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The inner workings of the SECU tower rise above Salisbury Street. This is most likely the stairwell and elevator shafts of the building. See a rendering of the finished project here.
Category / New Construction
First Presbyterian Church Building For The Future
If you haven’t noticed already, the First Presbyterian Church on the corner of Morgan and Salisbury Streets has leveled their education center and construction is underway for the replacement. Why the need to destroy such an old and historic building? The good people of the church tell us why right on their site:
The main driver behind this ambitious construction and renovation project was the deteriorating condition of our “Old Education Building,” the part of our property that housed our library and some Sunday School classrooms. After a period of neglect, the building reached an unsafe state a few years ago. We no longer ventured into some of its scarier sections. Our Building and Grounds Committee raised a concern several years ago that portions of the building were subject to being condemned by the city and constituted a hazard.
Not only is the education building being replaced but the sanctuary is being heavily renovated as well. The sanctuary has been up since 1900 but the congregation goes back as far as 1818, meeting in buildings either on or around Capitol Square until the present day building was erected. While the present day capitol building was being constructed, the North Carolina Supreme Court used to hold meetings in the church’s session house from 1831-1840.
The renovation and design work was done by Frank Harmon Architect PA. Some may recognize that name as they are the firm that designed the NCAIA building that is now being built on Peace Street. The firm has designed a master plan for the church and their complex along Salisbury Street. From this press release:
According to Frank Harmon, FAIA, his firm is working on a plan that will unite the different elements of the campus, provide open green space within the campus, introduce principles of environmentally sustainability, and improve the property’s accessibility, which features a five-foot grade change.
The project will also involve replacing the current two-story educational building with a three-story structure (including basement), The new building will feature such “green” elements as a vegetated roof, an abundance of natural light and ventilation through atria and window placement, a geothermal heating/cooling system (or ground source heat pumps), and rainwater collection cisterns. Materials used will be locally available and, wherever possible, recycled.
Expect all the renovation and construction to be complete around Summer 2012. You can also catch a small rendering of the new building on Frank Harmon’s website.
Pic of the Week
What was once planned to be a condo building here at 111 Seaboard Avenue in the Seaboard Station area, will now be renovated for shops. This one-story building will be converted sometime this year, according to David Bracken at the N&O.
What would you like to see in the new spaces?
And can we make it easier to cross Peace Street at Vaughn Street?
Rising Steel All Over Downtown Raleigh
This is a small gallery showing construction around downtown Raleigh. Click the photos for a larger image.
The Justice Center appears to be topped off and is taking shape into the Raleigh Skyline.
A family poses for a portrait in front of the globe, a part of the upcoming Nature Research Center, now being pieced together.
The new AIA headquarters is being built on Peace Street.
Rendering Bonus, Green Square and SECU Tower
click for a larger gallery of renderings.
Sure Green Square is nothing new and we’ve been watching construction on this baby for over two years now. But the overlooked SECU tower, a separate project from Green Square is starting to rise out of the ground so renderings help give us a nice look at the future.
Enjoy some of these renderings of the SECU tower, now under construction, as well as some more of Green Square that you may not have seen already. Click on the image above for a gallery.
Thanks to Tom at preVision and O’Brien/Atkins Associates, PA for the wonderful renderings.
(reading RalCon in an e-mail? See the gallery on the site, go here)
195 Apartments Coming To Glenwood South
600 St. Mary’s, as its called in the site plan, is a new development planned for Glenwood South. The site plan shows a mix of 1 and 2 bedroom units in a multi-level, depending on what corner you are standing, building. The plan has renderings from each side and the building style mimics that of The Tucker apartments nearby.
The residential units wrap an interior parking deck with entrances on Gaston and Johnson Streets. St. Mary’s will have all apartment frontages and the back of this building will face north behind the gas station and other shops along Peace Street. For a map visual, click here.
There isn’t anything breathtaking about it but it’s a step in the right direction in terms of what downtown needs. In short, the building has good urban form and is built right up to the sidewalk. Also, the parking deck is wrapped and is hidden from view from the outside.
The most interesting part in the site plan are the Live/Work units on the ground floor. They appear to have tall ceilings and I’m hoping the intent is for people to move in and build lofts. I found this example of one and I would imagine a Raleigh entrepreneur would feel right at home here.
Dive into the site plan and explore the new development yourself.
Green Square Skyway #2 Under Construction
Another skyway is being put together, this time over Salisbury Street, as part of the Green Square project. A couple of weeks ago, the first skyway was being put together over McDowell Street. The skyways are cool because they are the first of its kind in downtown Raleigh in which they cross over a city street, especially ones so busy.
First Green Square Skyway Under Construction
The Green Square project has been moving along steadily for over a year and hits its first milestone today with the 900 space parking deck opening up for use. From the Department of Administration press release:
the facility is the most energy-efficient deck in the Downtown State Government Complex, and one of the smartest examples of such construction in our state. Among the features that make the deck “green” are:
· LED lights, which consume one-third less energy and last four times longer than comparable fluorescent lights;
· A 20,000-gallon cistern will collect rainwater, flush it through an oil-water separator to remove debris, and store it until needed to irrigate state properties in downtown Raleigh;
· 23 electric car chargers for use by visitors and employees;
· Energy-efficient, lubrication-free elevators, which reduce maintenance and eliminate the need to dispose of hazardous waste;
· Design that maximizes use of natural light, which in turn reduces the need to burn those highly efficient LED bulbs; and
· Devices installed throughout the facility will track energy consumption and gauge savings.
Also another interesting note is that the first of two skyways is being built over McDowell Street. The section of the street between Jones and Edenton has been closed on weekends and is causing some traffic delays. Keep this in mind for the next few weeks as the skyway is not finished yet.