:-)

The LED lighting is starting to be a real embarrassment.

They were supposed to be done with this a long time ago and there are still a sizable amount of fixtures that don't work at all or only work improperly.

I know there was an issue getting access to the building maintenance unit (crane) in order to repair the sections that were damaged during installation, but I can't believe that is still the hold-up.

I'll see what I can find out.

Larry Nichols addressed this at the OKC Chamber luncheon last month. Apparently the BMU can only be operated under ideal wind conditions. Those days with those conditions have been few and far between so work on the lighting has been slowed down considerably.

Thanks for the information.

If we are waiting for ideal wind conditions in Oklahoma, none of us may live to see the LED lighting completed.

Honestly I think he is just talking out of his bum.

Does anyone know if Devon has had their windows cleaned yet? As in, guys on scaffolding being pulley-hoisted up and down the building? This seems like a way more logical way of repairing the tubes than using a "crane".

I brought up how the LEDs are an embarrassment back in post #10749 - and I was quickly barraged by posters about how unreasonable I was being. Where are all those posters that insisted they "knew how it worked" and they were going "to be fixed very soon"?


It's funny when people are just so sure about something they are actually completely wrong about.

The window washers use the BMU -- the same apparatus needed for lighting repair.

I haven't seen that thing in use much and I was told by someone in the know there was an issue with it very early on. Could have been the wind, but that was not my impression.


Anyway, I know the lighting contractor was to be finished with this last summer, so something has gone wrong somewhere.

Is OKC windier than Chicago?

Is OKC windier than Chicago?

Yes. Chi town got it's nickname from long winded politicians, not the weather.

Is OKC windier than Chicago?
Yes. Actually MUCH windier. And Chicago's nickname comes from politics, not weather.

Doh. Beat me to it.

Regarding "jeez, why don't they just use old-fashioned platform and pulley window washing platforms instead of that fancy-schmancy BMU"... ...it's because of the curvature of the top floors of the building. Along about the 30th floor or so, the building tapers in, starting almost imperceptibly and with an increasing taper as it goes up. If you hung a traditional window-washing platform over the side you would smash through the glass on the top 20 or so stories as you went down the side of the building. The BMU is basically the same thing, but uses a crane arm to extend it from the building before lowering, so that they can place it on a dime.

Regarding the idea that all they have to do is switch out some lighting "tubes" or whatever you are picturing for the LED installation: during a tour of the building I figured out for myself what one of the challenges is. There ARE no "tubes." And in fact, the LED lights are actually BEHIND vertically-and edge-mounted glass panels, which are then set into a frame and form the "fins" on the corners of the building. I wish I had taken a photo, because it is difficult to explain. But the light you see is actually being transmitted almost like a fiber-optic light transmission THROUGH the glass panel, from edge to edge, like from the spine of a book to the exposed page edge. You literally cannot see the LED lighting strips from the outside of the building; you can only see the LIGHT they make.

What this means is to replace a strip of lights you must first remove the glass fin section to access it. As many of those fin sections are likely one-of-a-kind or close-to owing to the building shape, and as they all are probably locked in very tightly, I would guess it is probably pretty time-consuming, labor intensive and requires extreme care when removing and replacing. Factor in the apparent lack of availability of the BMU (and the need to also use it for other building maintenance when available), it is really not that surprising that it is taking a loooong time to fix the individual lights that are faulty.

What IS surprising to me is that so many defective ones were installed in the first place. I never saw any areas where it seemed quality was sacrificed in the name of haste on this project, but in retrospect this might be one. You can bet money that there is a contractor and/or a supplier feeling a lot of heat on this one.

Just FYI, I was told by someone who knows that the only way to repair the LED units is with the BMU and that for quite a while it was unavailable.

Don't know the status of the BMU but it certainly hasn't seen much use.

Yes. Actually MUCH windier. And Chicago's nickname comes from politics, not weather.

Our politicians aren't far behind.....and they have shovels too.:D

Let's sneak in a few more shots before the holidays end and the decorations come down...


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8200/8283017868_93feb32b50_b_d.jpg


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8495/8281958591_59c68db0e9_b_d.jpg


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8483/8281953591_15a6b5c963_b_d.jpg


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8064/8283016766_35a28f9e12_b_d.jpg


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8078/8283019854_92795b8f91_b_d.jpg


Photos by OkayCityNate (http://www.flickr.com/photos/okaycity/)

A question that comes to mind: Where do they put all those giganto decorations when they take them down?

A question that comes to mind: Where do they put all those giganto decorations when they take them down?
Up in the attic of course.

Up in the attic of course.

That's what I was thinking! :wink:

Let's sneak in a few more shots before the holidays end and the decorations come down...

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8483/8281953591_15a6b5c963_b_d.jpg

For whatever reason my eye is immediately attracted to the self-photograph.

This is a stunning picture otherwise.

Up in the attic of course.

Lol, its funny because there's probably a giant warehouse that specializes in storing Christmas decorations for other companies like Devon.

Do you think Devon 'owns' these displays or were rented ?

I'm sure they own them.

And they probably have a big off-site storage for these and other things.

A question that comes to mind: Where do they put all those giganto decorations when they take them down?

They sell them to Chesapeake at 3x their cost.

Just FYI, I was told by someone who knows that the only way to repair the LED units is with the BMU and that for quite a while it was unavailable.

Don't know the status of the BMU but it certainly hasn't seen much use.

In the past few two weeks I haven't seen it much, but during my breaks at work I notice in use quite often. Hard to say how frequently, but I would guess about 3-4 week days -- when I actually notice it.

A few more nice shots of the yuletide atmosphere around Devon Energy Center:

http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/9/0/9/7/625x397xar135568213179099.jpg.pagespeed.ic.OtPmqYg 86G.jpg

http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/5/8/8/0/625x411xar135568223908855.jpg.pagespeed.ic.6pzxpOx poY.jpg

http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/9/3/3/1/625x416xar135568264813395.jpg.pagespeed.ic.zle4i10 h4N.jpg

http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/8/2/5/3/ar135568295435283.JPG

http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/5/0/4/0/ar135568247504056.JPG


They're going to need a mighty big attic for all this stuff!

More pics here:
Missing WHITE in holiday season? Visit skating rink in Downtown OKC (http://activerain.com/blogsview/3555473/missing-white-in-holiday-season-visit-skating-rink-in-downtown-okc-)

Great shots, Praedura - thank you!

Yes, very nice. Thanks.

Our politicians aren't far behind.....and they have shovels too.:D

Kind of disappointed to see you were comparing our politicians to Chicago's and not the suspectedly useless BMU.

From "Devon's Saturdays with Santa" facebook page (no, really):

Nice to see the families out on the lawn
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/14499_475848209123889_532024141_n.jpg


Size is not everything (or is it?)

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/73067_10151272906758057_1422768458_n.jpg


http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/704609_467898523252191_2103029081_o.jpg


I wonder what that space is ordinarily, with the giant ball gone. Just more lawn? Perhaps they should have something there all year long -- something photo-op-ish.

Yes it is entirely lawn.

Oh yes, this was the green space that was so non-inviting.......according to some of the theories thown out here. In the last few weeks, I've been by there a dozen times during all times of the week, and it's usually pretty well occupied with people.

Oh yes, this was the green space that was so non-inviting.......according to some of the theories thown out here. In the last few weeks, I've been by there a dozen times during all times of the week, and it's usually pretty well occupied with people.

i find myself on this green space more than the Myriad Gardens... i used to walk around the Myriad at least once a week, and now i find this as my calming spot. infact, i haven't crossed the street to go to the Myriad since the last movie in the park night...

Interesting that the Devon Lawn seems to be more used than MBG. That doesn't bode well for Central Park ... or Prominade Park ...... or Wheller Park.

Interesting that the Devon Lawn seems to be more used than MBG. That doesn't bode well for Central Park ... or Prominade Park ...... or Wheller Park.

if Wheeler Park wasn't just a bunch of baseball and softball fields, i would be using it instead of downtown. and it is easier to get to and from if you aren't in downtown

The devon lawn obsolutely does now get used more than the myriad gardens. There is just a giant red ball on the lawn right now so people are drawn to it and want to take pictures.

The devon lawn obsolutely does now get used more than the myriad gardens. There is just a giant red ball on the lawn right now so people are drawn to it and want to take pictures.

This is the perfect example to what I have said in the Central Park thread and various other discussions. We need a permanent piece of public art downtown that attracts people to interact with it, take pictures with it, etc. Devon's large, smooth, red balls are the perfect example -- look at how many people they attract and how many people walk around to interact with it.

We need a permanent piece of art that inspires imagination and promotes interaction and is a central focal point for people to walk to. The Bean in Millennium Park in Chicago is a terrific example of this, it draws a similar level of interaction as these large red balls do.

I'm just glad there are more than just two giant red balls at the base of the tower.

Sorry, bad joke.

http://www.freetraveltalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Wonderful-Cloud-Gate-at-Millennium-Park-02.jpg

Amen. And it needs to be very large. I looked for the new "earth meets sky" sculpture by City Hall for about 10 minutes before I found it, and I knew what I was looking for.

I'm just glad there are more than just two giant red balls at the base of the tower.

Sorry, bad joke.

Red is better than blue...

I think if it were some kind of public art where people could climb through it like that bubbly structure at the Oklahoma Science Museum (don't know if it's still there), that would be pretty cool. Not much of a way to outdo the bean in Chicago unless you make it totally interactive.

Red is better than blue...

Tru dat.

While I am excited at the probability that Devon will build another tower downtown, am I alone in thinking that their downsizing of the Devon Tower was not as carefully thought as they had hoped? What a sight it would have been to have the 75 feet back (maybe 4 floors?). Or even add 50 more feet to get supertall status. (to dream, OKC with a supertall)

Sure, I want more buildings but wouldn't it be nice to have the 925 footer AND a 30-40 storey Devon 'amenities' tower. lol Yes!! yep yep yep totally! our city deserves it

This is the perfect example to what I have said in the Central Park thread and various other discussions. We need a permanent piece of public art downtown that attracts people to interact with it, take pictures with it, etc. Devon's large, smooth, red balls are the perfect example -- look at how many people they attract and how many people walk around to interact with it.

We need a permanent piece of art that inspires imagination and promotes interaction and is a central focal point for people to walk to. The Bean in Millennium Park in Chicago is a terrific example of this, it draws a similar level of interaction as these large red balls do.

Totally agree. We do need a great piece of public art. But, I'm not really worried about the central park. I've always felt the Myriad Gardens is too programmed to be a place of relaxation. It feels busy. The central park (and perhaps we should thank financial constraints) will be an open area that I think people will be drawn to because of what it does and doesn't have. But, a big piece of interactive art would help as well.

Those were stunning photos of the Devon (and other) Christmas decorations, Praedura ... truly nice that Devon takes its civic pride so magnanimously as to produce such pieces of beautiful yet simple art that everyone can relate to, in terms of both quality and quantity. My hat is very much off to Devon for doing this.

As an aside and a somewhat related topic, I'm wondering what became of the Compass Rose sculpture (http://dougdawg.blogspot.com/2010/03/compass-rose.html) that the City Council approved in March 2010. Now that it is obviously not going to be placed in the Bicentennial Park as originally planned, I do hope that it will be resurrected and placed somewhere ... perhaps in a highly visible area in Central Park. I'll search OklcTalk to see if I can find any information about this splendid project.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/art/compassrose5.jpg

The thread on the Compass Rose is here, in the General Development area (http://www.okctalk.com/general-civic-issues/21281-new-downtown-art-compass-rose.html). It hasn't been updated for quite some time and it doesn't have a Wiki piece on it. I'll give that a stab, if I can figure out how to do that.

From "Devon's Saturdays with Santa".

So is it possible to ask this "Devon Santa" for another tower? ;)

So is it possible to ask this "Devon Santa" for another tower? ;)

If some of the rumors are to be believed, I think that someone (a good little boy, at that) already has!
:Smiley063

As an aside and a somewhat related topic, I'm wondering what became of the Compass Rose sculpture (http://dougdawg.blogspot.com/2010/03/compass-rose.html) that the City Council approved in March 2010. Now that it is obviously not going to be placed in the Bicentennial Park as originally planned, I do hope that it will be resurrected and placed somewhere ... perhaps in a highly visible area in Central Park. I'll search OklcTalk to see if I can find any information about this splendid project.



It will be in the Boathouse District near SE 6th.

I'm not sure if it's new but there I am currently watching a show on OETA called Devon Energy Center Special. It's a very interesting 30 minute program about the planning behind and the construction of the Devon Tower.

It came on back in October but it was on Channel 9 I think.

Like a mirror

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8218/8376954002_280122e8bc_b_d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/73409321@N00/8376954002/in/photostream)

Aaaaaaaa!!! I'm blinded... I can't see... lol


Photo by Laban West (http://www.flickr.com/photos/73409321@N00/)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8058/8287123682_70c55ddb08_h.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/chadwadsworth/8287123682/in/photostream)

Photo by Chad Wadsworth (http://www.flickr.com/photos/chadwadsworth)

There's a cold, stark beauty to that shot.

Like a mirror





The reason I have have to close my office blinds between 10 and 10:30.

Any update on the exterior led lighting? Still a LOT of them not lighting up..

Any update on the exterior led lighting? Still a LOT of them not lighting up..

I would quit using them until they're fixed. It does not look good.

I feel like there's always going going to be some lights out, and it'll just be an on-going proccess lol

I would quit using them until they're fixed. It does not look good.

I agree. When driving by, it looks pretty shoddy.

You know what would look a lot worse? No lights at all.

I would submit that the only folks who find it shoddy-looking, or even mildly irritating, are those of us who are obsessive enough to post about that building on a message board during its construction (guilty!). I would bet that the missing lights don't even register with 90% of those who look at it, and that many of the ones with whom they do register think it is supposed to be that way.

Obviously (to us) it's an issue that needs to be dealt with (and I'm sure it IS being dealt with), but I really think we're just hyper-aware of it. I also promise that a supplier or contractor somewhere has hell to pay over it, and that we will never know the details. Personally, it's not my skyscraper, so I'm pretty happy to let Devon handle it. They've done a pretty good job with everything else so far.

I've never heard anyone talk about it except the people on this forum.

I agree. When driving by, it looks pretty shoddy.

From 3 miles out, it looks good to me.

Honestly, I think the tower would be fine if they just kept the tops lit, but it's kinda hard to identify the sections that are out and get them repaired if they're not on now, unless of course they mark them.