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$1.3Billion Approved in 201617 Is First Step in Administrations Larger Strategy. In adopting the 201617 budget package, the Legislature established the State Project Infrastructure Fund (SPIF), which is continuously appropriated for state projects. The Legislature further provided $1.3billion to the SPIF over two years for three specific state office building construction projects in Sacramento. These projects reflect the first step of the administrations larger regional strategy to construct or renovate a total of 11state office buildings in the Sacramento area over the next ten years. We expect that in the coming years the administration will come forward with more than $1billion in additional funding requests to continue to carry out this strategy.

Administrations Approach to Strategy Raises Some Specific Concerns.Assessing the condition of the states office buildings and taking a regional approach to maintaining these assets makes sense and is consistent with legislative direction. However, we identify some specific areas of concern for the Legislature as it faces decisions about (1)whether to move forward with additional state building projects and (2)how best to oversee the projects funded with the $1.3billion provided in 201617. Specifically, we find the following:

Recommend Legislature Provide Clear Direction to Administration on Strategy.We recommend that the Legislature take the following actions to address the above concerns:

We believe these recommendations would help ensure that the state has the information it needs to move forward with the best available strategy for addressing its buildings in the Sacramento area and that any funds provided are spent with adequate legislative oversight and accountability.

In adopting the 201617 budget package, the Legislature established the State Project Infrastructure Fund(SPIF) and provided $1.3billion over two years for three specific state office building projects in the Sacramento area. These projects reflect the first step of the administrations larger regional strategy to expand and improve state office buildings in the Sacramento area over the next ten years. In the coming years, the Legislature will be presented with important decisions related to this strategy. Specifically, the Legislature will have to determine whether to proceed with the additional projects envisioned in the administrations regional strategy. Additionally, the Legislature will have to decide how to best oversee the projects funded with the $1.3billion provided in 201617.

This report is intended to help guide the Legislature as it makes these decisions. We begin by providing background information on Sacramento state office buildings and summarizing the actions taken in the 201617 budget process. Next, we assess the administrations regional strategy for state office buildings in the Sacramento area. Finally, we provide recommendations to assist the Legislature as it faces key decision points related to the administrations strategy.

The state, through the Department of General Services (DGS), owns and maintains 58general purpose office buildings across the state. Thirtyfour of these buildingstotaling over 8million square feetare in the Sacramento area. These Sacramento area buildings are valued at over $4billion and house 35 state departments and agencies, such as the Department of Water Resources and the Franchise Tax Board. The state also leases about 8million square feet of general purpose office space in the Sacramento area. (We note that some state departments other than DGS operate office space for more specific purposes. For example, the Department of Motor Vehicles operates field offices.)

DGS Directed to Perform Sacramento Office Planning Effort. As part of the 201415 budget, the administration proposed and the Legislature approved a total of $2.5million for DGS to complete a longrange planning study (LongRange Study) of stateowned general purpose office space in the Sacramento area. The LongRange Study was to include (1)an update of an earlier planning study identifying potential office space development opportunities in Sacramento (Office Planning Study); (2)condition assessments of all state office buildings in the Sacramento area (Sacramento Assessment Report); (3)a plan for sequencing the renovation or replacement of state office buildings in Sacramento (Sequencing Plan); and (4)a funding plan for undertaking these projects, including project cost estimates and an economic analysis (Funding Plan).

Chapter451 of 2014 (AB 1656, Dickinson) required that DGS complete this LongRange Study by July 1, 2015, as well as provided direction on the contents of the study and how it was to be used by DGS. First, the legislation specified that the study should guide the states actions on state buildings over the next 25 years. Second, it required that DGS use the information in the LongRange Study as the basis for developing detailed cost and scope information to be considered in future budget proposals. Finally, it directed DGS to issue requests for proposals to address the renovation and replacement needs of Sacramento office buildings, starting with the three buildings with the most significant and immediate facility needs.

Office Planning Study Identified Potential Office Development Sites. In 2015, DGS completed the Office Planning Study component of the LongRange Study, which identified and ranked 41 potential sites in Sacramento for future development over the next 40 years based on an evaluation of the feasibility of developing the sites. Using criteria such as size, ownership (stateowned versus privately owned), and access to transportation, the evaluation rated the seven best sites as superior and nine additional sites as good. As shown in Figure1, some of these sites are stateowned and some are privately owned. Additionally, the development time frames for these sites vary, with some potentially ready for development within five yearssuch as Downtown Block 204 (currently occupied by a parking lot and the historic Heilbron House)and others available for development within six to ten yearssuch as the State Printing Plant site. Many of these sites contain existing buildings that would have to be demolished or moved to accommodate new development.

Figure 1

Potential Superior and Good Development Sites Identified in Sacramento Office Planning Study

Site

Ownership

Development Time Frame (Years)

Location

Superior

Bonderson Building site

State

05

Downtown Sacramento

CalPERS site

State

05

Downtown Sacramento

Downtown Block 275

State

05

Downtown Sacramento

Downtown Blocks 203 and 204

State

05

Downtown Sacramento

Food and Agriculture Annex site

State

05

Downtown Sacramento

Franchise Tax Board site

State

05

County (near Rancho Cordova)

Richards Boulevard area

Private

05

Railyards area/River District

Good

Resources Building site

State

610

Downtown Sacramento

State Printing Plant site

State

610

Railyards area/River District

Downtown Core

Private

05

Downtown Sacramento

Bradshaw Landing

Private

05

County (near Rancho Cordova)

Granite Park

Private

05

Granite Regional Park area (near Tahoe Park)

Railyards area

Private

05

Railyards area/River District

Southport Business Park

Private

05

West Sacramento

West Capitol Downtown

Private

05

West Sacramento

Pioneer Bluff area

Private

610

West Sacramento

Sacramento Assessment Report Identified Buildings With Highest Needs. In July 2015, DGS released the Sacramento Assessment Report portion of the LongRange Study. The report evaluated 29stateowned office buildings in Sacramento. (The report excluded a few buildings that were vacant or that DGS did not consider to be typical office space, such as the State Capitol Annex.)

Overall, the Sacramento Assessment Report noted that all of the buildings that were evaluated were in a safe, serviceable, and functioning condition. The report developed a Facility Condition Index (FCI) score for each building, which compared the estimated costs of repairing versus replacing the building. (A high FCI score means that a buildings repair costs are relatively high compared to cost of replacement.) Based on this analysis, the report ranked the 29buildings, identifying 9 in poor condition, 4 in fair condition, and 16 in good condition, as shown in Figure2. The report ranked the Resources Building, Personnel Building, and Bonderson Building as those in most critical need of renovation or replacement and recommended prioritizing the needs of these buildings over other buildings, consistent with the direction provided in Chapter451. The report also found that all of the buildings that were evaluated had FCIs well below 65, which is the industry standard for replacement. This suggests that all of the buildings that were evaluated are better candidates for repair rather than replacement. (As we discuss later, in September 2016 the administration completed assessments of the condition of general purpose office buildings in other parts of the state besides Sacramento.)

201617 Budget Package Included $1.3Billion Over Two Years. The 201617 budget package provided $1billion from the General Fund in 201617 and $300million in 201718 to be deposited into a new fund, the SPIF. This funding is to be used for three buildings in the Sacramento area: a new building at the current Food and Agriculture Annex site on O Street (O Street Building), a new Resources Building at a different site, and either replacement or renovation of the State Capitol Annex. (Throughout this report, we refer to these three projects as the three initial projects.)

SPIF Funds Are Continuously Appropriated. In adopting the 201617 budget package, the Legislature passed Chapter31 of 2016 (SB836, Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review), which governs the use of the SPIF. Chapter31 specifies that monies in the SPIF are continuously appropriated. It also authorizes the administration to establish and move forward with projects without having to receive legislative approval through the traditional state budget process, as is typically required for capital outlay projects. (Please see the nearby box, for a detailed description of the traditional state budget process for capital outlay projects.)

Under the traditional state budget process, the administration proposes individual capital outlay projects as part of the Governors proposed budget for the coming fiscal year. These capital outlay budget change proposals generally include important details on the proposed projectssuch as the project scope, construction timeline, costs by project phase, funding sources, delivery method, and a narrative justification. They also include an analysis of alternatives and an explanation of why the alternatives were rejected in favor of the proposed project.

Typically, the administration submits proposals prior to being able to initiate certain design and construction phases of a project. As part of its review of these proposals, the Legislature assesses if projects are consistent with its funding priorities and the longterm programmatic needs of the relevant department.

After an individual capital outlay project is approved, the Legislature maintains oversight of certain changes related to the project. Specifically, if the scope of a project changes substantively or if the projects costs increase by more than 20percent, the administration is generally required to seek legislative approval through the traditional budget process before being able to proceed. (If the projects scope changes minimally or its costs increase by between 10percent and 20percent, the typical process requires the administration to notify the Joint Legislative Budget Committee.) If the Legislature has concerns about the administrations proposed changes, the Legislature has the opportunity to reject them or to direct the administration to make changes to address the concerns.

Certain Notifications Required for Funded Projects. Chapter31 requires the administration to provide the Legislature with quarterly reports and notifications in order to establish and move forward with SPIFfunded projects. Figure3 summarizes the required notifications. For example, at least 20 days before spending SPIF funds on project planning activities, the administration must provide the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) with a notice identifying the purpose of the planning activity and its estimated costs. In September 2016, the administration provided the Legislature with the first notification through this processa 20day notification regarding its intent to spend $4.9million on the development of the cost, scope, and delivery method for the O Street Building and the new Resources Building. The notification review periods for the Legislature range from 20to 60 days depending on the project and activity. We note that, because of its unique characteristics, Chapter31 created a separate process for the State Capitol Annex as described in the nearby box. As such, when we discuss state office buildings in this report, we do not include the State Capitol Annex unless otherwise specified.

Figure 3

Required Notifications for State Projects Funded Through the State Project Infrastructure Funda

Activity

Contents of Required Notice

Minimum Number of Days of Advanced Notification

Expenditure of funds on planning activities

Purpose of planning activity and estimates of costs

20

Establishment of scope, cost, and delivery method

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The Administrations Sacramento Office Building ...

NEENAH, Wis. (WBAY-TV) Neenah is clearing the way for parking as the Gateway Office Building nears its opening.

The city owns, bought or is buying 15 properties that encompasses homes and businesses near Gateway to make them parking surfaces.

The properties and the under-construction gateway office building are all on the west side of downtown Neenah.

The four story Gateway Office Building is almost complete.

The goal is for it to be complete by June 1st.

Then 275-300 Plexus employees will settle in as the engineering firm is moving its design center into the building.

"It's going to work out well and it's going to bring a lot of people downtown, on the flip side, it puts pressures on the city to provide more parking," said Neenah Mayor Dean Kaufert.

That's why the city of Neenah asked business and home owners around the building if they wanted to sell.

So far, the city has bought around 12 properties that will become parking lots.

It's budgeted $900,000 to acquire property around the Gateway Building.

The owner of Cranked Bike Studio across the street from Gateway, Stephen Pratt, says the building he rents hasn't been sold but he thinks the new development will help business in the area.

"I think it's going to bring more dollars to the downtown between lunches dinners and the parking is progress, I understand, as much as I like things old," said Pratt

Neenah believes the parking lots can lead to more development in the future.

"This is the entrance to our downtown, as you come over the Main Street overpass this is the first thing you see this site so we really see this at some point in the future as future redevelopment for office, commercial, residential, as really that welcome to downtown Neenah," said Brad Schmidt, Neenah Community Development Deputy Director.

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Neenah buying properties to make parking lots near Gateway Office Buidling - WBAY

Atlantic Countys efforts to build an aviation industry and create high-paying technology jobs got the boost of a decade this month.

The Atlantic County Improvement Authority last week approved a $17.2 million contract for construction of the first building at the Stockton Aviation Research and Technology Park, a concept that struggled to get off the ground since plans were first announced in 2005.

The work, which could begin next month, is hailed by officials and politicians as a way to diversify a largely casino-dependent economy that has struggled as casinos closed and gambling spread to neighboring states.

Im absolutely thrilled, said U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-2nd, praising county officials, the Federal Aviation Administration, Stockton University and everyone involved with the project. Unfortunately, the initial stages of this got tangled up with legal battles and bumps in the road, but this is now a reality.

LoBiondo helped secure more than $3 million in federal grants related to the project. He also helped convince officials from the FAA to lease 55 acres of land adjacent to the William J. Hughes Technical Center as a site for the park.

Originally called the NextGen Aviation Research & Technology Park, the project was plagued by legal issues and alleged fiscal mismanagement.

The effort to build the park was rekindled in the past few years by Stockton University and the county.

Construction of the first building, which is expected to be complete by next spring, is one phase of the project.

But the next phase will be critical finding tenants.

Joe Sheairs, executive director of SARTP, said there has been a lot of interest for years from multibillion-dollar companies because of the parks unique relationship with the FAA.

The problem, however, was the county had nothing but an idea to sell.

We didnt have a building until Friday, Sheairs said. People on the industry side of this who were interested kept saying, show me.

Now, Sheairs is talking to four major companies that are inquiring about leasing space in the building, he said. Potential tenants must use the space for aviation research.

He declined to name the companies because nothing has been signed, he said.

When completed, the three-story building will feature 60,000 square feet of office space, a Federal Aviation Administration laboratory, classrooms, member laboratories and a rooftop lounge.

The building can be modified by any tenant that leases space there. All tenants will have to be approved by the FAA because the building is on FAA land.

The FAA also will be a tenant and occupy 5,000 square feet of laboratory space and 2,000 square feet of office space at the building.

Right now, the first lab is being designed generically with typical lab features such as raised floors, upgraded electrical panels, space for computers and racks that hold them, said Rick Breitenfeldt, a spokesman at the tech center. Since the ground has yet to be broken, modifications can still be made depending on what (or) who exactly occupies that space.

The building will be one of seven, multi-story buildings with more than 400,000 total square feet of research and development space at the park.

All the buildings will include high-speed connectivity to FAA laboratories, data and systems. The campus-like setting is designed to promote collaboration among business, academia and all major research arms of the federal government, according to a statement from the county.

There are no renderings or projected completion dates for the other six buildings.

The first building will be constructed by Hessert Construction Group LLC, of Marlton, Burlington County.

Hessert has completed projects at Stockton, Rutgers University, the Philadelphia Zoo and the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, among others.

As soon as we saw this, we knew it was a project we wanted, said Vic Lombardi, director of operations at Hessert. Were really excited to get started.

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Construction on tech park could begin next month, officials looking for tenants - Press of Atlantic City

Photo: Billy Calzada /San Antonio Express-News

Tom Frost speaks on Wednesday in front of an image of the new Frost Tower.

Local tech magnate Graham Weston speaks on Wednesday. He co-founded Weston Urban, which is building the new Frost Tower.

City manager Sheryl Sculley speaks during the new Frost Tower groundbreaking. The new tower will be the first high rise office building to be built in downtown San Antonio since 1989.

The new Frost Tower will include roughly 440,000 square feet of upscale office space.

Construction of the new tower is expected to take about two years.

Click ahead to see if you can name the fundamental buildings of San Antonio's skyline.

1. Southwestern Bell Building

The Southwestern Bell building is a 14-story, brick-clad Chicago school skyscraper designed by Irving R. Timlin in 1929-30.

2. Central Library

The Central Library, which opened in 1995, features the bold colors and "Mexican Modernist" design characteristic of its architect Ricardo Legorreta of Mexico City.

3. The Bank of America Plaza

At 28 stories high, the Bank of America Plaza is the city's sixth tallest building.

4. Grand Hyatt

The Grand Hyatt is the city's second tallest hotel. It's 34 stories high with 1,000 rooms.

5. Tower of Americas

6. Nix Medical Center

A fixture in downtown San Antonio since the 1930s, the 23-story hospital was the largest and tallest hospital in the country when it was completed.

7. Weston Centre

San Antonios tallest office building, the Weston Centre is the third tallest skyscraper in the city.

8. Crowne Plaza

Today, the 21-story hotel is the Wyndham San Antonio Riverwalk, the ninth tallest building in San Antonio.

9. Milam Building

10. Drury Plaza Hotel Riverwalk

The Art Deco skyscraper was built in 1929 as the Alamo National Bank building.

11. Tower Life Building

Originally called the Smith-Young Tower after its builders, the building was downtowns crown jewel when it opened in 1929.

12. Frost Bank Tower

At 300 feet and 22 stories, Frost Bank Tower is the citys 11th tallest building.

13. San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter

Hidden behind the Bank of America Plaza in this view, the Marriott Rivercenter, S.A.'s tallest hotel, rises 546 feet. Next to the Tower of the Americas, it's the tallest building in the city.

$142M Frost Tower breaks ground, raising expectations downtown

City and county officials gathered downtown Wednesday to celebrate the official kick off of construction for the new Frost Tower, a $142 million state-of-the-art office building described as a pivotal project in the long effort to revitalize downtown.

The 460,000 square-foot office building, which will serve as a new headquarters for Frost Bank, is the first new office tower to go up downtown since the Weston Centre in 1989. Its being built by local developer Weston Urban as part of an intricate deal with the city and Frost Bank thats designed to rejuvenate west downtown, an area burdened with too many run-down buildings and parking lots. Construction is expected to take about two years, said Weston Urban President Randy Smith.

Mayor Ivy Taylor said the 23-story tower is a significant step forward for downtown. It was designed by renowned international architecture firm Pelli Clarke Pelli and local firm Alamo Architects, and it will boost downtowns supply of upscale office space by 31 percent, from its current level of 1.4 million square feet, according to data from Transwestern, a commercial real estate firm.

RELATED: Big changes coming to San Antonio

You all have heard me talk about my vision of San Antonio being a globally competitive city with opportunity for everyone, Taylor said. That means we have to support growing businesses, expand job opportunities and make our urban core a strong and attractive destination. This project does all of that.

Construction crews are already laying the groundwork for the tower, which is at the southwest corner of Travis and Flores streets, in downtowns growing tech district. It was approved by the citys Historic and Design Review Commission earlier this month. Frost Bank will occupy 280,000 square feet of the tower, with the rest open to other businesses.

The tower has been in the works since 2013, when former Mayor Julin Castro who attended Wednesdays ceremony was encouraging downtown development with his Decade of Downtown initiative. In 2015, City Council cleared the way for the towers construction when it approved a complicated public-private partnership with Weston Urban and Frost Bank.

As part of the deal, Frost Bank has sold its current headquarters at 100 W. Houston St. to the city, which plans to consolidate its administrative offices there. The city and Frost are selling the site of the tower and another 6.3 acres in west downtown to Weston Urban, giving the developer a broad canvas to remake the area. The properties include the Municipal Plaza Building, where City Council meetings are held.

At Wednesdays ceremony, City Manager Sheryl Sculley said the partnership was a win-win for the city, Frost Bank and Weston Urban, which was co-founded by Graham Weston, who also co-created Geekdom and Rackspace.

RELATED: San Antonio's new River Walk underway

There are no new net costs to the city, and in fact we anticipate savings over time, Sculley said. The transaction will allow the city to reengineer our office needs and create more efficiency within the city government.

The city and county have both provided incentives for the towers construction. Weston Urban is expected to get about $1 million from the city, documents show. The county is contributing about $3.5 million worth of incentives, County Judge Nelson Wolff said on Wednesday.

The county is also leading a $175 million project to revitalize San Pedro Creek, which runs alongside the Frost Tower site, turning it into a decorated walking path similar to the River Walk.

In his remarks on Wednesday, Graham Weston said he was surprised that he has invested so much in downtown real estate. He said he had no interest in buying more land downtown when Castro was encouraging development in the area around 2010.

But Weston said he soon realized that investing in downtown was a good way to achieve his dream of creating a tech community in San Antonio.

How do we do to San Antonio what Dell did to Austin? he said, referring to the computer company that helped jump-start Austins tech scene. How do we put out an invitation to other developers to do the same, other tech companies to do the same? With that idea I really changed my perspective 180 degrees and said, Lets go all-in on downtown.

rwebner@express-news.net

@rwebner

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$142M Frost Tower breaks ground, raising expectations downtown - mySanAntonio.com

By Zachary Comeau, Milford Daily News

MILFORD One of the town's oldest companies unveiled their newest investment Monday: a 16,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art, energy-efficient office building.

Consigli Construction, a Milford-based construction and contracting firm with a large portfolio of projects and several locations in New England and the mid-Atlantic, unveiled the new building adjacent to its Sumner Street headquarters. The two-story building was constructed in nine months.

The estimated $5.5 million project, dubbed Granite Building 2, houses the company's pre-construction, project services, and purchasing and estimating divisions.

According to President Matthew Consigli, the structure was built next to the company's granite headquarters to complement it, rather than compete with it.

The company, named one of the "Top Places to Work" by The Boston Globe for the eighth year in a row, constructed the building to continue to strengthen its employee happiness. Work spaces, although divided by cubicles, are open to foster collaboration and feature powered lift-top desks that can easily be converted from a traditional desk to a standing desk.

Rooftop solar panels on both buildings can provide electricity for both buildings.

After a quick tour of the facility on Monday, Consigli commented on the partnership between the company and town, including a large tax break for the first few years that the building is online.

"We wanted to continue to invest in the community where it all started for us four generations ago," Consigli said of the 112-year-old company. "This is a people business, and we're able to draw from some of the best people in the industry being here in Milford."

According to a 15-year tax increment financing agreement signed by the town and company in 2015, Consigli Construction is awarded a 95 percent exemption in the first year that the building is operational. The exemption decreases by 5 percent the following year until reaching 30 percent in year 15.

Outgoing Selectman Brian Murray, a newly-elected state representative, spoke at a brief ceremony about the partnership between the town and company, calling it "immeasurable."

The other building was a former school that was vacant and nearly demolished until Consigli Construction stepped in and converted it into their headquarters, Murray said.

"That building, now with this addition, really I think gives Milford a showpiece a gateway into a mini industrial park on Sumner Street," he said. "It wasn't like this 10 or 20 years ago. I'm very, very proud and fortunate to have Consigli Construction as part of Milford."

Also featured in the building is one of the company's virtual reality rooms. The technology, used on dozens of projects already, allows employees to take a tour using virtual reality goggles of completed or conceptual projects for a better perspective of building layout.

In addition to retaining 329 full-time employees, the company created 50 new permanent, full-time jobs as part of the agreement.

Dive Brief:

Developer Brookfield Property Partners has commissioned four architecture firms Gensleralong with Houston-based Inventure Design, Ziegler Cooper and Rottet Studio to design a total of four "next-generation"office suites in a Houston tower that it plans to lease under its DesignHive brand, according to Building Design and Construction.

Given a budget but no client, the architects were tasked with designing a workspace that considered contemporary work styles and technology with the building's core and shell last updated in 1984.

Technology is driving 21st-century office design, both in the modes of communication workers rely on and the capabilities of contemporary building systems to track elements such as occupancy, thermal comfort and daylighting.

Office construction nationwide is on the rise, with Dodge Data & Analytics forecasting that starts would end 2016 up 9% from a year earlier, according to its 2017 Construction Outlook. In some areas, the trend is being driven by the return of employers to downtown areas where housing and transit are more accessible to employees.

Meanwhile, tenant fit-outs are likely to turn cubicle bays into collaborative workspaces reminiscent of the communal library, caf and classroom setups that incoming millennials are used to from college and university settings, according to a Ted Moudis Associates report last year. Designs that promoted mobility such as needing to travel across the office to access the coffee machine were valued, as were ones that offered daylighting, quiet rooms and active-noise reduction.

A recent white paper from design and planning firm Perkins Eastman makes the case for a mix of task-oriented workstations and collaborative spaces to accommodate the needs of different jobs and worker personalities. Those include: bar-style counters, modular wall systems to segment spaces and enclosed offices.

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Brookfield asks 4 architecture firms to create office of the future - Construction Dive

The architectural firm Hord Caplan Macht (HCM) recently completed the documentation to verify that its Denver office can meet the standards necessary to be certified under Fitwel, a health and wellness program that the Center for Active Design launched in May 2016 and began rolling out to developers and the AEC community last fall.

Working with experts in public health and design, the Center for Active Design spent five years developing and testing its Fitwel scorecard. The General Services Administration piloted that program in 89 of its buildings in New York.

HCM, which has also provided verification documents for its offices in Alexandria, Va., and Baltimore, is one of five Fitwel Champions that have committed to certifying more than 50 buildings in aggregate. The other Champions include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is also Fitwels research and evaluation lead; EYP, Integral Group, and Menkes Development.

Perkins + Will was the first company to adopt Fitwels standards for all 11 of the firms North American offices, which P+W expects will be certified by 2018.

HCM has been in its 13,000-sf Denver office, a former fire station built in the 1920s, since 2010. The office currently has 300 employees. Ara Massey, that offices Sustainability Design Manager, tells BD+C that the firm measured its three offices against 80 Fitwel criteria in seven categories to establish health and wellness baselines from which it could work toward certification. The evaluation and documentation took about 40 man-hours, she estimates.

The Center for Active Design promotes Fitwel as more business friendly than other certification programs. And Massey confirmed that Fitwel gives companies the flexibility to prioritize which standards to align its operations with without a lot of cost.

HCM has already successfully integrated many health-promoting features within its offices, including providing staff with fresh fruit and vegetables and locating in areas with high WalkScores.

Hord Caplan Macht's Denver office includes meeting spaces with lots of daylight. Image: Courtesy HCM

However, one thing that surprised Massey was the emphasis that Fitwels scorecard places on lactation rooms for new Moms returning to the workforce after giving birth. That was a real eye opener for us, says Massey.

The next step toward Fitwel certification is the review process, and Massey expects a lot of give and take between her firm and the Center for Active Design to determine how to meet the criteria levels that HCM is willing to adopt.

Now bitten by the wellness bug, HCM also plans to incorporate Fitwels wellness standards into its designs for other clients projects as much as possible, says Massey. Particularly active design.

Arup, Structure Tone embrace wellness

While its still too early to say definitively, it appears that the wellness movement is slowly catching on with developers and AEC firms. For example, in late December, Arup opened a 16,333-sf office at 60 State Street in Boston, designed by Dyer Brown Architects, which is targeting the Silver level of the International WELL Building Institutes WELL Building Standard, as well as the Platinum level of LEED v.4.

Structure Tones 82,000-sf corporate headquarters in New York City recently became the first project in that metro to receive Well Building Standard certification. It earned a Silver-level designation by installing more efficient mechanicals and lighting that maintains harmony with employees circadian rhythms. The office also offers point-of-access water filters, access to healthy foods, and discounts on bike-share and fitness center memberships.

Last year, Structure Tone formed a partnership with Delos, the real estate and tech firm that established the WELL Building Standard, in which Structure Tone agreed to accredit 150 employees through the WELL Accredited Professional program.

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Wellness movement is catching on with AEC firms - Building Design + Construction (press release) (registration)

Zachary Comeau Daily News Staff @zcomeau_MDN

MILFORD - One of the towns oldest companies unveiled their newest investment to the town Monday: a 16,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art, energy-efficient office building.

Consigli Construction, a Milford-based construction and contracting firm with a large portfolio of projects and several locations in New England and the mid-Atlantic, unveiled the new building adjacent to their Sumner Street headquarters. The two-story building was construction in just nine months.

The estimated $5.5 million project, dubbed Granite Building 2, houses the companys pre-construction, project services, and purchasing and estimating divisions.

According to President Matthew Consigli, the structure was built next to the companys granite headquarters to complement it, rather than compete with it.

The company, named one of the "Top Places to Work" by the Boston Globe for the eighth year in a row, constructed the building to continue to strengthen its employee happiness. Work spaces, although divided by cubicles, are open to foster collaboration and feature powered lift-top desks that can easily be converted from a traditional desk to a standing desk.

Rooftop solar panels on both buildings can now power electricity costs for both buildings.

After a quick tour of the facility on Monday, Consigli commented on the partnership between the company and town, including a large tax break for the first few years that the building is online.

We wanted to continue to invest in the community where it all started four us four generations ago, said Consigli of the 112-year-old company. This is a people business and were able to draw from some of the best people in the industry being here in Milford.

According to a 15-year tax increment financing agreement signed by the town and company in 2015, Consigli Construction is awarded a 95 percent exemption in the first year that the building is operational. The exemption decreases by 5 percent the following year until reaching 30 percent in year 15.

Outgoing Selectman Brian Murray, also a newly-elected state representative, spoke at a brief ceremony about the partnership between the town and company, calling it immeasurable.

The other building was a former school that was vacant and nearly demolished until Consigli Construction stepped in and converted it into their headquarters, Murray said.

That building, now with this addition, really I think gives Milford a showpiece a gateway into a mini industrial park on Sumner Street, he said. It wasnt like this 10 or 20 years ago. Im very, very proud and fortunate to have Consigli Construction as part of Milford.

Also featured in the building is one of the company's virtual reality rooms. The technology, used on dozens of projects already, allows employees to take a tour using virtual reality goggles of completed or conceptual projects for a better perspective of building layout.

In addition to retaining 329 full-time employees, the company created 50 new permanent, full-time jobs as part of the agreement.

Zachary Comeau can be reached at 508-634-7556 and zcomeau@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @ZComeau_MDN.

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Consigli unveils new building in Milford - Milford Daily News

Spec office buildings slated for big 250-acre Gilbert development
Phoenix Business Journal
Nationwide Realty Investors has started construction on two new speculative office building at its 250-acre Rivulon development in Gilbert. The two buildings are 60,000-square-feet and four stories each and are at Nationwide's Rivulon's project at ...

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Spec office buildings slated for big 250-acre Gilbert development - Phoenix Business Journal

Amanda Renko , arenko@stargazette.com | @SGAmandaR Published 2:08 p.m. ET March 28, 2017 | Updated 5 hours ago

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Plans to expand Steuben County government offices will move forward after Monday's approval of construction bids by county legislators.

The legislature approved $5.62 million in bids for a project that will result in a new office building on East Morris Street in Bath, as well as a records storage building on Mount Washington Road.

Costs came in below an $8.9 million budget set for the office space project, according to a news release from Steuben County.

Low bids listed in a resolution approved by legislators Mondayincluded $4,020,250 for general construction from Edger Enterprises, $574,800 for electrical construction from Schuler-Haas Electric Corp., $636,000 for mechanical construction from Louis N. Picciano and Son Inc., and $492,400 for plumbing from Nairy Mechanical LLC.

Legislators also approved a change order that would allow for the construction of a third-floor shell on the East Morris Street building as long as costs remain under budget, allowing for future expansion if necessary.

The new buildings will allow for breathing room in the existingoffice building and expanded space for departments, several of which are growing because of state-mandated programs, according to the release.

Once complete, the East Morris Street building will house the county board of elections and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Steuben County, freeing up existing space for other departments. The new building alsowill include conference space that can hold up to 150 people and can be split into smaller rooms, as well as a place to store electronic voting machines.

Two county-owned homes on East Morris Street, across from the county courthouse, were recently demolished to clear the way for the new building.

The Mount Washington Road building will house records that are not in usebut are required to be retained. Those files are currently kept at a space the county leases.

Bonding and reserve funds will cover the project's costs without raising property taxes, officials said.

We believe that this project will allow the county to address the immediate shortage of space, while also planning for future needs, said County Manager Jack Wheeler. Its a fiscally responsible plan that will create efficiencies in county services.

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Steuben County office bids come in under budget - Elmira Star-Gazette