E Contractors breaks ground on Sugar Land office building

E Contractors has started construction on a two-story office building in Sugar Land that could serve as a model for developments in other suburban communities.

On 1.5 acresnear the northwest corner of Texas 6 and U.S. 59, Egrets Landing Sugar Land will be a glass and steel building with 22,000 square feet including a shared meeting room for tenants. The building, at 16554 Creek Bend Drive along Brooks Lake in walking distance to Hyatt Place,will serve as offices for E Contractors and its Oakdale Group affiliate.

Pre-leasing is underway for the building, which is targeted for completion in January.

RELATED: Sugar Land Town Square sees record year of office leasing

"We want to create a distinguished ambiance that takes advantage of the water views for our tenants, who we envision will be local to the Sugar Land area and will like to showcase their business through this unique location," Irfan Abji, chief executive officer and principal of E Contractors, said in an announcement.

Abji hopes to bring the Egrets Landing model, which uses new technologies to conserve energy, to other suburbs including Katy and The Woodlands.

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E Contractors breaks ground on Sugar Land office building - Chron.com

Though steel has become somewhat synonymous with the modern, high-rise office building, concrete is making a comeback in a big way.

55 Hudson Yards may be the most high-profile office building under constructionin New York City to use concrete, but plenty of other buildings like 512 West 22nd St., 40 10th Ave. and 61 Ninth Ave. have gone with concrete for their construction, Crain's New York reports.

Several factors are driving the trend, most notably cost. Labor cost is lower for concrete than steel workers, and it is easier to adjust after initial plans have been made like an additional balcony requested by Silver Lake at 55 Hudson Yards, which would have been prohibitively expensive to add if the building was steel.

Advancements in technology have also allowed concrete to support more weight, which office buildings tend to require over multifamily, and the lack of internal girders that come with steel mean higher ceilings and more potential for exposed materials, both of which are highly sought-after features among office tenants.

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Why Are New Office Buildings Using Concrete More Than Ever? - Bisnow

The Hindu

Taluk office building construction in full swing The Hindu According to sources, the old taluk office had a plinth area of just 150 square metres and it was too cramped. The new building under construction will have a plinth area of 1,180 sqaure metre -- 590 square metre on the ground floor and the first floor ...

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Taluk office building construction in full swing - The Hindu

An East Williamsburg construction company wants to turn their lot into an office building for drone designers and advertising agencies. View Full Caption

Marvel Architects

EAST WILLIAMSBURG Hey Oberlin grads take your art history degree somewhere else, this developer says.

A family-run construction company that has operated out of East Williamsburg for the last 20 years wants to build a nine-story office building with subsidized manufacturing space to attract working-class residents and not just"Oberlin students who have just moved to Brooklyn like an hour ago," the project's lawyer said.

While the development at 79 Bogart St.will include some space for manufacturing, most of the nine stories will be set aside foroffices they hope to fill withtenants like drone designers, startup advertising agencies or artists studios, according to Ken Fisher, the lawyer representing Adams European Contracting Inc.

The owners willbe asking the city and the community for exemptions to current zoning codes in order to increase the size of thebuilding so they can include amenities for office workers like a video game room, a shower area and wine bar, Fisher explained.

"We're competing for talent," he said. "We think that the densitywill create a community in the building and will give it a sense of destination."

The lot at 79 Bogart St., which is owned byAdams, has been used for storage by the company for the last seven years.The company's owners, Polish immigrantMalgorzata Skarzynskiand her family, have been in East Williamsburg for around two decades.

They base theirbusiness offlucrative contracts with the city,including the renovation and restoration of the facadeof City Hall, and the planrelocatetheir offices to the new building.

"For some time we have been thinkingabout our need for more space for our business and whether we would be able to stay in the area," Skarzynski said.

The formal rezoning process for the site has not yet begun.

The proposal for 79 BogartSt. is thelatest in a slew ofnewly constructed office spaces developed in re-purposed warehouse inEast Williamsburg'sindustrial area,includingprojectslike 333 Johnson Avenue,OfficeOpsat 57 Thames St.,100 Bogart St., and thePaper Mill Loft Offices at 456 Johnson Ave.

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Oberlin Grads Need Not Apply for Space in 9-Story Office Building, Rep Says - DNAinfo

columbusunderground

Construction Roundup: Downtown & Grandview Yard columbusunderground Downtown Columbus and its surrounding neighborhoods have plentiful construction sites, indicating a growing need for offices and housing in the regional market. In this month's ... A new office building is rising at Grandview Yard near First and Yard ...

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Construction Roundup: Downtown & Grandview Yard - columbusunderground

Forbes

Why Are New Office Buildings Using Concrete More Than Ever? Forbes Though steel has become somewhat synonymous with the modern, high-rise office building, concrete is making a comeback in a big way. 55 Hudson Yards may be the most high-profile office building under construction in New York City to use concrete, but ... and more »

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Why Are New Office Buildings Using Concrete More Than Ever? - Forbes

Wednesday, May 3, 9:57 AM EDT

by Karen Brune Mathis, Editor

It is part of the Shoppes and Office Pavilion at Flagler Center.

The one-story shops are fully leased and opening. Tenants include Planet Fitness, Premier Home Essentials, Revolution Chiropractic, Pita Pit and Brewz Craft Beer.

The 50,454-square-foot office building, at 12474 Flagler Center Blvd., will focus on medical and professional tenants.

Ash Construction LLC is building it. The architect is Rolland, DelValle & Bradley.

Ash Properties is starting to lease it now. Randall Whitfield is vice president.

The property is at Old St. Augustine Road and Flagler Center Boulevard near the 1,022-acre Flagler Center business park.

The area is between Interstate 95 and Philips Highway in south Jacksonville.

Hampton doing exterior facelift

The Hampton Inn Jacksonville Downtown at 1331 Prudential Drive is working on an outside upgrade.

The city is reviewing a permit application for a $300,000 exterior renovation at the 19-year-old property.

The five-story hotel has 118 guest rooms.

Jacksonville Hotel Property Co. LLC bought the property in June. The contact on the permit application is with the Lowe Enterprises real estate group in Los Angeles.

Graffiti Junktion lands permit

Graffiti Junktion landed a permit for renovating space at 9703 San Jose Blvd., the former spot for Steamin Jax.

PPD Construction Services is the contractor to renovate the 2,704-square-foot space at a project cost of $123,987. It includes a bar and patio seating.

Graffiti Junktion operates a Jacksonville Beach restaurant at 265 Fifth Ave. N.

It intends to take over space at 9703 San Jose Blvd. in Mandarin.

Greg Peters, president of the Orlando-based venture, said previously he expects to open the San Jose location June 1 and would invest about $285,000 in renovations.

The site will be the companys 11th, with most in the Orlando area.

Graffiti Junktions tagline is American Burger Bar and features a menu heavy on build-your-own burgers.

Menu items include starters, salads, wings, wraps, sandwiches and more.

Peters said Graffiti Junktion offers music and trivia, geared to customers who like to have fun. He started the company in 2008 and opened in 2015 in Jacksonville Beach.

Peters said he wants to open another four locations in Jacksonville and then start finding sites in Georgia.

Food notes

The Cowford Chophouse could soon be showing signs. The city approved permits for three signs to go up on the Downtown steakhouse at East Bay and Ocean streets. Harbinger is the contractor for the project at 101 E. Bay St.

Starbucks Coffee is building-out at 4474 Town Center Parkway, No. 103, in the Town Center Promenade.

Memorial starts next phase of ER expansion

Memorial Hospital announced the next phase of its $23 million ER expansion and renovation project, which began early this year.

Construction crews have been working on the main ER to upgrade some of the patient care rooms and prepare the area for the next stage of construction. Work now begins on the outside of the main ER entrance.

This is a large step for us as we enter the heart of the project, said Chief Operating Officer Bobby McCullough.

Memorial said the main entrance of the ER is closed for construction.

Patients and visitors are accessing the ER through a temporary entrance on the east side of the building parallel to University Boulevard.

It said signage directs patients and visitors where to park and how to reach the ER entrance. The hospital has added free valet service at the new entrance for patients and visitors to the emergency department.

Project improvements include a 23,000-square-foot building addition; renovation of the existing main emergency department; construction of a rooftop helipad; reconfigured parking; and more work.

Memorial said it annually treats about 120,000 emergency room patients, 90,000 of whom are treated at its main campus.

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@MathisKb

(904) 356-2466

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Ash Properties launches Flagler office pavilion - Jacksonville Daily Record

Great design should celebrate a projects connection to its place and provide an aesthetic that unifies the entire space. For Ascent Apartments, a luxury apartment complex in the epicenter of Californias Silicon Valley, the architecture firm responsible for the design was inspired by the sites unique role in the history of the Information Age.

The team at Architects Orange, based in Orange, Calif., formed an immediate connection with the 10.8-acre site in San Jose. The 332-acre parcel on which it is located is where IBM manufactured the worlds first hard disc drives in 1956. The design for the 650-unit complex was inspired by the information technology manufacturing facilities and mid-century office buildings that once covered the campus.

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies acquired the entire property when it merged with IBM in 2002. The current owner of the Ascent site, Shea Properties, and Canadian investment partner Ivanho Cambridge have made the apartment complex an integral part of the 172-acre Cottle Transit Village, a transit-oriented development that encompasses two retail/commercial centers, green space and recreation areas, and more than 3,000 homes in adjacent neighborhoods. Last year, Ascent won a Gold award in the National Association of Home Builders Best in American Living Awards.

ASCENT APARTMENTS PROJECT TEAM Client: Shea Properties Architect: Architects Orange Interior designer: Style Interiors Structural engineer: Van Dorpe Chou Civil engineer: Carlson, Barbee & Gibson Inc. Mechanical engineer: LDI Mechanical Electrical engineer: IDS Group Plumbing engineer: Parks Mechanical Landscape architect: BrightView Design Group General contractor: Brown Construction

It has a clean architectural vocabulary that pays homage to the mid-century office buildings on the campus, says RC Alley, Lead Partner of the multifamily and mixed-use practice at Architects Orange.

The apartments, which range in size from 704 to 1,575 sf, are contemporary and upscale in design. Units feature nine-foot ceilings with abundant natural light and private patios or balconies. Wood-plank flooring flows throughout the units.

The Architects Orange team was shooting for a European feel, particularly for the kitchens. We designed a kitchen thats more compact, says Alley. A lot of people who live in these units dont do a lot of cooking, so why have a big, separate space?

Beyond the kitchen, the designers specified several elements that reimagine mid-century modern industrial style, notably metal mesh railings and the use of a recurring L-shape configuration that starts in the entryway and continues through various elements of the interior and exterior and act as a visual offset. Another mid-century touch: the illuminated vertical blades on the exterior, which serve as a unifying element and wayfinding tool, says Alley. The blades heighten the visibility of the complex from the adjacent freeway off-ramp.

Yet another feature that evokes the high-tech legacy of the site is a dramatic two-story reinforced fiber cement panel that dominates the leasing office lobby. The Architects Orange team took its inspiration for this feature from the iconic IBM punch (or punched) cards that early programmers used to encode data. The visual effect, says Alley, speaks to prospective tenants, many of whom work in high-tech jobs.

Ascents elevations benefit from a combination of materials: a smooth-finish exterior plaster, fiber siding, prefinished steel awnings that provide a horizontal element above the windows, and brick. We added the brick because it has a warm and textural feeling, but we tried to use it in a more contemporary manner, says Ed Cadavona, a Partner at Architects Orange.

Architects Orange used a variety of materials in the elevation, including stucco, brick, metal, and horizontal siding. Pops of color evoke the feel of a California resort. Note the eyebrows above the corner windows and stairwells, which add texture to the space. The offset panes in the windows pay tribute to the punch cards that were used at the dawn of the Information Age. Translucent, sand-blasted panels enhance privacy on the patios of this high-density project.

The use of wide composite windows and the incorporation of top-level loft apartments help vary the roof line to differentiate Ascent from nearby residential developments. The architects found an innovative way to achieve the corner windows that help define the mid-century modern style of the buildings.

Vinyl windows can get very expensive if you dont buy standard ones, says Alley. We had the manufacturer put them together so they read as one piece. It has a nice rhythm. It has the punch card look without making the windowpanes look too small. We used an asymmetrical approach so it doesnt look too plain. The designers used vinyl windows throughout, except in the leasing area, where they specified a storefront system.

CREATING A TRANSIT-ORIENTED RESORT Ascent Apartments is one of five projects designed by Architects Orange in Cottle Transit Village, Silicon Valleys largest mixed-use, transit-oriented infill project. Kaiser Hospital and IBM Research are nearby. The Blossom Hill stop provides Caltrain rush-hour service to Diridon Station in downtown San Jose, with links to Amtrak and San Jose International Airport. Cottle Light Rail offers service to downtown San Jose, with connections to Santa Clara, Mill Valley, and other Silicon Valley locales.

But this is still automobile-crazy California, and the site hugs a busy freeway off-ramp. To buffer the complex from the roadway, Architects Orange and landscape architect BrightView Design Group incorporated lush landscaping along the walled perimeter, created an extensive walking path, and used plant materials to dampen the noise. Smaller park areas provide quiet enclaves throughout the site. The designers created a sense of visual distancing with pops of vibrant color in everything from the outdoor seating to exterior wall panels.

The five-story mid-rise project is structured in two buildings that wrap around parking in the center, as opposed to the more standard podium design with residential components atop a parking structure. This design compressed the footprint and allowed the project to achieve a density of just over 60 units/acre.

The wrap form also provided the framework for Ascents two most dominant features. The first is the entryway, an opulent porte cochre with vehicular lobby that features an atrium that lets light come through as you proceed. Cadavona describes the effect: It transforms an ordinary parking structure into a grand sense of arrival for a resort feel.

The designers L-shape architectural motif is evident in both the overhead wood panels and the violet stripe that runs the length of the leasing office lobby. The dramatic two-story perforated white panel, made of reinforced fiber cement, is another homage to the 1960s-era IBM punch card.

That sense of opulence is consistent with the vision Shea Properties and Ivanho Cambridge had for the project. They wanted the look and feel of a high-end resort with a large amenity space, Alley says. It had to be unlike anything else in the area.

The second dominant component is a half-acre park dominated by a large, resort-style saltwater pool and spa. The park features an outdoor gaming area, a tot lot, a bark park, and fireplaces. The community offers study pods, workspaces, a bicycle kitchen where you can fix your bike, a fitness center, a residence caf, and a high-tech gaming room. All those amenities are clustered around this green space, says Cadavona.

We wanted a walking trail that would create a sense of community in a high-density project, Cadavona says. You come out of your unit and the grand open space is prevalent throughout.

A major gathering place of the central open space is the outdoor kitchen, which is supplied with grills, a pizza oven, and a fireplace, all located under a tensile structure with a large dining table and flat-screen TVs.

We wanted to tie in this resort feel, says Cadavona. The buildings are very modern, with hard edges, and then theres this soft tensile structure. Your eye kind of wanders around and goes to that structure.

Every element of the buildings design comes into play to give the project a distinctive look and feel, Cadavona says. All the texturesthe brick, the metal awnings, the landscapingall come into play to give it a unique character. The very horizontal building, lined up with palm trees, gives it that California casual but high-end feel.

Sophisticated architectural cabinetry and quartz countertops accent the kitchens. Recessed lighting fixtures in the kitchen are complemented by simple pendants above the islands and track lighting over the dining area. We wanted it to be consistent with the mid-century modern look and feel, says Architect Oranges RC Alley. Its a more subtle approach, and the recessed lights emphasize the openness of the floor plan.

Apartments at Ascent have a contemporary, European look and feel. Design elements include open floor plans with wood plank flooring throughout and simple light fixtures. Note how the refrigerator is framed by the wall, soffit, and cabinetry. Here, the kitchen cabinetry contrasts in color and style with the floating island.

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Silicon Valley's high-tech oasis - Building Design + Construction (press release) (registration)

Shaw Media file photo

Caption

JOLIET The chairman of the Will County capital improvements committee pitched the idea of an office building in downtown Joliet that would consolidate several county departments under one roof.

The building could replace the current Will County Courthouse. County officials are pondering what to do with the building as the construction of a new courthouse is slated to begin in 2018.

County board member Ray Tuminello, R-New Lenox, who chairs the committee, gave some figures Tuesday on the demolition and renovation costs for the current courthouse based on research from Wight & Co., the architect of the new courthouse.

Repurposing and renovating the courthouse would cost about $42.8 million and demolishing it would be about $1.2 million, Tuminello said.

The cost of repurposing and renovating struck Tuminello as a bit out of touch and he favored the idea of demolishing the existing courthouse and rebuilding the structure as a county consolidated campus-style office building that would be in downtown Joliet and close to public transportation.

[It would be] not only able to house potentially our health department. But our clerk, the treasurer, the executive, land use, probation, the public defender, specialty courts all under pretty much one roof right downtown, Tuminello said.

The challenge with renovating the courthouse is that its not a pure office building and the basement is not functional, said Jason Dwyer, Wight & Co. vice president and senior project executive.

The shape of it is challenging, he said.

Nick Palmer, county executive chief of staff, said it may be helpful to revisit past discussions about consolidating county services in one location. He said the idea sounds great but there have been counterarguments in the past, such as traffic concerns.

There has been a lot of discussion. A lot of this ground has been covered before. Peoples opinions, the factors change, the board changes. We might want to pull some of those old studies in, some of those minutes, Palmer said.

Tuminello said he thought it would be nice to research the idea further and see whether it would be feasible.

He suggested that information would be used for further discussion among county board members, department staff and others.

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Will County board member proposes shared office building at courthouse site - The Herald-News

COLUMBIA Plans for two large buildings near Columbia Regional Airport on the 477-acre tract owned by MidWayUSA CEO Larry Potterfield will be considered by the Ashland Planning and Zoning Commission next Tuesday.

The buildings, with an estimated cost of $7 million, would be the largest economic development project in the history of Ashland, Mayor Gene Rhorer said.

Hummingbird Properties, a limited liability corporation owned by Potterfield, submitted plans for buildings of 55,000 and 22,000 square feet near Route H, Hardwick Lane and Rangeline Road. Potterfield said both would be spec buildings, meaning there have been no discussions with potential buyers, and the interiors can be renovated as the buyer sees fit.

Construction would start 30 days after the Planning and Zoning Commission grants its approval. Potterfield said he expects the construction to last three to four months.

In addition to the $7 million construction price, Potterfield said an additional $15 million to $20 million would be needed to extend utilities, infrastructure and roads surrounding the property. Companies will have the opportunity to expand on the 55,000-square foot building, Potterfield said, while the small building can be subdivided into multiple spaces.

Potterfield said he hopes the property attracts companies capable of making major contributions to the community. Specific companies wont be targeted until a more concrete strategy for the buildings is developed, but Potterfield used a storage warehouse with 12 employees as an example of something that wouldnt be good for the community.

Ideally, it would bring in some type of business that would bring in a lot of people on the building, he said. That could mean maybe some type of fairly intense distribution, maybe some light manufacturing. It might be a regional office building.

An open house for prospective companies to check out the buildings will be held in late June. A consulting agent is helping Potterfield collaborate with the projects stakeholders, including multiple city governments, Boone County and Regional Economic Development, Inc.

Rhorer said property tax revenue from the buildings would help finance bond issues for Ashlands public schools, with all three being expanded. Rhorer also said he hopes the projects combination of tax revenue and job creation further establishes the citys sovereignty.

We dont want to be the extension of Columbia, Rhorer said. Were the city of Ashland, and we want our own jobs and our own economy.

Potterfield has dubbed his property near the airport the Cartwright Business and Technology Park. He said that the name isn't based on anything in particular but that he likes it because it has no negative connotations.

"You could call it 'Blackhawk Business and Technology Park,' but Blackhawk has some connotations already," he said. "Cartwright really doesn't."

Potterfield said his family has done research on future projects in the park but it would be too preliminary to discuss them.

Rhorer said he's looking forward to watching Potterfield's plans unfold.

We would not be here on this development had it not been for the Potterfield family, thats for sure, Rhorer said, but I look for more in the future.

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Potterfield submits plans for construction near airport - Columbia Missourian