Cassandra Vinograd LONDON The Associated Press Published Friday, Apr. 27, 2012 9:03AM EDT Last updated Friday, Apr. 27, 2012 10:16AM EDT

Heavily armed, masked police surrounded a site in central London on Friday after a woman reported that a mentally unstable man had walked into her office threatening to blow himself up.

Scotland Yard said in a statement that police were called to Tottenham Court Road, a busy central London avenue, just before noon and have sent a negotiator to the site. Office supplies, including computer monitors, were being thrown from the building's fifth-floor window.

The area was cordoned off, nearby buildings were evacuated and a police sniper was stationed on a rooftop near the building.

It's unclear if other people (are) in the building, police said in a statement, adding they aren't treating the incident as terror-related.

The Huffington Post, whose offices are just off Tottenham Court Road, said its building was among those evacuated. It quoted one witness as saying that a man had walked into her office strapped up in gasoline cylinders.

Basically he threatened to blow up the office, Abby Baafi, 27, told the website. He said he doesn't care about his life, he doesn't care about anything, he's going to blow up everybody.

Construction worker Martynas Vristiuk, 26, said he was out smoking a cigarette when a window above him was shattered and someone began throwing computer monitors into the street only 3 metres from where he was standing.

He threw 10 computers, Mr. Vristiuk told The Associated Press, adding that one was tossed onto a police car.

Fellow worker Dennis Gorsanenko, 23, said he was at a construction site adjacent the building in question when a police officer ordered everyone out. He said: There's a guy with a bomb on his belt.

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Man 'strapped in gasoline cylinders' threatens to blow up London office building

CLEARWATER County commissioners have approved a change to development rules that clears the way for the construction of a three-story office building in Historic Downtown Palm Harbor.

Though growth in a down economy might normally be celebrated, the 5-1 decision sparked outrage among the standing-room-only audience at Tuesday's County Commission meeting. Most of them had come to object to the change, and many who signed up to speak came from outside Palm Harbor, including St. Petersburg, Seminole and Indian Rocks Beach.

"I find this entire process tonight to be a perversion, an obscenity, to what purports to be a representative republic in Pinellas County," Palm Harbor resident John Treskovich said. "Very poorly done."

The decision also revived interest in incorporating Palm Harbor into a city. Before the commission vote, Palm Harbor fire commission member Norm Atherton said he was neutral about the idea of incorporating.

"After tonight, I'm going to be for it 100 percent," Atherton said. He referred to a petition with 536 signatures opposing the development rule change. If those people "each get 10 people to agree with them, we'll have the city of Palm Harbor," he said.

Commissioner Ken Welch, who was chairing the meeting, said he understood the anger and disappointment.

"I know for a lot of you this was not the decision you wanted or were hoping for," Welch said. "This board has listened to the community for some time. The decision is not what many of you wanted but we have listened."

The furor centered around a request by Geographic Solutions, a software company with 130 employees, to build a three-story building on Georgia Avenue in the Palm Harbor historic district. When the county originally granted approval, the proposed building was slated to have offices on the first two floors and a residential area on the third.

Last year, the company wanted to substitute office space for the residential area on the third floor. That was not permitted by the 2001 Historic Palm Harbor Master Plan. County staff members recommended amending the master plan to include transferable development rights, or TDRs.

A TDR allows an owner to adjust the development density allowed on his property. For example, if the owner has two parcels and each allows 100 units, but the owner wants to build a project with 150 units, he can take 50 units from one piece and add it to the 100 on the other. The remaining parcel would then be limited to 50 units, so that the overall density of the area remains the same even though it changed on one parcel.

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Approval of office building for downtown Palm Harbor sets off a furor

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/rhl8vq/office_building_co) has announced the addition of the "Office Building Construction in South Korea to 2016: Market Databook" report to their offering.

Timetric's, 'Office Building Construction in South Korea to 2016: Market Databook' contains detailed historic and forecast market value data for the office buildings construction industry, including a breakdown of the data by construction activity (new construction, repair and maintenance, refurbishment and demolition). The databook provides historical and forecast valuations of the industry using the construction output and value-add methods.

This report is the result of Timetric's extensive market research covering the office buildings construction category in South Korea. It contains detailed historic and forecast market value data for the office buildings construction industry, including a breakdown of the data by construction activity (new construction, repair and maintenance, refurbishment and demolition). 'Office Building Construction in South Korea to 2016: Market Databook' provides a top-level overview and detailed insight into the operating environment of the office buildings construction category in South Korea. It is an essential tool for companies active across the South Korea construction value chain and for new players considering entering the market.

Scope

- Overview of the office buildings construction category in South Korea

- Historic and forecast market value for the office buildings construction category by construction output and value-add methods for the period 2007 through to 2016

- Historic and forecast market value by construction activity (new construction, repair and maintenance, refurbishment and demolition) across the office buildings construction category for the period 2007 through to 2016

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/rhl8vq/office_building_co

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Research and Markets: Office Building Construction in South Korea to 2016: Market Databook is Essential Reading for ...

RALEIGH, NC--(Marketwire -04/26/12)- Highwoods Properties, Inc. (HIW - News) today announced that it has sold Feather Sound II, a 80,445 square foot, Class B office building in Pinellas County for $9.5 million, recording a non-FFO gain of $1.4 million. The property, which is currently 98.8% leased, is projected to generate approximately $900,000 of annual net operating income. The Company used the proceeds from this disposition to pay down its unsecured revolving credit facility.

Ed Fritsch, president and chief executive officer of Highwoods, stated, "We continue to improve the overall quality of our portfolio through the disposition of non-core assets. Feather Sound II, a 26-year-old office building, is located in Pinellas County (across the Bay from Tampa's Westshore submarket), a non-core submarket for our Company."

With the completion of this sale, Highwoods owns 20 office properties, encompassing 2.9 million square feet in Tampa, primarily in the Westshore and I-75 corridor submarkets. At March 31, 2012, these properties were, on average, 90.9% leased.

About Highwoods PropertiesHighwoods Properties, headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, is a publicly traded (HIW - News) real estate investment trust ("REIT") and a member of the S&P MidCap 400 Index. The Company is a fully integrated, self-administered REIT that provides leasing, management, development, construction and other customer-related services for its properties and for third parties. At March 31, 2012, Highwoods owned or had an interest in 338 in-service office, industrial and retail properties encompassing approximately 34.5 million square feet and owned 586 acres of development land. The Company's properties and development land are located in Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. For more information about Highwoods Properties, please visit our website at http://www.highwoods.com.

Certain matters discussed in this press release, such as projected net operating income of sold properties, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements are distinguished by use of the words "will", "expect", "intend" and words of similar meaning. Although Highwoods believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved.

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Highwoods' current expectations include, among others, the following: the financial condition of our customers could deteriorate; development activity by our competitors in our existing markets could result in excessive supply of properties relative to customer demand; development, acquisition, reinvestment, disposition or joint venture projects may not be completed as quickly or on as favorable terms as anticipated; we may not be able to lease or re-lease second generation space quickly or on as favorable terms as old leases; our markets may suffer declines in economic growth; we may not be able to lease our newly constructed buildings as quickly or on as favorable terms as originally anticipated; unanticipated increases in interest rates could increase our debt service costs; unanticipated increases in operating expenses could negatively impact our NOI; we may not be able to meet our liquidity requirements or obtain capital on favorable terms to fund our working capital needs and growth initiatives or to repay or refinance outstanding debt upon maturity; the Company could lose key executive officers; and others detailed in the Company's 2011 Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent SEC reports.

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Highwoods Properties Sells Non-Core Asset in Pinellas County, Florida for $9.5M

by Megan Thornton mthornton@cherokeetribune.com Cherokee Tribune

Vince Merolla addresses the press and public on Thursday about the fire that destroyed his office building on Sixes Road. The building, which housed eight tenants at the time, went up in flames 5 a.m. on March 5. It was one of the biggest commercial fires in the county in years. Cherokee Tribune/Todd Hull

Vince Merolla, president of Vince Merolla Enterprises, said he decided to conduct the event because he wanted to make sure the facts were presented and to let the public know that the ruined building is about to be demolished.

The building at 3440 Sixes Road near BridgeMill, which housed eight tenants at the time, went up in flames March 5 around 5 a.m. It was one of the biggest commercial fires in the county in years.

Since the fire, Cherokee County fire investigators released their findings that the cause of the fire was undetermined.

Due to the inability to completely rule out the possibility of an electrical causation within the area of origin, the cause of the fire is undetermined at this time, a report issued at the end of the investigation stated.

On Thursday, Merolla confirmed the cause of the fire as reported by the Cherokee Tribune.

The cause of the fire was determined to begin in the attic as electrical, Merolla said. However, because the fire was so intense and destroyed so much of the building, the only ruling available to authorities was undetermined.

Merolla told those in attendance Thursday that he has plans to clear the site next week.

Over the next five to seven days, well clear the site all the way down to the dirt and then my staff and I will start to plan out the rebuild of the building, he said, adding he plans to eventually build a replacement but has no time frame for the construction

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Building owner addresses fire in news conference

Representatives of the New England Regional Council of Carpenters (NERCC) have been demonstrating in front of the Lexington Town Office Building for weeks. The carpenters group is protesting against CTA Construction, claiming the contractor which submitted bids for two Lexington school projects does not pay fair wages and does poor quality work.

NERCC organizer Steve Falvey said he has been seeking public records for years to compile evidence demonstrating CTAs sub-standard practices.

Members of the Carpenters Local 26 have been informing the public of the possibility that a significant school remodeling project will be awarded to somebody who we believe does not possess the skills or management experience to do the job properly, Falvey said.

He said union members have been traveling throughout the area, carrying a banner that reads: Utter disregard for quality. Falvey said the line is a direct quote from a construction engineer who was dissatisfied with recent work done on the Parker Elementary School in Billerica.

Documents provided to the Lexington Minuteman by the NERCC indicate a level of dissatisfaction with work done by subcontractors hired by CTA for several local projects. For example, a Division of Asset Capital Management (DCAM) rated CTA well below average after a project at Menotomy Manor for the Arlington Housing Authority in 2010. The Arlington Housing Authority could not be reached for comment.

Accoding to CTA spokesman Jason Kauppi, CTAs average rating with DCAM is 94 out of 100, which more accurately reflects the quality of its work and its customer satisfaction than any individual score.

While Falvey insisted NERCC represents all local carpenters in the area regardless of union status, Kauppi dismissed the groups protest as a union issue.

The unions are doing this because CTA is a very successful, open-shop contractor, which means CTA is not bound to only use union contractors, Kauppi said. The unions dont want the competition.

Lexington and CTA

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Carpenters group stages protest against construction firm

Design-build commercial modular construction firm Ramtech Building Systems headquartered in Mansfield, Texas has announced that the company has received a 2011 Awards of Distinction honor at the World of Modular, the Modular Building Institute's annual convention and trade show held March 24-27 at the Hilton Bonnet Creek in Orlando, FL. Ramtech extended its string of Awards of Distinction winnings over the last three years by securing a first place award in the 'Temporary Office Under 5000 square feet' category for the 4,320 square foot modular building the company built and installed at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico for the Multinational Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) program.

Mansfield, Texas (PRWEB) April 24, 2012

Design-build commercial modular construction firm Ramtech Building Systems headquartered in Mansfield, Texas has announced that the company has received a 2011 Awards of Distinction honor at the World of Modular, the Modular Building Institute's annual convention and trade show held March 24-27 at the Hilton Bonnet Creek in Orlando, FL. Ramtech extended its string of Awards of Distinction winnings over the last three years by securing a first place award in the 'Temporary Office Under 5000 square feet' category for the 4,320 square foot modular building the company built and installed at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico for the Multinational Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) program. Performed under a design-build modular construction contract for El Paso-based CF Jordan Construction with design input from Jacobs Engineering, the facility provides for modular office and engineering space to support the final system integration and flight test activities for the NATO-managed MEADS project, a multinational joint venture comprised of MBDA in Italy, LFK in Germany, and U.S.-based Lockheed Martin. The $4.2 billion program is a ground-based Air and Missile Defense System that will incorporate the hit-to-kill PAC-3 MSE missile in a system that includes 360-degree surveillance and fire control sensors, netted-distributed battle management communication centers, and high-firepower launchers. According to Gary White, Ramtech's vice president of sales and estimating, "This AOD award is a recognition of Ramtech's ability to produce cost effective high-quality traditional modular buildings in addition to our award-winning permanent modular building program.

The facility was installed on a heavily reinforced nine-inch concrete slab foundation designed to withstand any ground movement from testing activity in and around the surrounding area. To help achieve this stability, Ramtech eschewed the basic haydite blocks typically used for most modular building foundations in favor of attaching the structure to 24 x 24 plinths, comprised of steel reinforced fully-mortared block piers connected to the concrete slab with #6 dowels and #3 horizontal ties. Built to meet Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection compliance, the building incorporates vandal resistant security bars over the windows with fragment retention film on the windowpanes. The exterior utilizes a factory applied 26-gauge hi-ribbed R-panel steel siding together with a TPO membrane single-ply roof. The building incorporates five Bard Wall-Mounted HVAC units zoned within the building layout for the heating and cooling of 17 offices, a large conference room, data room, and break room. The interior is finished out with VCG walls and carpet tile flooring in the main areas, and static dissipative vinyl composition tile for the data room.

The MBI Awards of Distinction contest is the commercial modular industry's premier awards program, with competition in over 30 categories for the MBI's member organizations including building manufacturers, dealers, and product and service providers. Finished project entries are accepted for temporary, permanent, and renovated modular buildings, as well as a new green building design category that provides both MBI members and college and university students the opportunity for world-class recognition. Each building entry is judged by an impartial panel of industry and non-industry construction and code experts, architects, and engineers who evaluate the projects for architectural excellence, technical innovation, cost effectiveness, energy efficiency, and calendar days to complete.

About Ramtech Building Systems

Located on 20 acres in the southern part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Ramtech Building Systems has convenient access to the major transportation arteries that serve cities throughout the Southwest. Structured as a vertically integrated design-build construction company, Ramtech provides space planning, design services, manufacturing, site construction and finish-out on every project they produce. The company maintains a consistent workforce of production workers and supervisory personnel with an average of 13 years experience, many with tenures over 20 years. This experience, coupled with Ramtechs approach to modular manufacturing and construction, allows for greater control at each step in the building process resulting in significant time and money savings for their clients. By emphasizing a value engineering approach, Ramtech has successfully completed over 2,500 prefabricated buildings for diverse projects of all sizes. For more information, visit the company's website at http://www.ramtechgroup.com.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prwebmodular_buildings/ramtech_building_systems/prweb9429760.htm

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Ramtech Wins AOD Award at Modular Building Institute Annual Conference

BUILDING PERMITS

Boulder

Building construction permits over $10,000 in value that were approved in Boulder between April 9 and April 15, 2012. Listed below are: the case number; address; total project valuation; owner name; contractor (if applicable); and description.

PMT2012-01672; 1341 Lodge Lane; $12,500; Peter and Barbara Swenson; Enlarge basement window in southeast corner of building to install door and garden-level patio.

PMT2012-00730; 3340 13th St.; $202,250; Alden Perkins; Modafferi Construction Inc.; Second-story addition and remodel of single-family residence. Scope of work includes 1,267-square-foot addition, remodel of 1,363-square-foot main floor remodel, new entry porch and new raised deck.

PMT2012-01658; 627 Marine St.; $21,750; Susan and Fred Ellis Jr.; Finished Basement Co.; Modification of walls in the previously finished basement -- add wall at laundry area and mechanical room. Modify "entertainment wall," remove existing window on east wall -- install compliant egress window on east wall. Relocate floor drain (3-foot) and existing laundry tub -- relocate plumbing piping. Includes associated electrical and mechanical.

PMT2012-01026; 3237 Broadway; $96,434; Jonathan Schimek; Melton Construction Inc.; Single-story, 652-square-foot addition, 145-square-foot remodel and 154-square-foot side porch on residence. Scope of project includes master bedroom/bath, additional bedroom and covered porch.

PMT2012-01011; 2325 Hillsdale Way; $50,000; JPMorgan Chase; Graham Construction & Remodeling; Remediation work related to CPL2010-01586, CPL2011-01387 and CPL2011-01573. On the second floor -- removal of a kitchen, removal of an office area (constructed over a deck), removal/replacement of roof sheathing and install replacement TPO membrane; on main level -- install handrails along staircases, install tempered glass where required, remove illegally modified roof trusses over garage, install replacement trusses (same pitch, same dimension, same rafter tail overhang) on basement level. Remove illegal kitchen, insulate ductwork, construct rated wall at staircase at garage. Electrical repairs throughout house. Install mini-split system.

PMT2012-01146; 5555 Central Ave.; $589,520; Flatiron Investment; Faurot Construction Inc.; Tenant remodel of 8,000 square feet to create IT offices and conference rooms. Relocate dishwasher in break room.

PMT2012-01631; 840 11th St.; $10,000; Catherine Roth and F. Contey; Remodel of residence including conversion of 20 square feet of attached two-car garage for new shower -- one code-compliant parking space to remain -- and remodel existing one-half bath. Scope of work includes associated electrical, mechanical and plumbing work.

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Boulder business permits: April 23, 2012

After an extended lull brought on by the economic downturn, commercial real estate developers are building again.

Some of the activity involves the revival of projects that stopped during the recession, but many others are new from the ground up and mark the return of construction cranes to the Southern California skyline along with the injection of billions of dollars into the local economy.

An intense demand for apartments is the biggest driver of development, as the improving economy supports the formation of new households. But offices, warehouses and stores are also being built, according to real estate brokerage Marcus & Millichap.

"We haven't had any meaningful construction of any type since 2005 or 2006," said Hessam Nadji, managing director of research at the brokerage. "A new cycle is beginning."

He expects 6,600 apartments and 2.4 million square feet of commercial space to be delivered this year in Los Angeles County. More is on the way.

"We're finally coming out of our bunkers," Los Angeles developer Wayne Ratkovich said of his fellow builders. "People are tired of being down in the dumps and are starting to look for opportunities."

Ratkovich is renovating aviation mogul Howard Hughes' former offices in Playa Vista, a development called the Hercules Campus that he expects to cost as much as $90 million. His tenants, including YouTube, are also spending substantial sums to build out their spaces, he said.

One of the region's most high-profile developers, Rick Caruso, estimated that he has about $750 million worth of development in the pipeline including what he called a "huge" project the size of his popular Grove shopping center in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles.

He declined to elaborate or say where in Southern California he intends to build the new project. One development he expects to finish in September is a $60-million luxury apartment complex on Burton Way at La Cienega Boulevard. The eight-story complex, called 8500, will house 88 apartments over a Trader Joe's grocery store.

At his Americana at Brand shopping and residential complex in Glendale, Caruso is building a new Nordstrom store and adding four apartments to the development's roster of 100 condominiums and 238 apartments, almost fully occupied.

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Apartment demand drives commercial building rebound

The Amherst Industrial Development Agency approved more than $326,000 in tax breaks Friday for a$3 million office building that McGuire Development Co. plans to build on the site of the former Newman Center on Main Street.

McGuire plans to start construction next month on a 15,000-squarefoot office building, located on 1.5 acres at 6325 Main St., between the new YMCA and Erie Community Colleges Amherst campus.

Accounting firm Szymkowiak & Associates, which is currently in offices at 333 International Drive in Amherst, plans to move into the new

building, occupying just under half of its space, said James Dentinger, McGuires president. The other half of the building has not been leased yet.

Its a nice little project, Dentinger said. Were excited about it.

IDA officials noted that the project, even with the tax breaks, will result in a big increase in the tax revenue generated by the site, which had been tax-exempt when it was owned by the Diocese of Buffalo.

The parcel, which generated just $547 in tax revenue when it was owned by the diocese, is expected to yield nearly $158,000 in tax revenue during the seven years covered by the tax abatement.

It takes a site that was tax exempt and, even with the abatement, puts it back on the tax rolls, said James J. Allen, the agencys executive director.

Szymkowiak, which gets about 70 percent of its business from international clients, had considered relocating most or all of its operations to Mississippi, where one of its major clients has available space, IDA officials said.

The accounting firm, which has 18 full-time and two part-time employees, is expected to add three full-time jobs and one part-time job, the agency said.

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Tax breaks approved for new offices in Amherst