz 2, The Stoneleigh, 2000 McKinney and One Victory Park are due to start soon.

These would all make a visual impact from Stemmons.

[Tnekster]

The drive in on Stemmons already looks dense, all of these additions will only add to that look.

[Mark Lea]

i just looked at the glass on the webcam and yall are underestimating how dissappointing it is. I hope the sides are bluer bc if it is all that nasty grey color, I am sure sales will take a hit.

[Tnekster]

I drove by it last night and noticed it looked more blue from the street but not at all like one would expect it to look.

[tamtagon]

So, like, are they going to change the name to The Grey-Blue-Grey?

[Hunter Wadle]

so, no one has any pictures yet??? i havent even seen the glass....

[urbanpleasure]

was there a design change somewhere along the way? i seem to remember the building in the the rendering when the Web site first came out was a very vivid blue. now if you look at the Web site it doesn't look blue at all.

[Boredkid]

Has anyone though to call the sales center and ask?

[Tnekster]

^Obviously you thought of it. Let us know what they say.

[CTroyMathis]

Grayish and blue in an Oct. '04 post: http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=3614

Grayish and blue in Post 201 back in Feb. '05: http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/showpost.php?p=54977&postcount=201 , http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5267 , http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5859

[urbanpleasure]

Wow I guess it hasn't changed then. I guess its the name AZURE and that's why I was expecting something different. I still think it'll look great though.

[TexasStar]

It will still look GREAT!

[Tnekster]

Blue and Grey, thats what I thought too but the glass they are putting in now is what really should be more blue than it looks.

[grantboston]

Maybe it still has some kind of plastic sheeting over it one one side?

[Tnekster]

I heard from the staff at the Azure today. I will cut and paste the info about the glass.

The glass curtain wall does not have a blue tint and was never intended to have one. The building will have a blue light running vertically down the center on the south side which will most likely create a blue-ish look against the night sky. We will also have numerous water features around the pool and the building which may lend a blue quality to portions of the glass, depending on the light.

[BigD5349]

^Oh well... It seems like the developers in this city can't see beyond red brick, grey, beige and white. I just can't figure it out, why they all think this market won't support some interesting color.

[urbanpleasure]

Well that is somewhat disappointing.

[urbanpleasure]

From Harwood's (http://www.harwoodinc.com/) site:

High Rise Features - March 2006
Azure Brings New Hue to Dallas
Luxury Condos Heighten City's Uptown Image
by Tonie Auer

Azure, a 31-story condominium tower, will add a blue-tinted sparkle to the Dallas skyline when completed in spring 2007.

The $100 million project is the latest addition to the 12 city blocks of Harwood International Center in Uptown Dallas.

Under construction on 1.3 acres at Wolf and McKinnon streets near the North Dallas Tollway, the luxury condo tower - which is already 80 percent presold - will be the tallest building in Dallas' Uptown area. The 202 condominium units and penthouse suites will range in size from 1,085 sq. ft. to more than 9,700 sq. ft. Starting in the $400,000 range, suites will include floor-to-ceiling glass and grand terraces with outdoor fireplaces.

In addition to the luxury amenities, Azure offers its residents what its developer, Dallas-based Harwood International, calls "walk-to-life" living: within walking distance of some of the area's best attractions, including the American Airlines Center, the Arts District and many restaurants and entertainment venues, said Bill Hilburn, senior vice president for development of Harwood.

"High-rises are no strangers to Dallas," said James Cheng, architect of Azure and principal with Vancouver, Canada-based James K.M. Cheng Architects Inc. "But residential high-rises are relatively new to the market."

He added that Azure will blend the existing character of the Harwood International center with a more modern expression."

The building will feature mostly blue-tinted glass and stone for low maintenance and a long-term appeal, Cheng said. Constructed of glass and an aluminum curtain-wall frame, the building will never need painting. The stone is long lasting.

"We want to imply a sense of timelessness to it by using a timeless material and classic lines," Cheng said. "We're using a wind-resistance core in the central core with no moment frames. We're using a lot more glass and a sheer core because it looks prettier and is easier to build."

To combat potential high energy use from the amount of glass, the balconies will wrap around the building to act as sunshades, Cheng said. The balconies will afford residents with a view of the downtown skyline.

"In Dallas, it is nice to sit outside, and on some of the larger balconies we have introduced an outdoor fireplace," Cheng added. "The deck is more like an extension of an outdoor living room."

Azure will boast an Olympic-size pool and deck area.

"Most high-rises don't have this kind of feature; they just have a tower and a ground lawn with no common area for people to loiter and meet," Cheng said. "We spent a lot of time designing this little pavilion and cabanas for people to use."

Azure will feature extensive use of water with a waterfall at the corner of the property where McKinnon turns into the tollway.

"The water feature is repeated inside in the lobby," Cheng said. "Another feature on this building is a vertical light shaft running the full height of the building to counterbalance the downtown lights."

Residents also will have private garages.

"Everyone has a private garage within the garage," Cheng said. "It is a traditional garage where you park in open-floor plan, but it is created with a garage door so no one can see whether you're home or not or ding up your car. You can even use the garage for storage."

Cheng said the garage is enclosed
with limited access.


So, why did the architect say the glass would be blue tinted ?

[JFire2]

From Steve Brown, Dallas Morning News
October 21, 2004

A few months ago, I was bemoaning the demise of blue buildings. Popular in the 1950s, they've gone the way of pillbox hats and poodle skirts. It's a good thing real estate developers don't get to pick the hue of cars and clothes too, or Dallas would be as colorful as a Soviet military base - lots of gray and brown.
But not all commercial builders wear dark-tinted eyeshades. A condo tower on the drawing boards promises to put a little color in Dallas' Uptown district.
Azure, a blue-tinted glass high-rise, was designed by award-winning Vancouver architect James Cheng.

I just visited Vancouver, and let me tell you, the skyline makes Dallas look as dull as the Dust Bowl. Dozens of modern towers perch over the harbors and bays, sporting cool shades of aquamarine, teal and rose. Some of the blue glass that's been a hit in British Columbia is planned for the Azure tower in Dallas.

Instead of overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the 31-story tower will sit at the entrance to the Dallas North Tollway at Wolf and McKinnon streets. "What we hope to achieve is a new residential architecture -- but not a transplant from Vancouver," Mr. Cheng said. "I think it's wrong to put a Northern building in a Southern climate."

In a concession to our summers, the Azure tower will have wide balconies with outdoor entertaining areas. On the lower levels, a corner waterfall will help keep residents cool. "Every one of my projects has gardens and water," Mr. Cheng said.
Developer Harwood International plans to sell condos in the building for $309,900 to $3.9 million. Construction on the 202-unit project is set to begin early next year. "We spent four years looking at London, Toronto, Chicago, San Diego, Los Angeles, South Beach, Switzerland and Frankfurt," said Harwood International chief executive Gabriel Barbier-Mueller. "And then we landed in Vancouver, and I met James Cheng.
"I think it will be the most elegant building built in Dallas for quite a while," he said.

[TexasStar]

It's not all that unusual is it - for the architect's vision to be convoluted and altered by cost-cutting and the realities of actual construction?

[Tnekster]

She said the glass curtain wall was never intended to have a blue tint. Is the glass curtain wall the entire glass coverage or just that part on the south end of the building?

[JFire2]

What a joke. The entire building has been advertised as a blue oasis. See the website www.azureliving.com. Blue is everywhere ... and the office says they had no intent of having blue glass? Too bad every rendering has the building as a blue tower.

Maybe they need to change the website to incorporate their new gray theme.

[JFire2]

azure Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–adjective
1. of or having a light, purplish shade of blue, like that of a clear and unclouded sky.
2. Heraldry. of the tincture or color blue.

[grantboston]

I don't understand why people are so angry. The tower is going to have lots of blue elements, most of which we haven't even seen. But by the sounds of a few, you would think people are charging the gates to get their money back. Why don't we realize this project as the high quality one it is and stop arguing over grey glass versus blue glass? That's just childish quibbling.

Show me one person that has cancelled their order or one person who was seriously considering a condo here and changed their mind with this news and I'll eat my words, but this seems like such an irrelevant thing to argue.

[AZDallasite]

I don't understand why people are so angry. The tower is going to have lots of blue elements, most of which we haven't even seen. But by the sounds of a few, you would think people are charging the gates to get their money back. Why don't we realize this project as the high quality one it is and stop arguing over grey glass versus blue glass? That's just childish quibbling.

Show me one person that has cancelled their order or one person who was seriously considering a condo here and changed their mind with this news and I'll eat my words, but this seems like such an irrelevant thing to argue.

Thats not the point. It will still be a great building, but they clearly advertised the building as being blue.

[txRNGr]

The glass curtain wall does not have a blue tint and was never intended to have one.
Does anyone know for sure what this "glass curtain wall" is? I wouldn't jump to conclusions on The Azure yet. Almost all of the external features have yet to be installed. I'm sure once all the elements come together for the final product, many of you will be eating your own words.

[Boredkid]

Why does it matter, how many of you guys are going to be living there. Why does the colour or some random building affect you so much?

[St-T]

^NO joke... I doubt any of the people compalining will be living there. I think it looks fine.

[JFire2]

The song "Baby Blue" plays in the background :o

[Tnekster]

When all the glass is up and you get the full effect of the reflection around it I think it will look good. It looks very different when you are down at the base looking up as opposed to the cam looking down.

[Tnekster]

...

[urbanpleasure]

Blue or not, this building will be a nice addition to the skyline. However, I would love to see Dallas buildling attractive, eye-catching buildings that are notable and don't simply blend in. I thought this building would be such a structure. The verdict is still out. So I'll wait and see.

[Hunter Wadle]

having actually seen it now, i like the glass... it looks blue to me, prob a reflextion of the sky, but it works....
today....
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g198/RandomRhettness/glass.jpg

[Bryant]

You don't have to live in a building to complain about its appearance.

The building was clearly advertised as being blue. It is disappointing when the officials say it won't be.

[Boredkid]

I drove by it today, it looks blue to me. Also that photos looks blue as well.

[Tnekster]

^Ya, before you make a judgement....go by and look to see for yourself. It looks very different from the bottom.

[St-T]

It's friggin blue.

[urbanpleasure]

Well that looks like it has potential.. I'll shut up and wait until its finished now.