Bainbridge Place (Based on Russell Investments Center, Seattle) - NO CC

OK, to give you an idea how inconsistent I am in working on my projects, I realized that this one was almost a year in the making!

This apartment tower is based on a building in downtown Seattle, WA, called the Russell Investments Center. The real-world photo of it that's included with the screenshots of the in-game lot was one that I took while on the Bainbridge Island Ferry when I visited the city a year ago- hence the in-game name I chose for the lot! Several people have commented that they like the more "realistic" looking skyscrapers I've uploaded best, so I figure, what's more realistic than a real building? At any rate, I hope this satisfies those folks specifically, as well as just giving you everything you'd need for another addition to your urban landscape!



This might be the biggest skyscraper I've put together yet, with a total of 13 different apartment units available for rent, spread out over more than a dozen floors. Prices start at $1350 per week for the cheapest units, with two on each of the lower residential levels, up through a few thousand a week for the more upscale units that take up all of one floor by themselves, and max out at $9705 per week for the penthouse, taking up the top 4 floors all on its own. There are also 4 floors devoted to providing public spaces for the residents of this building- a fully-equipped gym and locker rooms for men and women are found in the basement, while the two-story lobby area provides plenty of space for Sims to meet guests, or just take a break and watch the fish in the building's 10,000-gallon aquarium, or practice tickling the ivories on the grand piano also found in this lounge area. The third floor is split into two areas- on the left, an indoor playground is set up, so that Sims with children who live in the building have a place to escape to when the kids have been cooped up in the apartment too long, while on the right, a fully-stocked business center is set up, allowing even Sims without computer or internet access in their apartments access to all the wonders of modern technology (and a coffee and espresso bar as well!)



The apartments themselves are all done in more or less the same modern style- in keeping with placement in the center of an urban landscape. There are two apartment per floor for levels 4-8, usually one-bedroom units, but with a couple two-bedroom units as well. Even being smaller in scale than units higher up in the building, the views from units like this are still quite impressive (so long as you remembered to put this building in the heart of an impressive downtown skyline! ). Levels 9 and 10 are each devoted to a single unit, either one or two bedrooms, with commanding 360 degree views of the cityscape available. From level 11 on up to the roof is the building's penthouse apartment, with 4 bedrooms, a gourmet kitchen, a two-story living room with state-of-the-art entertainment center, a home office suited for even the most discriminating of business tycoons, and in the long, narrow core of the building on the highest level, a single bowling alley! (I try to find a way to incorporate something ridiculous into most penthouses I make- a bowling alley has no place in a skyscraper, so naturally it had to be included! ).



While not the most distinctive of silhouettes for a skyscraper (it's really just a bunch of rectangles), buildings like this still help to convey the idea that a downtown area is a thriving hub of commerce and economic opportunity. The common themes found both inside and outside this building also help give it a sense of contiguity that I feel was lacking in some of my earlier towers- instead of looking as though each floor was designed by a different architect, the building has the same general feel to it on the first floor as it has on the 10th. Should be a nice addition to any downtown area!



As far as gameplay goes, this is (as usual) a huge lot, so if you have a slower machine, it may not respond quite as quickly as you're used to with smaller lots. Still, my computer is old (and getting older) and I was able to design this lot and test it out without too much trouble, so it's still certainly within the realm of playability. I also did some quick testing of a clone of this lot, and didn't find any problems presenting themselves, so you shouldn't run into any real issues. If you do though, absolutely let me know, and I'll see if there's anything I can do to address them! As those of you who play towering lots like this may know, camera placement can be pretty tricky, but what I find works best is to use a low camera angle and a high zoom level- essentially, put the camera INSIDE the building, and you shouldn't have any more trouble with that whole "looks like you're falling off the building" issue! Finally, as with everything I've created, there's no CC to be found on this lot, so provided you have the complete TS2 collection, you're all set! Here's hoping that you'll all enjoy this latest skyscraper- have fun!

Lot Size: 3x2
Lot Price (furnished): $1,350 - $9,705

Additional Credits:
The real-world building that this lot is based off of was designed by the architectural firm NBBJ, so credit should go to them for the basic shape of the exterior.