I’m sure they’ll do OK; IIRC, Centennial has the most valuable office space in the Triangle, mostly due to young companies related to NCSU – but to fill all the space they’ve got planned, they’ll also need national marketing.
I do wonder how much better of a deal they offered than Wexford, or how many of the emerging science-real-estate specialist firms they entertained offers from. Wexford’s entire business model is on-campus “Knowledge Communities,” and they have on-campus buildings in Durham (i.e., the Chesterfield) and Winston. It does seem like LH is allied with a new national brand for lab space (“Alloy Properties”).
Replying to a question from the commuter rail AMA since it’s more relevant here.
Talley’s actually not fully built out, yet. It’s missing a bridge that will connect it to north campus through the alley between Broughton and Mann halls. This bridge was purposely planned as a separate project, and is a part of State’s broader development plans for Yarbrough Drive.
That plan had this cross-section diagram as a part of figures showing existing structures. That should tell you how committed the university is to eventually building that bridge.
This bridge seems to be tied together with plans to renovate and expand Broughton Hall, too. That project seems to be somewhat designed now, but doesn’t seem to be funded for construction or anything at the moment.
EDIT: sounds like the building is only planned broadly, and it’s not like there are signed architectural sheets, yet. Thanks for the additional context, @clairebertt!
Conceptually the project has been planned, but it hasn’t been designed to a point where it’s ready for bid. I think this is pretty far in the future, but certainly something the university will eventually do.
It’s actually pretty fun- if you look at the back entrance of Talley where the little cone thing is (I have no idea how you would describe that), one of the stair landings was already built to tie into this future bridge.
Seeing that it’s not currently funded for design, I guess it’ll be quite a while before we’ll see that happening, then… I wonder if accessibility needs for commuter rail could help speed up the process?
Yeah, it’s neat to see all of those design features hidden in plain sight! There’s a hole in the metal lattice patterns on the northern side of the Technology Tower (the architects’ words, not mine), too. I assume this is where the bridge will connect with Talley. You can see it in this photo from this article:
I think the pedestrian bridge will likely be triggered from a remodel of Broughton, assuming enough funding is in the building to cover it. Something of this magnitude would have to come down from the legislature, so really who knows ? There are certainly much higher priorities at the moment. The new integrative sciences building is starting to pick up momentum, so that will be a fun one to watch.
I wonder if Mann Hall will end up being renovated or maybe even torn down and rebuilt after Broughton. They did/are doing some structural repairs on it recently but it is in pretty rough shape and not a good looking building.
Both of those buildings are on “a list”. Depending on space utilization, they might not be able to do them both at once, but they are definitely a high priority. Unfortunately with no budget being passed in the legislature, R&R funds are effectively non-existent.
I am already on record as hating the phrase “live/work/play” because it has become cliché and cringe. I would like to also register my displeasure with the street names in Centennial Campus as cliché and cringe. “Innovation Way”? “Entrepreneurship Drive”? Give me a break.
As someone who works in IT every time a big shot ‘blesses’ us with their presence in town halls and starts rattling off the buzzwords (digital, collaboration, synergy, etc.) it takes a monumental effort to not laugh too loud out loud
Yeah New City’s stuff varies from decent to mediocre but it is generally better than this.
This is clearly intended to match with the other Studio Fusion apartment buildings here: 109 Park, 103 Park, and 104 Ashe.
However: 16 units, zero parking, and creatively keeping and incorporating the distinctive IHOP building are all a plus. For as uninspiring as the architecture is, Studio Fusion has done a pretty decent job maximizing what can be done with these small parcels within the confines of the city’s zoning code. This, 104 Ashe, and 103 Park, are all 16 unit buildings - which has probably been done explicitly to sidestep parking requirements and deliver more affordable, parking-free units. So, props for all that.
All in all, I give this development, and the others already in place behind it, my “good enough” stamp.
Now, that 3402 Hillsborough is an abombination. Worse than Uncommon, if you can fathom it.
It’s also going in a lot that’s been empty at least a year, is not close to downtown, and is surrounded by gas stations, abandoned gas stations, and a Snoopy’s. Not an architectural marvel, but I’m not going to lose sleep over it either.
It’s consuming a lot of frontage along Hillsborough, so yeah, I think it does matter. The abandoned gas stations, etc are sure to redevelop, eventually. And I’d rather not go for the motel-6 vibe.
Part of the reason this plan is so crummy, is that the neighborhood to the north fought zoning approval of something larger but higher quality. The developers should re-submit the original plan under the current council. They’d rubber stamp it.
Across the street is planned another apartment building, a bit taller, a bit narrower, and less awful. This will clearly drag the neighborhood down. Hillsborough is Raleigh’s premier urban corridor. We should have some minimum standard. To me, this (submitted, not yet approved), and Uncommon (already built, too late), don’t meet the standard.
? There are certainly much higher priorities at the moment. The new integrative sciences building is starting to pick up momentum, so that will be a fun one to watch.
) who also appear to be behind whatever this is supposed to be…
