BancFirst Tower

[gopokes88]

Urban Land Institute. It’s membership based and they do awards/tours.

I don't agree with some of what they do, but respect the hell out of what they do.

[Urbanized]

^^^^^^^^^
As a longtime member, I’d be interested in hearing what it is that you don’t care for. Legitimately surprised at the comment, especially if you’re meaning the local chapter. In my experience it’s made up of the people who care about and for this city the utmost from an urban development standpoint.

And I know for a fact that it has brought together teams who have pulled off much of what folks gush about on this forum, complex, difficult, historic, walkable, culturally significant, equitable projects. Genuinely puzzled.

Feel free to DM me.

[shawnw]

Couldn't have said it better, Chad.

[Dob Hooligan]

Kinda hoping someone would use the opportunity to tell about ULI in their own words. What it is, what it does and how it works in Oklahoma City.

[Pete]

I belong to ULI.

First of all, it's a national organization with a local chapter here in OKC.

It's generally a networking group for developers and related industries like architects, engineers, contractors, finance, brokerage, etc. Pretty much all the local players are involved.

Also people like shawnw and urbanized who are just very interested in urban development.

They have periodic meetings and talks on various subjects of interest and often take tours of new projects in OKC and sometimes bus tours to see projects in other cities. They also do online seminars and some national and regional conferences.

I don't go that often but they had one luncheon where they had members from the County Assessors office and they talked about how to use their database to find information, and also described some future upgrades.

https://oklahoma.uli.org/

[LocoAko]

I'm not a formal member, but attended the latest session of their book club, which they host occasionally. Everyone was friendly, and it was great to hear the perspectives of people heavily involved in local development on things like walkability, biking, etc. I plan on going back for any future rounds.

[Pete]

Installing glass at the south entry.

[Bellaboo]

Haven't been down lately, but have they started installing the new glass on the East and West sides ?

Thanks

[Pete]

^

No, not yet.

It looks like they've started on the mullions on the west side.

And they've been working hard on the south part of the lobby and plaza. That is supposed to wrap up in a couple of months.

[Bellaboo]

Thanks Pete !

[Pete]

I took this Saturday of the west facade.

Looks like they are covering the mullions, then the windows will come next.

[HOT ROD]

drove by and the lobby IS very impressive. This is going to be awesome once construction in this part of downtown is finished.

[Pete]

They are just now starting to cover the mullions on the west side.

They still have a very long way to go on the facade.

[Anonymous.]

Both E and W sides being done simultaneously will be a really cool transformation to watch. The amount of construction happening in these two blocks with FNC is exhausting.

[Pete]

First photo is the plaza on the south side of the building; I believe the schedule is for it to be completed in June.

2nd photo is the east facade.

[Southsider2]

Getting the vibe that they may be taking the mullions all the way up before starting on the glass this round. The mullions are already about half way up on the east elevation and not too far behind on the west side. They’re hauling on them right now that’s for sure.

[Pete]

New mullions about halfway up the west facade.

At this pace, completing this project is going to take forever.

[Pete]

Window replacement has started on the east side:

[Pete]

Progress on the mullions and glass on the eastside:

[HFAA Alum]

Progress on the mullions and glass on the eastside:

It's amazing how different the mullions make the tower look by themselves. It makes even the old black glass look seamless to an extent. Too bad this project will be a whole three years out with they way they're working.

[Swake]

This project is changing the building from one particular International style high-rise into another. The building as it was, while it needed a refresh, was still a really good example of the era. What it's being converted into is just a different example, also good, of the same era and style. Transforming the glass of what was already a good looking example of the era seems a but pointless.

[DowntownMan]

This project is changing the building from one particular International style high-rise into another. The building as it was, while it needed a refresh, was still a really good example of the era. What it's being converted into is just a different example, also good, of the same era and style. Transforming the glass of what was already a good looking example of the era seems a but pointless.

The changing of glass wasn’t really based on looks but the efficiently of heating and cooling the building if I recall correctly.

[Pete]

There was a ton of prep work but they now seem to be rolling on both the east and west facades.

They had said that they have learned a lot and work should move more quickly than it did on the north side.

Also, the plaza and lobby on the south side are very close to being finished.

[Plutonic Panda]

This project is changing the building from one particular International style high-rise into another. The building as it was, while it needed a refresh, was still a really good example of the era. What it's being converted into is just a different example, also good, of the same era and style. Transforming the glass of what was already a good looking example of the era seems a but pointless.

I’ve kind of been noticing that as well and I’m really starting to like the outcome after having been critical of this project in the past.

[ChaseDweller]

The changing of glass wasn’t really based on looks but the efficiently of heating and cooling the building if I recall correctly.

Correct. The glass had to be changed. It leaked terribly and did not insulate well. The HVAC units inside could not handle the thermal loads from the outside.