The proposed development in Portland, Maine could significantly change the city’s skyline. Along with Safdie Architects, East Brown Cow president Tim Soley leads the “Old Port Square” project.
According to News Center Maine, “For the past 16 years, Solly has strategically acquired properties on this block. His latest vision includes a 30-storey hospitality and residential tower, about 380 feet tall. The top of the tower includes an openable sky lobby and restaurant offering 360-degree views of Casco Bay and white mountains.”
Despite Soley’s impressive design initiative, some are challenging the need for a 380-foot-tall hospitality tower in low-level cities. A recent article by the design boom raises the question, “How tall buildings belong to low-rise historic cities?” According to the design boom, “The answer comes in the form of beacons. Architectural gestures rooted in the region’s maritime system. Upon rising 380 feet at 45 Union Street, the thin tower reminds us of the lighthouse in Maine and is reinterpreted with glass, wood and stone.”
The design boom further emphasizes that towers are “…Pyrotis-grown, buildings are grounded and transparent at the pedestrian level. Pallets and proportions echo adjacent brick warehouses and cobblestone streets.
Overall, the “Old Port Square” project may prove beneficial to the City of Portland as it requires minimal steps compared to most update projects. Kevin Craft, director of planning and urban development, told News Center Maine:
The project is pending approval from the Portland City Planning Commission.
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