Assignment 1: Lydia

Top

Buckhead has experienced a surge of growth even within the last ten years. One of the newest skyscrapers is this condo building. Its placement on the block has effected not only the buildings and viewscapes around it but also the business of the adjacent buildings. The Gordon Biersch brewery located directly behind the skyscraper predates the condo building which sits in the former parking lot. When the condos were built, it effectively destroyed the view of the street from the brewery and it can be difficult for customers to find the restaurant. The Hyatt Place Hotel also had the view from its windows effectively blocked by the height and nearness of the skyscrapers. The condos building creates a type of grand skid row, where the newer building dominates the older ones, even though the older are still relevant and functioning buildings.

Middle

This building, The Mansion on Peachtree, A Rosewood Hotel in Buckhead has experienced financial difficulties after a recent boom in hotel building in the Buckhead area. Because of the abundance of hotels in the area, specifically luxury hotels, the tower hotel faced difficulties in keeping its beds filled. Just as the CBD has to look elsewhere to find employees to fill ever increasing office buildings, the large amounts of luxury hotels built in Buckhead must continue to look further for guests to fill its rooms. The financial difficulties faced by the skyscraper effected the buildings around it. After the hotel filed bankruptcy, the fine dining restaurant Craft found it financially difficult to stay open and it closed

its doors.

Bottom

This street is an example of a negative environmental impact of skyscrapers. The light and air flow of Harris Street is restricted by the congestion of the skyscrapers and pedestrian bridges above the street. As Larry Ford discusses, the bridges and buildings form a tunnel which wind, sand, and water can be funneled through and cause damage. This picture was taken in the early afternoon, which means that it is likely little or no light reaches the street area below. Harris Street can also be called an underutilized street as pedestrian traffic is kept away from the street and leaves the street bare of commercial potential and activity.