Signature Tower (Nashville)

[Ramako]

Ok. I think there has been a little confusion over my comments regarding the roof elements (or lack thereof) at ROCP 1&2. Over on the 1Bloor East thread I made a post regarding the lack of a 'spire' or some such crowning piece on the buildings. While I completely agree that a roof element could end up being tacky, cheaply made and a general blight on the building, I also believe that it could/would complete the tapering of the structures nicely.

Can this be done without a whole lot of bad design decisions and poor material choices? Yes! Those who also frequent the SPP forum will be familiar with the Signature Tower currently planned for downtown Nashville (of all places!). THIS is the kind of thing I mean when I advocate elements on the top of ROCP - its a bold architectural statement and one which will continue the art deco influences right to the top...I think it looks fantastic.

Not to steer further off-topic but:

http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=50910

A proposed skyscraper in downtown Nashville could become the largest in the South. But the Federal Aviation Administration says it should be shortened by half so it won't interfere with airplanes.

Developer Tony Giarratana says he's not changing his plans to build the 70-story hotel and residential tower. He says the Metro Nashville Airport Authority is looking into ways to alter their flight patterns to accommodate the tower.

FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen says the tower falls in an area that needs to be kept clear for climbing planes. She says the agency cannot stop the developer from building the tower but the FAA's opinion carries a lot of weight with insurance companies and local agencies.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

If I lived in Nashville, the anger at this would be much.

That is all.

 

[adma]

Signature Tower (Knoxville)

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

Wod Fir?

 

[FutureMayor]

Love it!

I love it, can't wait for one of those to appear in MCC!

Louroz

 

[Zephyr]

It may be a beautiful crown, but it seems to be tacked onto the building that is beneath it.

I also detect a miniature Transamerica (San Francisco) at the very top. This is not the first time that I have commented on this building - I did so on another board - but with each re-evaluation, it looks increasingly uninspired, in my opinion.

That tri-partite idea - base, shaft, crown - is still in vogue for skyscrapers, and what works and what does not will always be moot.

 

[adma]

I'm not sure I can sense Transamerica--but when I see that design, I think of how thrilling it would have been in 1987. In 2007, it's flat-out middlebrow...

 

[Zephyr]

I'm not sure I can sense Transamerica ...

I have since corrected my spelling to 'Transamerica (San Francisco)' from "Trans-America," that goes back to the days of the many spellings given to this building in local newspapers.​

Let me try again. When I phrased it as "the very top" of the Signature Tower (Nashville), I should have been more specific. Not the entire top reminds me of a miniature Transamerica, but rather the highest spike on that crown-like top. That spike, you will note below, is a different colour and detailing:

Just as a quick reference, I have included a photo of Transamerica from approximately the same angle as the spike of the Signature Tower crown. This photo is not as slender as the actual building in San Francisco, due to perspective and distance, but it is the best I could find on short notice.

 

[wyliepoon]

Looks more like Jin Mao to me...

 

[adma]

Even that highest spike doesn't seem Transamericesque--it's more of a Wrightian/Deco vinyl record stylus...

 

[Irishmonk]

Arctic to Nashville: Superman wants his fortress back. (Unless he's embarking on a C&W career.)