Devon Energy building new skyscraper downtown! (Oklahoma City: amusement park, condos, costs)

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by Nameless

It may mimic the WTC, but I still don't see how it's interesting.

LOL, it's not all that interesting. I do like the look of the building, but it's nothing to write home about. I like the steel structure look. I actually would like to see OkC build the tallest building in the state. Then maybe the two cities would have skyscraper wars.. Actually, I don't think Tulsa will be building another big skyscraper for many years. Tulsa's downtown is already bigger looking than the actual size of the city.

[Nameless]

Originally Posted by Synopsis

LOL, it's not all that interesting. I do like the look of the building, but it's nothing to write home about. I like the steel structure look. I actually would like to see OkC build the tallest building in the state. Then maybe the two cities would have skyscraper wars.. Actually, I don't think Tulsa will be building another big skyscraper for many years. Tulsa's downtown is already bigger looking than the actual size of the city.

It's always puzzled me how Tulsa has the states tallest (and 2 and 3 I believe). Growing up I always assumed OKC had the tallest simply because it's the larger metro. Skyscrapers are the one thing I envy about Tulsa.

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by Nameless

It's always puzzled me how Tulsa has the states tallest (and 2 and 3 I believe). Growing up I always assumed OKC had the tallest simply because it's the larger metro. Skyscrapers are the one thing I envy about Tulsa.

That always puzzled me as well. Not only is OkC the more populous metro, it's a more populous city. When I moved to Tulsa in the early 80s I would occasionally pass by downtown and I mentioned something about the buildings in downtown Tulsa appeared to look taller than those in OkC. My friend said, "That's because they are!"

I guess it has to do with the amount of land available in each city. With OkC having much more land available, it probably made sense to build out and not up. Also, with Tulsa's downtown being right next to the river, maybe that was prime real estate for office space and everyone wanted an office with a view.

Update: One interesting fact to add. The Williams Tower is not only the tallest building in Oklahoma, but taller than any building West of the Mississippi with the exception of the tallest buildings in the following states:

Minnesota, Illinois, Colorado (Republic Plaza is only a little taller than the Williams Tower), California, and Washington.

[TU 'cane]

Devon needs to hurry up with their renderings and plans. Everyone is getting anxious. With 1 million sq. feet it could easily surpass 37 stories, and I hope it'll be over 700 feet, that would be nice.
Here's Tulsa and OKC's tallest buildings (downtown) OKC needs to step up and take the record.



Here's some buildings with around 1 million sq. feet or so.


John Hancock Tower, existing in Chicago.
1,127 feet tall, 100 floors.
853,400 square feet.


Chrysler Building, existing in NYC.
925 feet, 77 floors.
1,195,000 square feet.


Bank of America Tower, existing in Atlanta.
932 feet, 55 floors.
1.2 million square feet.


Bank of America Corporate Center, existing in Charlotte.
871 feet, 63 floors.
1.2 million square feet.


Chase Tower, existing in Indianapolis.
700 feet, 48 floors.
900,000 square feet.

There's many, many more. But sq. footage wise that is what could happen in OKC. Just depends on the design and the floor height.

[Nameless]

That BOA tower is impressive for a place Charlotte's size. I've always liked that tower.

[happytown]

Good article.
NewsOK Mobile

"A Connecticut architecture firm that designed Atlanta's 1180 Peachtree Tower and Four Seasons Place, a 3.1 million-square-foot complex in Malaysia, is set to “make a new heart of Oklahoma City” with a Devon Energy skyscraper.
Larry Nichols, chief executive officer of Devon, said Friday Picard Chilton was hired from among seven internationally-accomplished architecture firms the company has interviewed the past several months.
How the team was chosen “We started with the whole list of people who build high rises,” Nichols said. “We then came up with a list of six firms, and then had three finalists. They were all world class.”

NewsOK Mobile
I love the fact that a guy from Oklahoma will be a part of the design/planning. It looks like OKC will have quite an iconic tower. I just hope it looks nice and fits in well with the rest of the skyline. I like the idea of having the 'tallest', but whatever happens it will still be world class. Anything that costs 400 mil and has over 1mil sq ft will be incredible. Looking over the comparison of Tulsa vs OKC DT buildings does really nothing for me. Other than the First National, City Place and the Mid-Continent, both cities are still in the eighties for 'skyscrapers'. I have always admired the size of the Bok building but looking at it in the diagram just makes me think of a huge rectangle. OKC looks like it will get a building around that size but it will obviously have a much better design.
Here is an example of what the firm has done and gives a possible peak at their direction...
River Point, Chicago, IL : Hines Interests
http://www.*****rdchilton.com/ (broken link)

or

[Synopsis]

I hope they build something really stunning that will stand out. The two examples you've given are beautiful. I'm a country person at heart, but eye catching architecture like that is beautiful to me.

[TU 'cane]

It has to fit in somewhat with the other buildings though, imo. I don't want something so iconic that it doesn't fit in and it makes people say "oh wow, that doesn't belong here, that's too good for a city like this.". It'll be great though, this is wonderful for OKC and Oklahoma even to finally be getting a new skyscraper.

[Synopsis]

A little diversity in the architecture isn't a bad thing. I've found that the old architecture mixed with ultra-modern looks pretty good..

[LadyRobyn]

Originally Posted by Synopsis

A little diversity in the architecture isn't a bad thing. I've found that the old architecture mixed with ultra-modern looks pretty good..

Like this one I caught on friday? Reflecting on the past...