The Class A office sector in Northwest Arkansas is set to get a much-needed jolt in 2020.

According to a new report by CBRE, the construction of five Class A buildings totaling approximately 370,000 square feet of office space will be completed and ready for tenants next year.

There is no definitive formula to characterize building class among A, B and C. Class A buildings generally represent the newest and highest quality buildings in a particular market. They are buildings with the best construction and have high-quality building infrastructure. Class A buildings are also well located, have suitable access and are professionally managed. As a result, they typically attract the highest quality tenants and also command the highest rents.

Those rents are rising even higher.

David Erstine, a real estate broker with CBRE in Fayetteville and the author of the new report, said construction costs at an all-time high are driving up lease rates. Because of additional major construction projects that are coming down the development pipeline, the labor market is likely to remain strained for the foreseeable future. As a result, landlords will pay at a premium for new construction, which will keep pushing lease rates higher for new office space.

Historically, Class A office space was in the range of leasing from $20 to $24 per square foot, Erstine said. In todays world, new Class A space is from $27 to approaching $30.

MARKET BREAKDOWNThe most significant addition to the Class A inventory will be in Rogers, where more than half of the regions premium office space already resides. That includes Benton Countys largest office building, the 10-story, 226,000-square-foot Hunt Tower.

Three new buildings from separate development groups will increase that percentage next year.

Northgate Plaza, a six-story, 118,000-

square-foot building and adjacent parking structure on J.B. Hunt Drive, should be ready for tenants by early February. Northgate Holdings, the building/parking and landowner, is a partnership between the Blass family of Little Rock and Johnelle Hunt, chairman of Hunt Ventures in Rogers.

Cushman & Wakefield/Sage Partners in Rogers is the developer consultant.

In The District at Pinnacle Hills, a 54-acre mixed-use project along Pauline Whitaker Parkway, a 40,000-square-foot office building is in development. It will be the third office building in the development, led by Whisinvest Realty of Little Rock.

Also on Whitaker Parkway, Hachem Investments Inc., led by Laurice Hachem, is building One Uptown. The three-story, 60,000-square-foot building will have retail, restaurants and roughly 20,000 square feet of office space.

Erstine said those three projects would help alleviate a tight market in the Pinnacle Hills area. He mentioned a variety of factors that are driving demand there. They include merger and acquisition activity among retail suppliers.

The growth we see in that area is not necessarily a net growth, he explained. Lets say two [supplier] teams come together, each in 10,000 square feet of space that now need 15,000 square feet. Its a net loss of 5,000 square feet, but because contiguous space footprints are limited, when new [buildings] are built, thats who they are attracting.

Erstine, who has worked in Northwest Arkansas commercial real estate industry for nearly 20 years, said traffic congestion and proximity to Interstate 49 are also driving interest in Pinnacle Hills.

If you have a sizable team of 20-plus [employees] and searching for office space, its common for us to hear from the occupier that they collectively live throughout the greater Northwest Arkansas region, Erstine said. Working in Pinnacle Hills is far less impactful on team members drive times than it would be to locate in certain areas of Bentonville further away from the interstate. I think we would all agree that in Northwest Arkansas, its a lot more efficient to travel north and south than it is east and west in most any community.

The first two buildings in the 33-acre Rice Office Complex (ROC) will give Bentonville new Class A properties near the interstate when they are finished next year. The office park is situated along northbound I-49, north of the Arkansas Highway 72 exit.

Cushman & Wakefield/Sage Partners is the developer. The two buildings total 112,000 square feet. Erstine said its believed that the larger of the two buildings (72,000 square feet) has already been fully leased. The activity is thought to be related to relocation efforts surrounding Walmarts new corporate campus construction. ROC will ultimately help ease the vacancy rate in Bentonville. Its the highest in the region at 11.71% among Class A properties, but thats a drop of nearly 6% in the past year.

Erstine termed the Bentonville market as being in a lull period following Walmarts 2017 announcement that the company would build a new corporate campus in Bentonville. The new corporate campus will be built to the east side of Southeast J Street, between Central Avenue (Highway 72) and 14th Street (Highway 102), with Eighth Street running through it. In the 350-acre footprint where the campus will be built, there are several Walmart-owned buildings and operations. Walmart is in the process of moving employees to new locations so it can raze the buildings, build new structures then move employees back in.

Many reviewing office occupiers are still determining whether it is best to relocate themselves closer to the new headquarters site or remain in their current space, Erstine wrote in the report. Some have taken the wait and see method [since] the headquarters may not be fully complete for another seven years. Average lease terms for these office occupiers range from five to seven years.

The Fayetteville submarket, according to CBRE, has the lowest vacancy rate in the region among Class A properties at 3.76%. Thats down from nearly 5% in the second half of 2018. Erstine said thats forcing occupiers who require more than 10,000 square feet of contiguous space to look elsewhere.

There is one Class A development scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2020. Its a two-story, 39,000-square-foot building in the Vantage Drive Office Park, a new 13-acre office park situated north of the U.S. Postal Service at 1590 E. Joyce Blvd.

Kyle Naples, owner of NAPA Construction in Fayetteville, is partnering with CBRE to develop the property. Erstine said the new building would be the first new Class A multitenant building in Fayetteville in over a decade.

Overall there are 45 Class A office buildings in Bentonville, Fayetteville and Rogers totaling 2.57 million square feet. The overall vacancy rate is 7.35%.

Erstine said Springdale is not included in the report because historically there has been little to no sizable [Class A] office demand or supply for the Springdale market. He said that could change over the next decade, specifically in the area around the Don Tyson Parkway interchange, as companies look to be more centrally located in Northwest Arkansas.

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Inventory of Class A office space expected to swell in 2020 - talkbusiness.net

SOUTH BEND On a cold and blustery Thursday, officials gathered on the edge of an open field in Ignition Park to witness the citys latest groundbreaking for office space.

Press Ganey, a business that was started here by a couple of Notre Dame professors, had finally had enough of the space it has been cobbling together in the city for more than 30 years. Efficiency, convenience and camaraderie could be improved if the companys estimated 380 employees were under one roof.

So officials broke ground for a new 83,000-square-foot building along Ignition Drive that should be ready in the first half of 2021 for the company that aims to improve health care performance by measuring patient satisfaction.

The new office, which will include training and fitness centers, as well as a rooftop deck with cafe, is being built to house an estimated 500 employees with the possibility of an additional building expansion in the future.

Meanwhile, a new five-story office building is progressing at the corner of Jefferson Boulevard and Main Street that will eventually house the law firm Barnes & Thornburg and Lewis Hansells River Park Leasing Corp., on the top four floors with space for a coffee shop and retailer on the ground level.

All good news since its better to have a combined $25 million in new investment than to risk one or more of the businesses moving out of the city.

But those two moves also will add a considerable amount of square footage to the downtown office market that could be further boosted with the possible sale of the 63,000-square-foot building occupied by South Bend Community School Corp., at 215 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

In its latest market report for the second half of the year, Bradley Co. said the office market in St. Joseph County is experiencing a significant level of turnover which is driving up vacancy rates.

The firm said the office vacancy rate was 9.4% in the third quarter compared to 8.5% in the same period last year and that the office market within St. Joseph County is experiencing a significant level of turnover, which is driving up vacancy rates.

The commercial real estate firm said space that has been vacated has remained empty for extended periods, especially larger spaces beyond 5,000 square feet, and that there already is about 20,000 square feet of vacant space in Leighton Plaza, more than 10,000 square feet in the Holladay building, more than 60,000 square feet in Jefferson Centre and about 8,000 square feet available in the Key Bank Building.

And thats without the additional space that could added by the Barnes & Thornburg and Press Ganey moves, the possible sale of the school districts administrative building and the potential redevelopment of the former South Bend Tribune building.

John Jessen, a vice president at Bradley, said the Pete Buttigieg presidential campaign also is occupying a good amount of downtown office space that eventually wont be needed no matter the outcome of the race for the White House.

We need a new user that can gobble up a floor or even a building, he said.

Until that happens, there will likely be price pressure on downtown office space, especially larger offices and those that need to be upgraded. The market will favor those who are potentially interested in moving downtown or relocating to a different space, Jessen said.

Any building that has obsolescence and an owner that doesnt see the need for upgrades is going to have challenges, said Jessen, adding that owners also should do their homework before planning investments.

Despite the potential challenges, Jessen and others pointed out the investment in new office space is the first in about 20 years in the downtown area and that the market is vibrant with more people and businesses deciding to locate near the heart of the city.

Its hard to argue that there havent been positive improvements that have made downtown a desirable place to be, said Ed Bradley, senior vice president at Cressy Commercial Real Estate. And that impacts whether we see the additional office space as an opportunity or a threat.

Some of the space might have to be divided or redeveloped but eventually it will find its best use, said Bradley, pointing out there also is likely a year or more before the space now occupied by Barnes & Thornburg and Press Ganey even becomes available.

The next thing is still to be determined, Bradley said. Though there are vacancies being created by these decisions, there will opportunities created.

That might not have been the case 10 years ago, but today there is a sizable amount of investment going on throughout the downtown, said Bradley, adding that the Buttigieg campaign has put a positive spotlight on the city.

Developer David Matthews, who is building a 10-story building in the East Bank area adjacent to the Commerce Center, said he believes a key to the ongoing revitalization effort is getting more people to move downtown.

Some of those people might be decision makers who want their offices closer to where they live, said Matthews. Though there could be a short-term problem with too much office space, he too believes the issue will eventually work itself out.

Id have a different opinion if businesses were leaving, Matthews said. But more people and businesses are choosing to be here.

Dan Buckenmeyer, director of business development in the citys Department of Community Investment, said the potential for excess space is the result of the first significant investments in office buildings in decades.

The city will continue to work with local businesses to help them expand and grow here, Buckenmeyer said.

And similar to how Press Ganey was born here, perhaps the next tenant in downtown will be another venture that is being developed at innovation centers at Notre Dame and other places, he said.

Besides getting its staff under one roof, the relocation to Ignition Park gives Press Ganey the technology infrastructure needed to support a data-driven company.

This is an absolute long-term commitment to South Bend, said Joe Greskoviak, CEO of the company. This gives us the space we need to grow into the future.

See the article here:
Office buildings under construction in South Bend, but what about turnover and vacancies? - South Bend Tribune

A series of small commercial buildings on a 36-acre site in Westborough have sold for $2.75 million to the owner of Triboro Crane & Rigging Services, which has moved to the property.

The site at 29 Research Drive is home to 14,000- and 11,000-square-foot buildings, and two much smaller structures, on a sprawling property behind the headquarters building for BJ's Wholesale Club.

Ferris Development of Marlborough sold the site to Triboro Real Estate, an entity registered to Lawrence Cedrone Jr. of Upton. The sale closed Nov. 20.

Cedrone is the owner of Triboro Crane & Rigging Services, which was founded in 2008 and provides various construction services. The company was based in Shrewsbury, but the address on its website has been changed to 29 Research Drive.

The property last sold in 2015 for $750,000. It was last assessed at $1 million.

Ferris Development is the owner of multiple office properties in Westborough, Southborough, Northborough and Marlborough, including the former offices of biotech giant Sanofi/Genzyme at 1 Research Drive in Westborough.

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Construction firm buys Westborough office property for $2.8M - Worcester Business Journal

In October, Gastonia leaders forged a relationship with a group that has begun working to establish a brewery within the burgeoning FUSE District.

That landmark venture is slated to occupy the northernmost portion of the historic Coca-Cola property, in a 5,000-square-foot building along Trenton Street. But the city has now also identified a firm to oversee the redevelopment of the largest section of the building, which sits at 620 W. Franklin Blvd. and fronts U.S. 74 with more than 85,000 square feet.

City Council members on Tuesday approved what is known as a memorandum of understanding with Lenox Development Group. The agreement will serve as a launching pad in the partnership between the city and the Cramerton-based company, establishing the general expectations for repurposing the space as part of the Franklin Urban Sports and Entertainment District.

Gastonia Economic Development Specialist Cody Gibson said the MOU will help Lenox to secure lending and financing in determining the ultimate design and potential uses of the property.

Theyre looking to renovate a good majority of it, and have some potential new construction as well, he said. This would be a potential mixed-use development throughout.

The city approved a similar agreement two months ago with DMD Investors to develop the brewery. And it has already entered into a more formal deal with Lansing Melbourne Group that will lead to the redevelopment of the historic Trenton Mill nearby.

A neat building

Eric Vargosko, the managing partner of Lenox Development, has been living in this area and redeveloping old buildings in Charlotte since the early 2000s, with a focus on up-and-coming communities such as NoDa and South End. But Charlotte doesnt have a wealth of historic buildings, which has left him looking for more opportunities, he said. He is currently involved in a mixed-use project in downtown Belmont.

When I walked through the Coca-Cola building with (Gastonia Economic Development Director) Kristy (Crisp), it was exciting, because its got some history to it, he said. Its a neat building.

Vargosko said its still too soon the nail down the specific future uses of the huge space, which includes the original 1935 brick portion and a metal-sided section on the east side that was built later.

Structurally, Vargosko said he envisions the Coca-Cola building housing a restaurant where the main entrance sits at the corner of Franklin and Trenton, with some other commercial uses elsewhere on the ground level. Loft apartments with rooftop terraces could be established to look out toward the future FUSE stadium and entertainment complex, which is under construction now.

That would be Phase 1, he said. Then where the existing metal building sits, we would plan a Phase 2, again with residential up above and commercial below.

Vargosko said his lead-off vision is to establish something akin to the Chelsea Market in Manhattan, which serves as a food hall, shopping mall, office building and more.

Thats a project in New York City where you go in and it looks like an old building, and theres a flower shop, and a candy store, and a coffee shop, he said. Realistically, as Gastonia continues to grow, it may not be that retail intensive. There might be an insurance agent in an office, things like that.

Catalyst for growth

The goal would be to work toward that and create a market for it, essentially changing the thoughts that people have now about what Gastonia can accommodate. There are people who want the lifestyle that such a development would provide, though its not yet offered on the west side of the Catawba River, Vargosko said.

Wed want to maintain that flexibility, but in a perfect world, thats what youd have, he said. On a Friday or Saturday evening, youd have the garage doors on our restaurant open and tied in with the brewpub behind us, and have some lofts above with people watching a baseball game.

For a long time, people have had to drive to Charlotte for such amenities, Vargosko said.

I think with the investment you all have made into the FUSE District, he told City Council members, thats a great catalyst for things like this.

The city plans to continue working with Vargosko and Lenox Development Group in the coming months to further nail down a plan for the building.

You can reach Michael Barrett at 704-869-1826 or on Twitter @GazetteMike.

The rest is here:
Local firm tapped to redevelop Coca-Cola building within Gastonias FUSE District - Gaston Gazette

Want to get a jump-start on upcoming deals? Meet the major Dallas-Fort Worth players at one of our upcoming events!

The soil is churned and construction is underway on the largest Dallas-Fort Worth office groundbreakings of 2019.

These luxury office towers mostof them built on spec are expected to top the destination lists of companies shopping DFW for modern office sites.

Amid an active development year for DFW office,the following towerswereby far the largest officegroundbreakings (on a per square foot basis) this year, according to CBRE.

Courtesy of BokaPowell

Rendering of Bethany West in Allen, Texas

No. 5. One Bethany West In Allen

Kaizen Development Partners launched construction in May on a 200K SF, eight-story office product in Allen, according to CBRE.

Known as One Bethany West, the office tower is designed by BOKA Powell to fit inside Allen's bustling Watters Creek development. With an opening date slated for the first quarter of 2020, the office product is expected toprovide a solution for growing demand in the North Dallas suburbs.

Balfour Beatty is the project's general contractor with JLLs Blake Shipley and Chris Doggett leadingmarketing and leasing efforts.

The Link in Dallas

No. 4: The LinkAtUptown

Thefourth-largest groundbreaking also belonged to Kaizen with the company breaking ground on a 25-story office building known as The Link at Uptownin April.

The trophy Class-A office building will bring another 293K SF of office space into the booming Uptown market with BOKA Powell serving as the project's architect and Balfour Beatty as the general contractor.

The site is expected to open in the fall of 2021.

HFF (pre-JLL merger) arranged debt financing through Broad Street Real Estate Credit Partners III, an investment fund managed by Goldman Sachs merchant banking division.

JLLs Blake Shipley and Thirty-Four Commercials Sarah Hinkley are handling marketing and leasing efforts.

Courtesy of GFF

Weir's Plaza

No. 3: Weir's Plaza

The third-biggest project on this year's list is a Weir's Furniture store on steroids.

A partnership led by Four Rivers Capitalobtained financingto build Weir's Plaza, amixed-use development anchored by a 28K SFWeir's store that is surrounded by 297K SF of office space, according to CBRE data. The project broke ground in July.

The development, which sits at thecorner of Knox and Travis streets in Dallas, is already 65% pre-leased with law firm Kirkland & Ellis and WeWork agreeing to occupy 65K and 71K SF, respectively.

The 12-story office tower includes plans for an on-site lounge, a fitness center, ground-floor retail and upscale dining.

Courtesy of Keurig Dr Pepper

Rendering of future Keurig Dr Pepper headquarters in Frisco.

No. 2: Keurig Dr Pepper

Plano-based Keurig Dr Pepper broke ground in May on its 350K SF build-to-suit headquarters inside Jerry's World in Frisco.

When the project is complete, the beverage company will move from its longtime Plano headquarters to Jerry Jones' The Star In Frisco corporate campus, which is already home to the Dallas Cowboys world headquarters.

Once the facility is completed in 2021, more than 1,000 Keurig Dr Pepper employees will relocate to the building.

The officeis one of two Keurig Dr Pepper headquarters nationwide.

Courtesy of Hillwood/Architect BOKA Powell

Victory Commons rendering

No. 1: Hillwood Urban And USAA's Victory Commons In Uptown

Expected to deliver in late 2021, Hillwood Urban and USAA Real Estate's 365K SF Victory Commons office project broke ground in July near American Airlines Center.

The project utilizes one of Hillwood Urban's coveted stashes of land in and around Uptown Dallas.

Designed by BOKA Powell, the 15-story office building will eventually offer tenants green spaces, direct access to public transportation, a lounge, a coffee bar and a rooftop terrace with views of Downtown.

Hillwood Urban decidedto create the spec-office product on its 8.5-acre Victory Avenue site after noticing a run on high-quality Uptown offices.

"Whether it's a Fortune 1000 company or a regional expansion or law firms that have continuously sought to move out of Downtown into Uptown for recruiting purposes and to define their new cultures that's what we're seeing," Hillwood Urban Senior Vice President Bill Brokaw said when Bisnow askedabout office demand nearthe project.

Original post:
These Are The 5 Largest DFW Office Groundbreakings Of 2019, Many Of Them Spec Builds - Bisnow

Robotics in construction will become a more common occurrence in the years to come, and could well ... [+] solve the serious skills shortage in the industry if they are used in conjunction with existing workers.

The construction industry is in desperate need of an automated shake-up. With a serious skills shortage, limited resources, and outdated data collection practices, automation and robotics could save the industry from stagnation.

But digitization is coming for construction. Already robots are entering development sites, offering new capabilities that are humanly impossible, or simply providing the accuracy and continuity that are so crucial in the industry. Part one of this article will focus on robotics companies that are upgrading on-site capabilities to address the skills shortage that threatens to suffocate the construction industry.

Beyond digitization

Similar to the mining and oil and gas industries, construction has been sluggish when it comes to automation, although advanced technologies such as laser scanners and smart sensors are widely utilized on-site, and digitization is spreading through the industry. But just as these other industries have begun to embrace automation, construction is beginning to transition away from ineffective manual processes towards a more data-driven approach. The construction industry is full of information stored on scraps of paper, says Stuart Maggs, CEO of Scaled Robotics, we can't learn from previous work because we can't compare notesthe ability to learn from data is incredibly valuable. Digitization has grown more popular in construction, particularly Building Information Modeling (BIM) used to visualize construction sites and projects in 3D, but there are still simply not enough skilled workers on-site to implement plans effectively. As an industry that consists largely of dangerous, repetitive and unpleasant tasks, robots have a lot of scope to take some pressure off the construction industry and bring further digitization and innovation.

Scaled Robotics robot collects on-site data for their BIM software, navigating around the construction site using waypoints set in advance to drive semi-autonomously. This data is then dynamically added to a map, classified and color-coded according to its level of completion, and deviations such as warped beams are presented visually in a heatmap. It's just impossible to do all this measurement, a surveyor would usually only check 5-10% of the elements, says Maggs, so this [robotics and digitization] allows you to easily verify that what you intended to build is actually being built. Robotics in construction then is augmenting human labor by giving the site manager extra abilities that they didn't have before, says Maggs, but it is also enhancing the digitization already within the industry, feeding much more granular data into more detailed models. As Maggs puts it, we either innovate and bring in new abilities or the industry just stagnates and employment becomes even more of an issue.

Getting down and dusty

The crucial juncture between digital models and the construction site is a sticking point however, and translating 3D modeling and data analysis into the real world has its challenges. Nearly three quarters of US construction firms use BIM to resolve conflicts before work begins in the field, says Dusty Robotics co-founder and CEO Tessa Lau, however, transferring those construction blueprints out into the field still involves several manual steps, each of which introduces more risk of error. Simple errors when starting a project can skew an entire building, due to inaccurate analog equipment (measuring tapes and spirit levels, for example), rounding measurements to the nearest whole number, or even eyeballing lines and areas when planning or laying foundations. Robots can eliminate these errors by transferring data-driven blueprints directly to the site (Dusty Robotics FieldPrinter outlines digital plans on-site in ink, as opposed to hand-drawn chalk) but it also allows skilled laborers to do their jobs more efficiently, with less wear and tear on the human body, says Lau.

Interestingly, Lau refers to their robot as a power tool... just like a forklift or an impact driver, which seems to suggest that tools (even if they are powered by data rather than manual labor) are more attractive that pure robotics within the industryregardless, 91% of US builders have difficulty attracting or retaining skilled labor according to Lau, and she argues that the only construction companies that will survive the next decade are those that embrace robotics. Working with the workforce is critical then, as the only way for robotics to gain traction is to ensure that those working with the technology understand and accept it. Every tech company has a responsibility to think about how the people being affected by this technology will react, and how it's going to impact on their lives, says Maggs. Perhaps presenting robotics as a (very powerful) construction tool, rather than something that could replace jobs, is the best way to ensure that adoption does not stagnate as soon as robots enter the workforce.

The perfect storm

Robotics has seen a massive increase in interest in almost every industry that relies on heavily process-driven or manual work. Construction could well be defined by these characteristics, and facing increasing demand for housing and office space, and increasing building complexity due to environmental concerns, means that automation is vital to the industry, says Lau.

As the industry warms up to the idea of using automation to augment existing workers, and those working on-site feel that robots give them super-powers says Lau, construction will change dramatically over the next five years. Just as manufacturing is now a completely changed industry from where it was only twenty years ago, the dull, dirty, and dangerous work that makes up a majority of construction could soon be strongly supported by robots.

See more here:
Robotics Can Solve The Construction Skills ShortageIf Handled Properly (Part One) - Forbes

The Pentagon is a universal symbol of U.S. strength and security known around the world, but do you know the history behind it?

The 1,100 acres of land on which the Pentagon sits was once part of the sprawling estate of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The federal government confiscated it during the Civil War, but the building's concept and construction didn't happen until several decades later.

Here's the rest, in a nutshell.

The Pentagon was the brainchild of Army Brig. Gen. Brehon B. Sommervell, who, in the early 1940s, pitched it as a temporary solution to the then-War Department's critical shortage of space as the threat of joining World War II became imminent.

The plan was approved, and on Sept. 11, 1941, construction began. About 296 acres of land were designated for the building, which was supposed to be turned into a hospital, office or warehouse once World War II was over.

The logic behind this was pretty simple the site designated for construction was bordered by five roadways, so the developers decided to go with a five-sided building. Naturally, they called it the Pentagon.

The grounds and building went up in a stunning 16 months. The building was officially completed in January 1943, thanks to the help of 1,000 architects and 14,000 tradesmen who worked three shifts around the clock. A staggering amount of materials were needed, too, including:

The first tenants moved into the building in April 1942, several months before the building was finished.

At the height of World War II, the Pentagon housed more than 33,000 people, and its worth exceeded expectations. Officials discovered that they did, in fact, need to keep such a large military force active once the war was over. So, instead of turning the building into something else, it remained the military's command center.

Nowadays, it houses the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the highest echelons of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force.

In 1992, the building was designated a National Historic Landmark. Due to its age, renovations began around that time on the building's 4 million square feet of space.

On Sept. 11, 2001, the nation's sense of security was shattered when terrorists hijacked commercial airplanes and flew them into New York City's World Trade Center, into a field in rural Pennsylvania, and into the nation's symbol of military might.

American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the west side of the Pentagon, penetrating three of its five rings and killing 184 people. Thankfully, several offices in that area weren't occupied because of the ongoing renovations. In fact, one of the sections had just finished getting upgrades that improved security features, including walls and windows with greater blast resistance. An initial analysis after the attacks suggested that helped to save a lot of lives.

The team working those initial renovations was tasked with rebuilding the damaged portions. The reconstruction effort was dubbed the Phoenix Project, and it cost $500 million.

By Aug. 15, 2002 less than a year later the first tenants whose offices were damaged began to return, even though renovations were nowhere near complete.

Aside from the rebuild, a groundbreaking for a memorial honoring the lives of the 184 killed at the Pentagon on 9/11 began June 15, 2006. The memorial, which was dedicated on Sept. 11, 2008, sits on a two-acre plot of land on the southwest side of the building, next to where the airplane struck that fateful day.

Even before the terrorist attacks, the renovations were considered a massive undertaking, which included:

According to Pentagon historians, 40,000 personnel had to be relocated during the project's various phases, which went as follows: Each wedge was broken into 10,000 square feet; plumbers, electricians and other tradesmen then had five days to complete their tasks before moving onto the next 10,000 square-foot section.

The first section was completed in 26 weeks to accommodate a timetable laid out by Congress.

The rest is here:
Pentagon History: 7 Big Things to Know > US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE > Story - Department of Defense

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Cooling ceiling and chilled beams in France" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Cooling ceiling and chilled beams Market Tracking Report analyzes the market of cooling ceiling and chilled beams. Cooling ceilings and chilled beams are part of an indoor climate configuration. They are usually linked with an air handling unit in order to deliver fresh air in the building and influence the temperature by radiation and convection depending on the room structure.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Introduction

1.1 Market Structure

1.2 Methodology

1.3 Definitions and Demarcation

2. Executive Summary

2.1 Market at a Glance

2.2 Key Results

2.3 Essence

3 Business Environment

3.1 International Economy

3.2 National Economy

3.3 Demographics

3.4 Construction Environment

4. Total Market Analysis and Forecast

4.1 Total Market

4.2 Customer Segments

4.3 Door Function

4.4 Resistance Type

4.5 Material Types

5. Pivot-Table

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/hzcutx

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

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France Cooling Ceiling and Chilled Beams 2019 - Office, Industry, Public & Commercial Buildings - ResearchAndMarkets.com - Business Wire

CLEVELAND Six projects to restore and re-purpose historic buildings in Northeast Ohio were awarded over $8 million in tax credits by the state Thursday, including two closed schools, a former factory, a hotel built in 1920, a commercial building and a church.

The Ohio Development Services agency awarded over $24 million in tax credits for the rehabilitation of 24 historic buildings across the state, according to a news release. In total, the projects are expected to leverage about $261 million in private investments.

Preserving the historic charm of Ohio communities enhances the quality of life in our downtowns and neighborhoods, said Lydia Mihalik, director of the Ohio Development Services Agency. These buildings will be transformed creating new opportunities for economic growth.

The projects in Northeast Ohio that received tax credits are:

Christian Vallance

Lehman High School in Canton received $2,090,000 in tax credits for the rehabilitation project that is projected to cost $20,0935,551. The school closed in 2004 and has been vacant and deteriorating ever since, the agency states. The plan is to convert the school into 62 affordable senior apartments, with 24 new town-home units to be constructed adjacent to the school building.

Northern Ohio Blanket Mills in Cleveland received $3.4 million for the project expected to cost $34 million. Constructed in 1889, the factory was one of the countrys largest manufacturers of horse blankets and carriage robes until the 1920s. Other industrial tenants used the space until about 2008, and it has sat vacant since. Plans are to convert the building into 60 affordable multi-family housing units, 40,000 sq. ft. of office space and four live-work apartment units.

Hotel Ashtabulas $1 million rehabilitation project received $250,000 in tax credits from the agency. Built in 1920, the appropriately-named hotel in Ashtabula ceased operations in the 1980s and has been partially rehabilitated as office space. This project covers the floors not covered by the previous effort, which will be occupied by a medical office, among other tenants.

Castle Block, also in Ashtabula, received $626,188 in tax credits for a project expected to cost $2,749,050. The two-story mixed-use commercial building has 12 storefronts, some of which are still occupied, and 12 second-floor apartments, which have been vacant for decades. The project will convert all but four commercial spaces into residential use and rehabilitate the 12 original upstairs apartments.

Longfellow School in Cleveland received $2 million for a rehab projected to cost $17.2 million. The school was built in 1924 and closed in 2017. The project will bring 30 seniors apartments to the space and construct 50 more on the property while retaining the schools original gym as a community space.

St. Marks Presbyterian Church in Cleveland received $193,000 in tax credits for the $1.3 million project. The Late Gothic Revival style church dating to 1912 was vacated in 2014 and is now owned by The Famicos Foundation. They plan to use the rehabilitated building for their offices and for community events and meetings.

Read about the work being done by the Famicos Foundation here.

According to the Development Services agency, developers are not issued the tax credit until project construction is complete and program requirements are verified.

Original post:
State agency awards $8 million in tax credits to 6 projects to rehabilitate historic buildings - News 5 Cleveland

Canvas Project Site. Image courtesy of Windover Construction

Demand for individuals with an expertise in Building Information Modeling (BIM) is increasing throughout the job market. A modeling platform that has changed the the building industry, many firms have transitioned to using BIM over the last decade to take advantage of the inherent potential for collaboration and coordination the technology offers, both in the studio and on the job site. (For a nuts-and-bolts view of what it's like to work as a BIM Specialist, seeArchinect's recent story unpacking the ins and outs of the job title)

Due to BIM's multi-disciplinary scope, construction firms like Windover Construction use the BIM framework and other visual design technologies to bring efficiency to complex construction projects, like those that utilize modular and prefab building components.

To learn more about the implementations of BIM and virtual designwithin this realm, Archinect spoke with Windover Construction Director of Virtual Design and Construction Amr Raafat and Senior Project Manager Derrick Seitz. Together, they unpack the misconceptions some might have about modular construction, shed light on the influence of virtual design within the building industry, talk about their difficulty finding qualified BIM specialists, and illuminate what students can do to explore a career in BIM.

Windover Construction is a full service construction management firm based in Beverly, Massachusetts. Keen on providing innovative approaches to projects, their in-house Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) team uses BIM solutions with virtual reality technologies to deliver 3D drone mapping and 4D animations with integrated scheduling modules while also using augmented reality on construction sites with Microsoft HoloLens technology.

How have construction practices changed on building sites thanks to visualization software and 3D renderings?

Amr Raafat(AR): It's an accumulated process. At the beginning we used to show clients/teams 3D drawings of these projects. Now we've taken it a step further to enable clients an immersive experience. We use the Microsoft HoloLens to show our clients overlaying 3D holograms that allow them to see what the work site looks like.

Derrick Seitz(DS): Virtual design capabilities are a huge part of construction now. Even from 10 years ago, so many things have changed and improved. Many of us in the office are trained to read construction documents and plans, but what people forget is that owners and clients are not. Most city council members and planners don't know what they're looking at when you show them a drawn plan in 2D. With this, it's hard for people outside of the profession to fully understand what you're trying to help them build. Visualization tools help bridge this gap.

AR: We want to support the teams affiliated with these projects. Clients are not as experienced as we are in visualizing things in 2D and 3D. With VR/AR softwares and BIM solutions, we can help our clients appreciate the process. We can show clients how a wall will actually look, how thick it will be, and it's great seeing their response.

Can you provide us with an example of when this type of visualization was used with a client?

AR: With a recent YMCA project we were able to witness an "aha moment" with the clients. We did an entire virtual experience for the donors to see how the project is being built. These images provide a much different experience versus looking at the drawings or rendered images. These visualization tools change the perspective of the people involved. Virtual reality is helping us communicate experiences that would almost be impossible to see through a rendering.

How does BIM affect project management within firms?

DS:Once you have a 3D visualization of what you need to build, it makes it easier to talk and plan for labour and scheduling. Its easier to see the scope of what needs to be built. Field management has become a more streamlined process. Workers on the site get a better idea of what theyre up against. It's important to understand that your team in the field may not necessarily be great plan readers, but in 3D, they can see walls and soffits and exactly where pipes need to go.

Why do you think more firms haven't switched to BIM solutions? Is there hesitation?

AR: From my understanding, what is delaying the process is the time and dedication it takes to learn the new technology. For firms, they'll need someone who can spend time practicing and experimenting with it. It's important that they're critical about learning the software. It takes artistic techniques in addition to becoming a good building modeler. For me, I have to stay up to date and learn new versions of the software regularly. It is very time consuming, needing to learn new software every six months, but it's the future of construction and these are steps you need to make in order to appreciate it.

DS: One easy answer is that they havent experienced it. A lot of it has to do with education and how useful it is. Its probably 50/50 at this point for people who BIM and the those who don't. Some may say its the cost of the software.

As professionals in the field, where do you see things going with regards to modular construction?

DS: It's a push-pull effect. Theres always an interesting path in how you build a certain building. For the Canvas project in Beverly it actually started as a panelized building, but the owners needed to hit a specific delivery date. We realized we wouldn't be able to accomplish that due date if we build it panelized. The only way to gain more time is if youre doing one thing on site and doing another thing elsewhere. Thats how we came into building this project modularly, in order to meet a deliver date.

AR: We have supers on site who are eager to learn new things and learn new solutions. With systems like BIM applied to modular construction, it's important to support the teams and provide solutions on and off-site. It's key that we, as management, listen, learn, and respond. It's important for teams to learn how to ask for help.

What's a misconception people may have about modular construction?

DS: One common misconception is usually cost. Many will say that building modularly doesn't save money. However, it's quite the opposite. The way you save money is by accessing construction solutions and knowing what can be done to build things by a certain date, similar to our 211 project.

More and more firms are attempting to construct greener and more sustainable buildings. How important are these sustainable practices for you and your team? How does modular construction help?

DS: Building modular creates much less waste because everything is essentially made to fit in the factory. I can't stress enough how much less waste there is. A good example is if I think about dumpster costs from a panel construction project versus a modular job. Thinking about a modular job for a 100-unit building requires about 60 dumpsters, versus a panel job that would require about 120 dumpsters.

It also takes less energy to build modularly. You're building in a controlled environment within a large building. If you build panelized, you're trying to temporary heat the site with huge diesel or gas tanks that burn a lot of energy.

What should students do if they want to specialize in BIM?

AR: BIM isn't being taught everywhere. The best way for students to learn about BIM is to learn building basics first before stepping into heavy digitized programs. It's important for students to learn how the hand and brain work together when designing. It's important for them to experience that first, and then they can dive into the technical aspects of it. If they go into the software right away, there is often a disconnect. Another important thing is internships. It's important to intern at construction companies to learn new ways of thinking and seeing these case studies. Practice in the summertime. Learn new software and experiment.

DS: For students who have this understanding of BIM, they'll definitely have a job when they finish school. They're in a very high demand. It's great to have people that want to get into the thick of how things go together and students are great at that. The industry needs more of those types of students.

What's it like hiring a BIM specialist?

AR: Finding BIM specialists can be tricky, I agree, especially with younger trained professionals who are just coming out of school. They are very visual and computer oriented but if you show them a 3D model of how you need a to run a pipe or show them duct work, that's where skills and expectations are different.

DS: The industry needs more of these eager types of students. We just spent a year trying to find a second BIM person for our office. It's tricky because I think a lot of students coming out of school, they're either interested or architecture motivated, but not motivated to understand how parts go together. It's tough to find BIM folks to work at a construction company. But we need builders. It's important.

Continued here:
Exploring Virtual Design Possibilities Through BIM and Modular Construction - Archinect