Tulsa Tornado Tower

[gurantula35]

Tulsa?s Tornado Tower draws attention from investors | www.fox23.com

Saw this this morning. Would be very cool if it was actually built.

[Bullbear]

hahaha just posted this article on OKC VS TUlsa

Reimagining downtown - TulsaPeople - March 2015 - Tulsa, OK

[Urbanized]

Goofy.

[Bullbear]

yah I don't know that we want a monument to a destructive power.. why don't we build it in moore.. wouldn't that be novel.. its just a bad idea.

[TU 'cane]

yah I don't know that we want a monument to a destructive power.. why don't we build it in moore.. wouldn't that be novel.. its just a bad idea.

I've got to respectfully disagree here. Hear me out:

What is Oklahoma known for (just right off the top of your head, and don't make it cheesy about our state politics)? When I think of Oklahoma, I think of three things:

Native America
Cowboy/Western heritage
Tornadoes

The latter we have not claimed, for a wide variety of reasons. They are, as you say, extremely destructive entities bearing death.
However, I think tornadoes should only harbor respect, not fear, for they show what mother nature is capable of. Tornadoes are majestic, and perhaps they should be celebrated (perhaps not the right word) for a change? Plus, they keep those pesky Californians out (that was a joke...).

I think this is an extremely iconic monument that Tulsa would be very proud to host. It's visible, it's neat, it's modern... And it has character. This is something Tulsa needs right now to jump start the development even more.

Plus, it'll house a museum! Tulsa LOVES museums.

I support this 100% and would even consider writing a check out to donate to it (even if it's $10).

I think it's time for Oklahoma to have a gaudy landmark.
There's been a couple proposals in the past (The American statue, the Oil Derrick in OKC) that never gained steam. We need destination spots for out of towners, things that visitors will take pictures of and remember.

[Bullbear]

I've got to respectfully disagree here. Hear me out:

What is Oklahoma known for (just right off the top of your head, and don't make it cheesy about our state politics)? When I think of Oklahoma, I think of three things:

Native America
Cowboy/Western heritage
Tornadoes

The latter we have not claimed, for a wide variety of reasons. They are, as you say, extremely destructive entities bearing death.
However, I think tornadoes should only harbor respect, not fear, for they show what mother nature is capable of. Tornadoes are majestic, and perhaps they should be celebrated (perhaps not the right word) for a change? Plus, they keep those pesky Californians out (that was a joke...).

I think this is an extremely iconic monument that Tulsa would be very proud to host. It's visible, it's neat, it's modern... And it has character. This is something Tulsa needs right now to jump start the development even more.

Plus, it'll house a museum! Tulsa LOVES museums.

I support this 100% and would even consider writing a check out to donate to it (even if it's $10).

I think it's time for Oklahoma to have a gaudy landmark.
There's been a couple proposals in the past (The American statue, the Oil Derrick in OKC) that never gained steam. We need destination spots for out of towners, things that visitors will take pictures of and remember.

I get what you are saying and I think the structure itself is very Iconic and cool. I also agree that mother nature is to be revered.

[adaniel]

I agree that tornadoes are a part of Oklahoma, and many people from around the world come here to study and observe them. With that in mind, this seems highly unlikely and gimmicky. I usually appreciate out of the box thinking, but I'm wondering how a building like this is even structurally possible.

Norman has a fantastic facility in the National Weather Center. Given the amount of research that goes on at OU, I would place my money on Norman getting some sort of museum first.

[Plutonic Panda]

Yeah. I'm also biased, so I would prefer it gets built here in Norman, but if it does get built in Tulsa, it will be very cool. I like these kinds of buildings.

[TU 'cane]

Well, from the firms own mouth, it almost seems as if this was a joke to begin with. But, they stated this is in the absolute beginning of provisioning and they haven't an idea of the potential cost.

So, more than likely this floats down the river along with 99% of other unique proposals. No one should get their hopes up about it.

[Bullbear]

Well yes.. the entire article is just basically some architects envisioning some structures. no real solid plans rather dreaming of sorts.

[TU 'cane]

Right, that's exactly what it was. It was a really cool read nonetheless, thanks for finding it and sharing.

[CuatrodeMayo]

How about including a theater that shows "Twister" on repeat all day long? Or grazing areas for cow that you could see from below? Or a heroic scale bronze statue of Gary England at the base? Can we make it spin and make freight train sounds?

[shavethewhales]

Seems like just a publicity stunt for the firm. The building isn't practical to use unless someone wanted it for a single, obscure function like a novelty restaurant.

Personally, I love seeing pitches like this though just because it keeps people's minds working and thinking about possibilities. It's nice to see someone in Tulsa envisioning something other than bland stucco'd office buildings.

[Dustin]

Screw that! Build it in OKC!

[BG918]

Norman has a fantastic facility in the National Weather Center. Given the amount of research that goes on at OU, I would place my money on Norman getting some sort of museum first.

I think this has been discussed but never has had any traction. I'm sure OU would help finance such a museum in conjunction with the NWC. Maybe not a tornado "tower" but something in a similar design would be pretty cool.

When I was in architecture school at OU I created a similar design for a severe weather museum, but it was on the canal in Bricktown and was 5 stories but similar concept with a large cone-shaped glass feature busting through a brick warehouse. I built a model of it that I still have somewhere..