Corpus
Christi has quite a nice downtown filled with mid-rise
buildings and skyscrapers. But this is the building
everyone sees on the post cards. Unlike the rest of
the central business district, One Shoreline Plaza
sits right on the water defying conventional wisdom
in an area that is lashed by tropical storms and hurricanes
almost yearly. Some preparation for this eventuality
can be seen in the latticework of concrete that covers
its exposed windows. They are set back quite a way
which could help deflect some lateral wind force and
flying debris assuming the wind isn’t blowing directly
at a window. Moreover, being on the water it has integrated
itself into the city’s seawall allowing it to sit
somewhat higher than the boring glass or concrete
boxes several blocks inland. The Plaza consists of
two towers positioned at an angle to each other. They
are joined by a main lobby and a skywalk complex.