matt that's the nicest stuff on any building down there in recent memory. you're whacked.

Yuppie fight! Yuppie fight! Yuppie fight!

wait...i thought british people LOVED curry.

Ben, you're the guy building it, right? But you're right, "stuff" is perhaps a better description than "cladding."

Kelley: I like curry to eat. Not to decorate.

sorry i'll go back to arguing about cupcakes on the pearl district blog

I think this project is called The Casey. It's by GBD Architects, the same firm that did the rest of the Brewery Blocks. But all I see so far in this picture is some wood cladding on the left and something that could still be unfinished on the right. Is it the wood cladding you're comparing to the ski lodge? Looks fine to me. Have you seen the Belmont Lofts in Southeast or the Thurman Street Lofts in Northwest? Those buildings, both recent, have a lot of wood and look swell. It's part of the local architectural tradition, using natural materials and such. I was a little disappointed when the same firm was hired to do their fifth or sixth building in about a 10-block radius, but based on this photo it seems too early to tell how this building will turn out.

I'm all for using natural materials, but it's never too early to tell when wood cladding looks like puke, Brian.

Scott Moore adds: "It looks like the architects were smoking some natural materials when they came up with this."

Thanks for your insightful comments.

That is indeed The Casey. It's going to be the first Platinum LEED rated condo building in the country when it's finished.

I'm not sure exactly what the tan material is in the picture, but i do know that the builders hired Bullseye Glass (located next door) to create big kiln fired glass panels to be clad over a significant portion of the exterior of this building. I think the panels will look different depending on the angle/day/weather.

I'm pretty interested to see the finished building. I can't think of a project on this scale in Portland where there has been such a focus on unique workmanship. Plus I think it's really cool they hired a local art business in the neighborhood to help build it.

Platinum LEED is all very well, but puke is puke. It's a tough sell.

"I know my building looks like Carrot Top's pubic hair covered in marmalade, but it's environmentally friendly."

To draw a direct and obvious parallel: All the early hybrid cars had shite stereos until the manufacturers figured out the environmentally friendly consumer cares about superficial stuff, too.

On a separate note, I think it's really cool they hired a local art business too. But I think they might have been involved in the stain glass in the front. Here's hoping.

"I know my building looks like Carrot Top's pubic hair covered in marmalade, but it's environmentally friendly."

damnit, matt. that's genious but you just ruined dinner for me. possibly tomorrow's breakfast too.

Sorry jragel, but think of us poor Pearl District dwellers having our breakfast ruined by that monstrosity every single day.

Yuppie fight! Yuppie fight! Yuppie fight!

Talking of which I stumbled across "Pets In the Pearl" on Saturday. This one woman was screaming at her boyfriend from across the street. Plus, I have unidentified bites around my ankles which I can only presume are the result of YUPPIE FLEAS!

"us poor Pearl District dwellers"

no man within walking distance of a cha cha cha is ever truly poor.

True. Poor in spirit? How's that?

I was down there last week, before they put the fencing around the area they've been storing the clading and got an up-close look at the material. (and got yelled at by one of the construction guys for being too close without a hard hat)

It appears to be a cement-type product with bits of an agate kind of rock embedded in it. The surface was rather smooth, seems to have be polished somewhat. The pieces are about 6'x3' and as the photo indicates, there is a slight variance in color.

Should be interesting to se how it holds up over time. I, for one don't have a big problem with it. Certainly beats a metal skin like some of the other new contruction in the area.

YMMV

the buildings ok, nothing too special but not completely boring either, but yeah, the terra cotta panels could be really tight if they were a different color.