KCRag Forum

We are slated to move in December 15th.

Lower floors were slated for November 15th, but that recently got pushed back, i think to the end of november.

Stealth buildings. All the rage.

Songbird DeathStar.

am i being picky in thinking that the glass used on this building is really cheap looking? Every single window in that photo distorts its reflection. It almost looks like they installed plastic saran wrap in place of glass. I would be afraid to lean up against that glass if i lived there, it just doesn't look strong at all. It would be one thing if that was the designer's intent, but i get the feeling that's not the case here.

I've been a big fan of this project from the beginning and still am, but with the glass on this building is its most prominent feature, I just wish some more thought, and likely money, had gone towards ensuring it would look good

That's actually quite normal for large glass curtain walls like that.

Firstly, that's the reflective coating you're seeing, not the glass. it's never going to be perfectly applied.
Glass doesn't reflect light and a perfect mirror doesn't have a coating, it has a subsurface that the glass is stuck to.

On top of that this glass isn't going to be high tension because you want some give some if someone falls into it rather than just breaking. So it's going to expand and contract in the heat more than a higher tension window and each piece is going to be different. You have the play of buildings around to make this non-uniform throughout the day.

You also assume each pane is perfectly flat to begin with. With more than 1000 pieces in view you're not going to get every piece the exact same. The cooling process will introduce imperfections to the surface and then as you install the building, you can get one section of the wall is 1/32" off from the next one.

All this combined together to create that look. It's evident on glass buildings all over the city. you can see it best where brick or a curve is being reflected. One Pershing Square viewed from Grand reflects the Western Union sign with as much distortion if not more.


To find the reason it looks cheap think about antiques.
People tend to not put clear glass on display unless it's carved with a pattern, etchesd or has something stuck to it like a historic sticker. Colored glass is what gets put out as is like depression glass. So One KC Place has a very similar distortion but because it's a nice blue no one cares.
This is easily fixed with nice lighting. But exterior lighting is hard to do with all curtain glass because it could shine into units easily and bother residents. The best lit buildings focus it on solid surfaces only.

awesome response, everything you said makes sense. I'm actually kicking myself a little for not stopping to think all of that through before before posting my comment. The mirrored finish makes sense given the privacy desired in a residential tower, its just not my favorite look.

I do believe a higher quality finish with less distortion can be accomplished, but i realize that means more $$$$.

Large panes of glass tend to "sag" from their own weight. Think of a canvas sail. This can be avoided(I don't know the technical aspects of this) with a more expensive product. Look at the new 1 World Trade Center. It has glass that remains perfectly flat, smooth, and does not distort the reflections.

moderne wrote:This can be avoided(I don't know the technical aspects of this) with a more expensive product. Look at the new 1 World Trade Center. It has glass that remains perfectly flat, smooth, and does not distort the reflections.

That's a $3.9 billion building. So the price shows the material quality

Thats why I prefer buildings with masonry elements. This building looks like it was wrapped in Wrigley chewing gum wrappers.

That is very PC of you. I would have said Juicy Fruit.

The external service elevator on the south side of the building was taken down last week. Hopefully this means that the closed lane on Walnut (and 13th) will reopen soon...even though the pessimist in me expects that the streets and sidewalks will only reopen about a week or so before people start moving in.

When are move ins?

Move ins start in November. Everyone in by March. 90% leased by November

I know a couple that has one of the lower penthouses. Can't wait for their house warming!

We are on the floor below (24) on the north east corner. Can't wait to get moved in. We scheduled for Jan 9th.

Now we just have to find a roommate to fill in the other bedroom...

KCRag party?

kboish wrote:KCRag party?

does Cordish allow Airbnb's

ULCajun wrote:We are on the floor below (24) on the north east corner. Can't wait to get moved in. We scheduled for Jan 9th.

Now we just have to find a roommate to fill in the other bedroom...

does Cordish allow Airbnb's