Attorney Spencer Calahan is planning to build a new office in downtown Baton Rouge. (Rendering by GraceHebert Architects)

Spencer Calahan has begun work to build a new five-story office building in downtown Baton Rouge near the Pastime Restaurant at 252 South Blvd. that will cost the attorney between $8.5 million and $9 million.

GraceHebert Architects is designing the building, which will be located at the corner of South Boulevard and St. Louis Street. There will be two levels of parking, three levels of offices and a helicopter pad on the roof.We want something classy, we want something tasteful, Calahan said at this mornings Downtown Development District meeting.

Work crews have already started demolishing a number of aging houses on the site, and construction of the building is set to begin this summer. Calahan expects the building to be completed about 14 months after ground is broken.

Daily Report has the full story.

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Baton Rouge attorney Spencer Calahan planning $8.5M downtown office building - Greater Baton Rouge Business Report

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Five Guys, Verizon among new tenants proposed for Oxford's Quarry Walk development.

Five Guys, Verizon among new tenants proposed for Oxford's Quarry Walk development.

A medical office building, to include offices for Griffin Hospital, is expected to be completed in the fall of 2017 at Oxford's Quarry Walk development.

A medical office building, to include offices for Griffin Hospital, is expected to be completed in the fall of 2017 at Oxford's Quarry Walk development.

Five Guys, day care provider proposed for Oxfords Quarry Walk

OXFORD Last year, signs advertised the opening of a hardware store, supermarket, bank and other tenants at the Oxford Towne Center/Quarry Walk development. Now, signs note the upcoming construction of a new medical office building to be occupied in part by Griffin Hospital.

But most town residents have been patiently and some not so patiently waiting for the first signs of a restaurant in the development.

The wait is nearly over.

Zoning officials last week were presented plans for several new buildings directly along Route 67, to the right of the Newtown Savings Bank branch, including a stand-alone structure containing a Five Guys restaurant. That building will be connected through a patio to a retail building with three storefronts, with Verizon Wireless the first tenant announced for that structure.

A separate building to be constructed further in, to the left of anchor tenant Market 32, a brand of Price Chopper, will be home to Educational Playcare, a daycare provider with 13 other locations in the state.

So far were really happy with the progress, said First Selectman George Temple, of the $70 million development. I think theyre having a great deal of success with marketing.

Kathy Ekstrom, development manager for Haynes Development, said the developer has been searching for eateries and retail tenants for some time, with the goal of finding tenants that would not only attract new customers to the area but would also provide an element of stability.

Five Guys and Verizon people will drive to Quarry Walk for both of these tenants, she said. They are two highly identifiable national brands right here on (Route) 67.

Ekstrom said Haynes is hoping for a mix of not just retail, but food options as well. We would love to get an Asian bistro, she said. We think Oxford has the demand for it. We want that mix.

The first Quarry Walk tenants the market, bank, a Goodwill store, Ace Hardware and Dollar Tree opened their doors last year. This year, Ekstrom said Haynes is also planning to break ground on a 30,000-square-foot medical office building and 30 to 60 condo-style apartments.

Ekstrom said Haynes has seen a demand for the 20,000 square feet of the office building that wont be occupied by Griffin Hospital. She said the developer is being cautious with its tenant choice because it wants to provide a variety of offerings and make the development a one-stop shop for Oxford residents and those in surrounding towns.

Sometimes were intentionally a little slower on tenant acquisitions, she said. We want to make sure the businesses we put in there are going to help Quarry Walk be successful.

Ekstrom said this is why, despite the considerable interest from smaller providers, Haynes chose Educational Playcare as the centers day care provider, which will have capacity for roughly 200 children.

Their vision for how theyre going to utilize that area was too good to pass up, said Gerry Pastor, who along with his wife, Jane Porterfield, owns the daycare center. We just wanted to be a part of it.

Ekstrom said the daycare provider will likely benefit from the opening of each new store and the medical office building, for which construction will begin in the next several months.

Educational Playcare should open by August, with the medical office building, apartments, restaurant and Verizon store to open by fall.

The Planning and Zoning Commission will next meet Feb. 21.

ktorres@hearstmediact.com; 203-330-6227

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Five Guys, day care provider proposed for Oxford's Quarry Walk - CT Post

Brookfield-based Milwaukee Tool plans to completely update the architecture of the existing buildings at its headquarters campus and expand two buildings by a combined 30,000 square feet, in addition to the ongoing construction of a four-story, 200,000-square-foot office building.

The company is seeking approvals from the city of Brookfield for the latest parts of the headquarters improvement project. The plan is to begin work in the spring with the goal of completing construction by the fall of 2017. That timeline would closely tie the completionof the expansions with the opening of the new office building, according to a letter from Stephen Perry Smith Architects to the city.

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Milwaukee Tool is in the process of building a new, $35 million office building on its campus. The project is supported by $18 million in state tax credits and $6 million in tax incremental financing through the city. It is projected to add up to 592 jobs to a company that has already tripled its workforce since 2009 to roughly 800.

The new project would include three components, starting with the faade renovation of Milwaukee Tools existing 183,000-square-foot, single story brick office building. The proposed renovation responds to the architecture of the new expansion building with the use of precast panel cladding, according to the Stephen Perry Smith letter. The project also involves remaking entrances to the building, demolishing existing masonry wings and replacing them with steel framed canopies with glass roofs.

The second component would expand the companys 16,500-square-foot Rapid Innovation Center by up to 20,000 square feet. The building, which is described as very dated would also get a faade upgrade to match the new office building.

The third component would be a 10,000-square-foot addition to the campus annex building, The building is currently 5,600 square feet.

The city plan commission will consider a revised plan and method of operation for Milwaukee Tool tonight to allow for the construction project. The proposal also needs Common Council approval.

In addition to Stephen Perry Smith, Milwaukee Tool is working with Wangard Partners and The Sigma Group Inc. on the project.

Brookfield-based Milwaukee Tool plans to completely update the architecture of the existing buildings at its headquarters campus and expand two buildings by a combined 30,000 square feet, in addition to the ongoing construction of a four-story, 200,000-square-foot office building.

The company is seeking approvals from the city of Brookfield for the latest parts of the headquarters improvement project. The plan is to begin work in the spring with the goal of completing construction by the fall of 2017. That timeline would closely tie the completionof the expansions with the opening of the new office building, according to a letter from Stephen Perry Smith Architects to the city.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Milwaukee Tool is in the process of building a new, $35 million office building on its campus. The project is supported by $18 million in state tax credits and $6 million in tax incremental financing through the city. It is projected to add up to 592 jobs to a company that has already tripled its workforce since 2009 to roughly 800.

The new project would include three components, starting with the faade renovation of Milwaukee Tools existing 183,000-square-foot, single story brick office building. The proposed renovation responds to the architecture of the new expansion building with the use of precast panel cladding, according to the Stephen Perry Smith letter. The project also involves remaking entrances to the building, demolishing existing masonry wings and replacing them with steel framed canopies with glass roofs.

The second component would expand the companys 16,500-square-foot Rapid Innovation Center by up to 20,000 square feet. The building, which is described as very dated would also get a faade upgrade to match the new office building.

The third component would be a 10,000-square-foot addition to the campus annex building, The building is currently 5,600 square feet.

The city plan commission will consider a revised plan and method of operation for Milwaukee Tool tonight to allow for the construction project. The proposal also needs Common Council approval.

In addition to Stephen Perry Smith, Milwaukee Tool is working with Wangard Partners and The Sigma Group Inc. on the project.

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Milwaukee Tool planning more HQ campus expansion, renovation - BizTimes.com (Milwaukee)

BENTON The Franklin County Board is moving on several key projects this month.

During a special meeting Jan. 31, the board approved an ordinance that would allow them to move forward with the financing of the $550,000 Campbell Building remodel. The remodel of this building is being done to move the offices of the Regional Superintendent of Schools, Supervisor of Assessment, the Election office and the County Board to the Campbell Building from the Franklin County Annex Building.

County Board President Randall Crocker said construction on the project began last week and he hopes it will be completed by April 15. At the very least, Crocker said he hopes for the offices to be moved by May 1.

The board has also begun visiting public meetings throughout the county to discuss the need to replace their 140-year-old courthouse and to promote the added sales tax that will pay for it. This will be on the ballot during Aprils election. The proposed measure would increase sales tax by one percent and would last for 20 years. The funds collected would pay for the new courthouse construction.

Crocker said he has personally attended one meeting so far. It was with the Franklin County Farm Bureau.

It was excellent, Crocker said. Im not saying they were all for it, but they certainly wasnt questioning the motives or the need.

He said the Farm Bureau will be sponsoring a meeting March 7 at the Benton Civic Center.

Crocker said he gets two primary questions when talking with people about the courthouse proposal what is going to be done with the old courthouse and where will the new one go? He said the primary thing is is wanting to get across to people is simple.

The No. 1 thing I want them to understand is the county will not keep [the old building], Crocker said. We cant. We dont have any need for it. We cant afford to keep it.

This leaves the options of selling the building, which Crocker said would have to take place in the construction period, or tearing it down. Crocker did say he has had one party show interest in purchasing the building should it come up for sale, but said it was too early to say who.

As to where the new location would be, Crocker had two places specifically in mind. One location is a block south of the existing courthouse and the other would be next to the jail on East Main. He said the jail location is attractive because it already owned by the county, and it would be easy to transport prisoners to and from court.

However, Crocker said he questions whether or not there would be enough room for all the needs of the new courthouse.

Crocker said his primary concern is wanting the new courthouse to be easily accessible and should the resolution pass this April, he wants the public to weigh in on where they think the new courthouse should be located.

Isaac.Smith@thesouthern.com

618-529-5823

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Construction begins on Benton's Campbell Building remodel - The Southern

Dive Brief:

The new complex in Shady Grove is just the latest offering from developers of massive mixed-use projects in the DC area. The Wharf, a $2 billion DC development, will soon get underway with its second phase, which will include parks, retail, residential, office and a marina. The first phase will open this fall and provide 870 living units, 225,000 square feet of office space, 175,000 square feet of retail and three hotels. Developer Hoffman-Madison also announced late last year that it would build DC's first-ever pier-top office building at The Wharf. The Class A office building will offer up 28,000 square feet of space and shoot for LEED Gold certification.

More variety is popping up amid mixed-use developments, including elements of sustainability that exceed LEED. Last August, Property Group Partners, developers of the Capitol Crossing "eco district," announced that it had hired general contractor Balfour Beatty to build its first 960,000-square-foot phase. The $196 million construction contract is for two 12-story, mixed-use buildings connected by a glass bridge. The entire project is situated on a three-block elevated deck over Interstate 395 and will be LEED Platinum-certified.

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Developers file plans for $650M DC suburb mixed-use project - Construction Dive

Loyola Marymount has signed a 12-year lease at the Brickyard office building in Playa Vista.

Playa Vistas newest office building recently wrapped up construction, and now it has snagged its first tenant.

Loyola Marymount University is taking a 12-year lease for more than 50,000 square feet at the Brickyard with plans for a June move-in, according to a statement from the buildings owner, Tishman Speyer. The space will house LMUs School of Film and Television graduate programs.

LMUs monthly rate is roughly $5.50 a square foot, according to a source familiar with the transaction. Tishman declined to disclose lease terms.

Average monthly rents in Playa Vista were about $4.91 a square foot in the fourth quarter of 2016, according to data from Jones Lang LaSalle.

LMUs main campus sits on the hills overlooking Playa Vista. It also runs Loyola Law School downtown. The new site, at 12105 W. Waterfront Drive, is intended to help students connect with companies based in the Silicon Beach area of Playa Vista, Venice, and Santa Monica.

Silicon Beach is one of the world's fastest-growing startup ecosystems, an ideal counterpart for LMU as the definitive center for global imagination and its impacts, Timothy Law Snyder, LMUs president, said in a statement.

The Film and Television buildings official opening is slated for fall 2018, the university said.

Designed by Los Feliz-based architect Michael Maltzan, the Brickyard encompasses 400,000 square feet across two buildings.

In addition to being the latest major construction project in Playa Vista, it may also be among the last, since development space is nearly gone. The one major plot of land that remains is a 12-acre parcel owned by Google, near the historic Spruce Goose hangar that the tech company is leasing and converting into office space.

Tishman, a mega-landlord based in New York that owns Rockefeller Center, also owns the Collective in Playa Vista, a 204,000-square-foot complex of five office buildings that it built in 2015.

The creative office environment that has unfolded in Playa Vista has been incredible to witness over the past 10 years, John Miller, Tishman Speyers senior managing director, said in a statement.

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Loyola Marymount Takes First Lease at Playa Vista's Brickyard Offices - Los Angeles Business Journal

Atlanta Business Chronicle

Loudermilk breaks ground on Buckhead office building Atlanta Business Chronicle An Atlanta real estate company is starting construction on a nine-story medical office building, the latest project rising in the Buckhead Village. The Loudermilk Cos. is developing the 120,000-square-foot project at 371 East Paces Ferry Road, the ...

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Loudermilk breaks ground on Buckhead office building - Atlanta Business Chronicle

Dive Brief:

If the project comes to fruition, it could one day be joined by the all-wood skyscraper proposed by architecture firm Perkins+Will for a site along the Chicago River. The project, dubbed River Beech Tower, would feature a lattice exterior and, at 80 stories, would be the tallest wood building in the world. The $39 million, 18-story Brock Commons residence hallat the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, Canada, is currently the tallest wood building in the world. The tower, which is scheduled to open later this year, will be able to accommodate 400 students.

Hines' T3 (Timber, Technology, Transit) building in Minneapolis, which opened in November of last year, is a 220,000-square-foot structure built almost entirely out of Pacific Northwest trees killed by the mountain pine beetle. Minnesota's building codes classify such wood as Type IV Heavy Timber. Crews also used concrete in the construction.

While initial plans for all-wood towers have popped up across the globe, local jurisdictions are trying to deal with the building code and safety ramifications. Although the buildings in question are not made of cross-laminated timber (CLT) or NLT, recent changes to the building codes in Sandy Springs, GA, have brought the discussion around the safety of wood construction to the forefront. Wood has been eliminated as a construction material option in Sandy Springs for buildings more than three stories tall or bigger than 100,000 square feet. City officials said their primary motivation was safety.

However,Justin Mihalik, president of the American Institute of Architects New Jersey chapter,told Construction Divein October that the necessary fire ratings can be attained using most any material. "If it's tested and meets requirements," he said, "wood is safe."

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Developer unveils plans for wood office building in Chicago - Construction Dive

New York City remains the highest cost of construction market in the United States, but the rate of increase in 2016 was more in line with cost increases nationally than in recent years, according to a New York Building Congress analysis of multiple cost indices and interviews with representatives of some of the citys largest construction firms.

Construction costs in New York City increased by approximately 4 percent in 2016, which is slightly less than the 5 percent rate of cost inflation that was experienced annually throughout the five boroughs from 2013 through 2015. By comparison, U.S. construction costs rose between 3 and 4 percent in 2016 after rising between 2.5 to 3 percent annually from 2013 through 2015.

The construction executives interviewed for this report expect that New York City construction costs will continue to accelerate at roughly the current rate of one percent per quarter through 2017.

During the height of last decades building boom, construction cost increases exceeded 6 percent nationally but were nearly twice as high in New York City, with reports of construction cost increases reaching 12 percent in 2006 and 11 percent in 2007. In 2009, in the aftermath of the Great Recession, costs declined both nationally and in New York City and registered a nominal gain in 2010. Costs in New York City gradually increased, by between 2 and 3.25 percent annually between 2010 and 2012, before jumping again in 2013.

CARLO SCISSURA

No matter what sector you analyze commercial, residential, corporate interiors, healthcare, education and cultural construction activity remains robust, which means a stretched labor force, increased use of overtime, and an ability for contractors to pick and choose which projects to pursue, said New York Building Congress President and CEO Carlo A. Scissura. These factors were the primary drivers of cost inflation in 2016.

He added, That said, we are not experiencing the type of inflation we experienced during the last decades construction boom. Part of the reason is that the overall cost of construction materials has remained relatively flat.

The cost indices used by the Building Congress are produced by ENR, Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB), RS Means, Turner, and BLS. Each index examines the hard costs of construction while excluding the cost of land and soft costs, such as architectural, engineering, and legal fees.

Sector Analysis

According to the data sources and construction executives, construction costs are greatest on a per-square-foot basis for hospitals, followed by university buildings, five-star hotels, and office space.

Cost acceleration is especially prevalent in the office sector, due in part to a substantial increase in the amount of work underway including ground-up construction, alterations and renovation of existing office buildings, and production of prime, built-to-suit office spaces.

The continued increase in office work is expected to offset an anticipated decline in the residential sector, which is a reversal from years past when a white-hot housing market served as the primary driver of cost inflation. While the residential market remains a steady source of work, the sector has been negatively impacted by the lack of clear direction on the future of the 421a tax incentive program, which is disproportionately affecting the production of new affordable housing.

One thing to keep an eye on is the impact of increased competition among contractors, noted Mr. Scissura. As the universe of non-union and open shop contractors has grown in number and sophistication, it has presented owners and developers with more choices and a wider range of competitive bids, especially among firms that are looking to establish a track record in the five boroughs.

Comparing NYC to Other Cities

When measured in U.S dollars, building in New York City has gotten considerably more expensive than other international cities over the past year. While this is due in part to cost increases and greater demand for construction services locally, it is also a function of the dramatically weakened rate of exchange of foreign economies against the dollar.

For example, according to RLB, a premium office building that costs $550 per square foot to build in New York City, would cost $174 in Berlin, $155 in Shanghai, and $365 in London. In 2015, the cost of that building would have been roughly the same in London and New York.

Turning to the U.S., the hard costs of construction per square foot in New York City are significantly higher than Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. and slightly greater on average than San Francisco, which is the second most expensive major U.S. city.

The cost to construct prime New York City office space is more than 20 percent greater than Boston, which is the next leading contender. New York also registers the highest construction costs nationwide for hospitals, hotels, and retail, though construction of multi-family apartment buildings remains more expensive to build in San Francisco than New York City.

Photo top: David H. Koch, NY-Presbyterian expansion, viaField Condition

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Report: New York City remains highest cost of construction market in ... - Real Estate Weekly

As Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital continues preparing for its grand opening in July, it has broken ground on Medical Office Building 2 and a parking garage on the southeast corner of Hwy. 242 and Interstate 45.

Medical Office Building 2 will be six stories tall and more than 160,000 square feet.

Houston Methodist Hospital has broken ground on Medical Office Building 2 in The Woodlands. Courtesy Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital

We are very excited about the progress we are making on our campus, said Debbie Sukin, regional senior vice president for Houston Methodist and CEO of Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital. Opening a second medical office building will allow us to recruit medical staff committed to leading medicine and building comprehensive clinical programs

The new medical office building will resemble Medical Office Building 1, which opened last March and is already 100 percent leased. Medical Office Building 1 houses Houston Methodist Breast Care Center and Houston Methodist Weight Management Center, among other specialty services and independent physician offices.

In April, Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine will move into its state-of-the art facility, which will occupy the entire second floor of Medical Office Building 1 and include physician offices, physical therapy and rehabilitation space.

Both medical office buildings will be connected to the hospital via a third level bridge and skywalk system, as will the parking garage, which will be located between the two MOBs. The garage will have seven levels and spaces for 785 cars.

The two new projects are scheduled for completion in early 2018.

Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital willhave four medical office buildings and three parking garages, according to its master plan.

Houston Methodist Hospital The Woodlands 17201 I-45 N, The Woodlands 713-790-3333 http://www.houstonmethodist.org/thewoodlands

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Progress continues on construction of Houston Methodist The ... - Community Impact Newspaper