Our Skyline (Pittsburgh, Oxford: zoning, stores, pollution)

[nuwaver88]

Nobody can argue that Pittsburgh has a great skyline, however, when viewed from that classic vantage point from the West End, it has virtually stayed the same for nearly twenty-five years. Even in new images from the west, one has to look very hard to see newly built Three PNC barely sticking up just in front of One PNC.
I am really looking forward to Monday's announcement from PNC. The location of this new development will allow an office tower even as low(relatively speaking) as thirty stories to hold a prominent place in the skyline. However, I would expect PNC to announce something taller. My prediction is something around the height of 46 story One Oxford Centre. I expect it to be around 600 feet.
Here is a scale of emotion for my aspirations.

25 stories or less=dissapointing
25-30 ok...but
35-40=good
40-50=excellent
50+= Awesome!

I would not mind seeing a new "tallest" for Pittsburgh at around 70+ or 900 feet plus. I really feel that our skyline and that location can handle it if designed correctlly. Can't wait till Monday!

[neurodistortion]

Pittsburgh is long due for a tall skyscraper rivaling the US Steel Building. I don't know what to expect, but from the nature and scope of the project, I have a good feeling that this will be something massive.

[SlurmsMcKenzie]

I would like to see something tall but shorter than the Steel Building and Mellon. There is a gradual stepping down of the height of buildings as you near the point and I think a super tall building would stick out in a bad way.

[raynist]

I am all for something 1000 ft plus

That can be the new focal point of the skyline and step down on either side from there.

The stepping down of our skyline looks cool from straight on but kind of strange from the side (station square)

I really think it will not come close to topping the US Steel building though......

[I_Like_Spam]

A thousand foot skyscaper could certainly be planted where the Civic Arena is now.


The skyline gets higher as it goes away from the rivers, and that's further from the rivers than the US Steel tower so a skyscraper there should be taller yet.

[baconlegs]

While I can't find a link, there's definitely some very specific zoning laws in place to regulate the heights of buildings in different places throughout downtown. While I expect PNC to be able to get an exception since it has reinvested so much money in the triangle, there are other reasons beyond aesthetics for the regulations, such as light reaching other buildings at certain times of day.

Nevertheless, since it is already clear that this is to be PNC's new headquarters, I don't think the building will be as underwhelming as 3pnc. Also, this new location is a whole block, not the half sized space 3pnc occupies. I think we could see a building near the height of USX, but without the massive girth. More like a hybrid of USX and Mellon. There is definitely demand. Here's hoping for a new signature on the PGH skyline.

[Craziaskowboi]

If PNC proposes a new "tallest" for Pittsburgh, then I hope to God that NIMBYers, preservationists, and general trolls who hate change don't shoot it down.

[raynist]

People will complain, the same people that think the civic arena was great and that we didn't need consol will think that we shouldnt have a building taller than USS...

[Craziaskowboi]

Originally Posted by I_Like_Spam

A thousand foot skyscaper could certainly be planted where the Civic Arena is now.

A 1,000' skyscraper would look goofy there since it's already halfway up the hill. It'd stick out like a sore thumb. It's better for that site to get redeveloped with buildings that are no fewer than 12 stores tall and no more than 25 stories tall. Doing that would make for a nice slope down behind the U.S. Steel Tower and Mellon Center, as opposed to the abrupt end behind them now.

[gg]

Originally Posted by raynist

People will complain, the same people that think the civic arena was great and that we didn't need consol will think that we shouldnt have a building taller than USS...

I would be a person that felt the Civic Arena should have been refurbished and hope PNC builds some huge tall green building in that location. There are those that feel the Civic Arena could have been a focal point of Pittsburgh more than it was. Sure those of us that went to concerts there when they opened the roof and the sides for that matter saw it first hand how amazing it really was. If the Pens would have played a game there and they opened it, I think people would have realized what that building was all about. The Consol (hate that name, due to its huge pollution rates) is just another place. Nothing special and I have been there several times already. Now opening a stadium on a national NHL televised game would have put us on the map. Oh well, not meant to be. People didn't have the vision to do something that big.