tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22305958.post2643948564572630394..comments2024-03-25T18:50:15.135-04:00Comments on DCmud - The Urban Real Estate Digest of Washington DC: Of Branding and BehemothsKenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08295461340042242438noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22305958.post-74308300512625525582010-11-05T07:27:31.946-04:002010-11-05T07:27:31.946-04:00I love all the "saddness" and anger spew...I love all the "saddness" and anger spewed towards a brick car dealership off a mini-highway.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22305958.post-90342445244228278262010-11-04T13:39:29.237-04:002010-11-04T13:39:29.237-04:00Is this an ugly town center/shopping center with a...Is this an ugly town center/shopping center with a fake tower at the corner or a dealership for one of the better, well designed cars on the road? This makes me sad, and what is worse that in 40 years they will want to preserve this as historic.<br /><br />As far as LEED goes, buildings in the US account for more energy consumption and subsequently more carbon pollution than cars. So actually it is as important (if not more important) that all the buildings are all "green".<br /><br />Cars are not going anywhere for a long time (hopefully they will be replaced with electric vehicles that are powered by clean or renewable energy) but we will still need to buy them somewhere.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22305958.post-87420144879802464842010-11-04T12:45:36.150-04:002010-11-04T12:45:36.150-04:00A better example of how to incorporate large forma...A better example of how to incorporate large format uses in a historic setting is the new Social Safeway in Georgetown. It nods to its historic context while at the same time being very modern with the sunshades and modern glazing details. This Mercedes dealership is the worst kind of knee-jerk historicist off-the-suburban-shelf crap. Typical for Lessard.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22305958.post-91871116863710052512010-11-04T11:54:45.717-04:002010-11-04T11:54:45.717-04:00Both designs are kind of pathetic. Brick? Fake k...Both designs are kind of pathetic. Brick? Fake keystones? These things don't exactly shout "sophisticated automotive technology" to me. I have seen car dealerships in other cities that are architecturally spectacular, environmental issues aside.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22305958.post-3322001790400506102010-11-04T11:33:18.402-04:002010-11-04T11:33:18.402-04:00Yes dont mistake this from old town. This is far f...Yes dont mistake this from old town. This is far from Old Town Alexandria. To say that this is Old Town Alexandria does not do Old Town Justice. I know this is not the point of the post but they would have been better creating a more modern look to cater to the folks in the Cameron Station area.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22305958.post-60496641584574601182010-11-02T21:58:10.979-04:002010-11-02T21:58:10.979-04:00the dialogue here on who has or doesnt have the mo...the dialogue here on who has or doesnt have the most or least carbon offset/ footprint whatever seems a bit masturbatory to me...but whatever. <br /><br />anyway...the architecture of this really sucks. so, if anything, its LEEDness is its only redeeming quality.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22305958.post-58933094085396994182010-11-02T13:10:56.307-04:002010-11-02T13:10:56.307-04:00Lessard's Automotive division Lead Principal a...Lessard's Automotive division Lead Principal and team left the demented firm many months ago, they deserve the credit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22305958.post-77999014519591495232010-11-02T12:38:03.399-04:002010-11-02T12:38:03.399-04:00It's true, of all the times glass modernism sh...It's true, of all the times glass modernism should be employed, it's car dealerships. Mieses museum in Berlin is a perfect example. Strange the Germans missed that one, although the second one is a bit prairie moderne.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22305958.post-66696710442686928492010-11-02T12:01:56.904-04:002010-11-02T12:01:56.904-04:00God, I'm such a pedant, but really the word ne...God, I'm such a pedant, but really the word needed is not "careen," but "career." <br /><br />Both of these buildings are generic pablum. They're not offensive, but seem to be a waste of perfectly good brick. I think that a Deco/mid-century modernist look would be much more effective for a car dealership - the surviving Lustine Chevrolet building on Route 1 in Hyattsville is a neat example, with floor to ceiling curving glass.<br /><br />The Alexandria dealership (this is not Old Town!) looks like it should be selling Ethan Allen furniture.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22305958.post-66793497537565045332010-11-02T08:02:25.766-04:002010-11-02T08:02:25.766-04:00Evan,
How do you really feel? Just think about ho...Evan,<br />How do you really feel? Just think about how it could be worse though, we could have had two "bland pieces of garbage, a generic mishmash of "modernist" elements we've all seen a million times before."<br />Count your blessings!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22305958.post-22430160827520318792010-11-01T20:57:48.636-04:002010-11-01T20:57:48.636-04:00Both of those are bland pieces of garbage, a gener...Both of those are bland pieces of garbage, a generic mishmash of "traditional" elements we've all seen a million times before. There's nothing special about the exterior or interior of either.Evannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22305958.post-11742727372100531902010-11-01T16:31:47.876-04:002010-11-01T16:31:47.876-04:00i'm sorry you consider it "putting you on...i'm sorry you consider it "putting you on the spot," <b>ken</b>. i would think that, if you publish a blog and publish your opinions, you wouldn't feel uncomfortable defending them. :)<br /><br />that being said, sure, that's a good example. and sure, 99% of businesses are "not green". national geographic produces paper and flies its photographers to far-off places. does that make it a company that doesn't work to make the environment a better place? hardly.<br /><br />the fact remains that the automotive industry contributes more greenhouse gases than just about anything else out there that would be in a building (other than cattle, maybe), so calling their building green is fine, but it's not sticking to the spirit of what LEED is about.IMGophhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10389077782536090328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22305958.post-81046132153619133872010-11-01T16:25:56.374-04:002010-11-01T16:25:56.374-04:00Well, if you're going to put me on the spot......Well, if you're going to put me on the spot...the Council on Foreign Relations (jetting around is very ungreen). But really, many of the LEED certified office buildings hold all kinds of paper-generating corporations whose mission has nothing to do with environmental protection. I'm sure if you went to the lobby of one and looked at the directory you would not find a list of tree huggers.Kenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08295461340042242438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22305958.post-65865021776880375342010-11-01T16:11:04.404-04:002010-11-01T16:11:04.404-04:00The new Alexandria dealership is ugly as sin. Who ...The new Alexandria dealership is ugly as sin. Who thinks this look good, seriously? Of and the phony keystones really make it. Architecturally speaking, this is about as bad as it gets.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22305958.post-34917047279173190392010-11-01T15:25:45.562-04:002010-11-01T15:25:45.562-04:00give me an example then, if you don't mind.give me an example then, if you don't mind.IMGophhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10389077782536090328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22305958.post-17227035971295610732010-11-01T15:23:24.770-04:002010-11-01T15:23:24.770-04:00Point taken, though I think you could say that abo...Point taken, though I think you could say that about alot of the buildings designed now, i.e. that the business that inhabits the green space might have a huge carbon footprint, no reason that car owners should be singled out.Kenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08295461340042242438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22305958.post-30575854372438715402010-11-01T14:19:50.750-04:002010-11-01T14:19:50.750-04:00it just seems that, by default, an automotive deal...it just seems that, by default, an automotive dealership shouldn't be able to qualify for LEED certification. by design, it's sending more carbon out into the world, not less.IMGophhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10389077782536090328noreply@blogger.com