Skanska USAs Orlando office was awarded a key contract for Osceola Countys planned Florida Advanced Manufacturing Research Center on Monday.

The contract amount is up to $10 million for preliminary design and building services. Construction is expected to cost about $70 million, and total project cost is expected to climb to $270 million over time.

The Osceola Board of County Commissioners approved a staff recommendation to award the contract to Skanska with no discussion at a regular meeting on Monday evening.

Skanska USA is an affiliate of a Swedish corporation, with a large office in Orlando. The company is riding high with big local contracts, having lead the consortium of companies that won the $2.3 billion Interstate 4 construction contract (Ultimate I-4) in September.

Skanska USA is an affiliate of a Swedish corporation, with a large office in Orlando. The company is riding high with big local contracts, having lead the consortium of companies that won the $2.3 billion Interstate 4 construction contract (Ultimate I-4) in September.

The center would build and research high-tech computer sensors used to gauge environmental factors like temperature, light or sound for data used in cars, smartphones, surgical devices, appliances and other technology.

Skanska was ranked first out of eight national construction companies, over Hensel Phelps, Barton/Malow and DPR Construction. Barton and DPR were tied for third place in the recommendation.

According to an evaluation sheet, Skanska scored 90 out of 100 total points in the panel evaluation. That included 26 out of 30 possible points in the most important category, Experience and Assigned Personnel. Second-place Hensel Phelps scored 87 total points.

The project, originally announced in June, is expected create a new hub for manufacturing, attracting thousands of jobs. Site work on the project began with a ground-breaking in October, where Osceola County and the University of Central Florida

Originally aimed at producing smart sensors, the facility may also include a broader focus on photonics. The site of the advanced manufacturing center is 20 acres owned by Osceola County near the intersection of U.S. 192 and Floridas Turnpike the former Judge Farms property.

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Skanska wins key contract for Osceola high-tech manufacturing center

CHARLOTTE, NC (Ely Portillo/The Charlotte Observer) -

On Monday, officials and developers gathered to do something Charlotte hasn't seen since the recession: break ground on a new office tower uptown.

The new 25-story office building, to be called 300 South Tryon, will add a big chunk of prime office space to the center city. Boosters said uptown has lost out on corporate expansions and relocations because too few large blocks of contiguous space are available.

It is going to drive growth by providing desperately needed prime office space, said Michael Smith, CEO of Charlotte Center City Partners. Smith said the 630,000-square-foot tower will help attract more companies uptown and help remedy the perception among site selection consultants that uptown lacks enough office space for large clients.

With the gap (in construction) we had during the recession, we came off our rhythm, Smith said.

The new building is expected to be finished in spring 2017. Babson Capital Management, which has about 170 employees in Charlotte, will be the tower's anchor tenant, leasing about a third of the space. The project also includes a 208-room boutique hotel at Church and Third streets, attached to the office tower by a walkway, but executives have said they aren't ready to disclose more details.

The last new uptown office towers opened in 2010, when the 48-story Duke Energy Center and 32-story 1 Bank of America Center were completed.

The cranes are back, said Gov. Pat McCrory, holding a golden shovel and turning over a scoop of dirt and asphalt in the parking lot at the corner of Third and South Tryon streets, next to Latta Arcade. The lot has most recently been used for parking, Panthers tailgates and soccer parties.

McCrory reflected on the recent history of South Tryon Street, recalling the city's efforts to provide street life uptown during the 1994 NCAA Final Four hosted in Charlotte.

We had to bring together ... some fake entertainment facilities, McCrory recalled. The city opened a four-block entertainment zone along South Tryon called the Street of Champions, complete with temporary bars and restaurants.

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Cranes are back as office tower breaks ground uptown

Editors note:Parker White is vice president of business development in JLLs technical services business.

Picture an office that cleans up after itself, improves indoor air quality with nanotech-formulated paint, and responds to sunlight by magically adjusting window tint, all while fighting climate change. Then imagine entering your workspace to find your desk light on and the temperature just asyoulike it. These innovations are already at work in some modern buildings, in the shape of the networked ecosystem of intelligentbuildingequipment and devices.

Beyond the Wow! factor and the large-scale benefits to our planet,greenand smartbuildingtechnologies are changing the way we live and work, and creating business opportunities fortechnologyinnovators, commercialbuilding owners and tenants.

Buildings designed with sustainability-supporting materials, big-data-crunching automated systems and onsite clean energy are expected to represent 55 percent of all U.S. commercial and institutional construction by 2015, according to McGraw-Hill Constructions 2013Dodge ConstructionGreenOutlook.Recent research from groups like CO2 Scorecard, demonstrate that these kinds of advancements in how people consume energy have contributed twice as much to the recent drop in U.S. GHG emissions as the reduced use of coal in favor of natural gas.

Its no coincidence; sustained public interest in sustainability has triggered a surge ofgreenbuildinginnovation. Spiraling water concerns and energy costs have sparked resource-efficientbuildingoperations among commercial property owners and occupiers. New regulations in many U.S. states and municipalities provide further motivation in the form of energy disclosure ordinances or tax incentives for sustainable construction andbuildingoperations.

Also important is the growing body of research showing thatgreenbuildings are good for employee health and well-being. Corporate tenants are willing to pay higher rents for the resulting workplace productivity gains, while employees and consumers alike prefer companies that are socially and environmentally responsible.

Here are a few of thebuildingtechnologies that are changing the game of greening the planet and transforming our culture in the process.

Does the paint in your office clear the air? Now it can. A Philippines-based company,Boysen,has created the worlds first air-cleaning paint. Its based on nanoscale titanium dioxide, which is used to reduce harmful emissions in power plants and motor vehicles. It interacts with light to break down nitrous oxide and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into harmless substances.

Nanotechnology is also behind smart electrochromic glass windows that can respond to environmental conditions. These windows can be integrated withbuildingautomation systems and programmed, along with otherbuilding equipment, to utilize natural sunshine and heat to offset the need for artificial lighting and artificial heating from HVAC.

Nanotechnology can even improve hygiene: Adding silver nanoparticles to paint can add lasting antimicrobial properties, an infection-prevention technique borrowed from the medical world. The biocidal effect of the released silver ions prevents the growth of mold, algae and bacteria.

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Green Building Technology Youll Never See But Can Experience Now

Soon, if reports are accurate, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo will be presented with a bill to extend temporarily the states Brownfield Cleanup Program. For Buffalo, Western New York and other regions with contaminated properties that will not otherwise be developed, it is urgent that he approve the legislation.

Indeed, the measure is perfectly aligned with the governors determination to restart the Buffalo economy. The signature project in that massive effort, the RiverBend project, is being constructed on a remediated brownfield site.

The program provides valuable tax credits to developers who undertake the challenge of reusing old industrial sites that would otherwise remain contaminated eyesores.

The tax credits will end unless Cuomo signs the bill, which would extend it through March 31, 2017. That would give lawmakers and the governor sufficient time to craft a permanent extension that deals with some of the objections that Cuomo and others have, including gross misuse of the law in Manhattan.

Those issues absolutely need to be fixed, but Cuomo must not allow a critical program to end because some people have abused it. The Brownfield Cleanup Program has been fundamental to Buffalos change in fortunes, and some projects now planned will fail unless he agrees to the extension.

Among those developments is Project Hello, a planned $102 million development expected to create more than 170 local jobs with average earnings of $72,500. Reports are that Alita USA Holdings, the steelmaker planning to locate in South Buffalo, will not proceed if the legislation is not extended by the end of the year, now just over two weeks away. Just the uncertainty over the programs renewal is causing jitters among developers in Western New York.

Whatever its defects, the measure provides the necessary financial push to overcome the risks and expenses of building on brownfield sites. According to the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, which is advocating on behalf of the bill, the program has leveraged more development in Erie County 28 projects than any other in New York since 2008. In the same period, 10 projects in Niagara County have used the program, seventh-most in the state. By the Partnerships reckoning, the program has played a role in the creation of more than 4,200 jobs and millions of dollars in development.

Those are staggering figures, and evidence of the programs importance to Western New York. Also staggering is even a short list of some of the projects that have proceeded because of the program. They include Conventus, a center for collaborative medicine under construction on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus; the HealthNow headquarters on West Genesee Street in Buffalo; One Canalside, the project that transformed a dreary state office building into a new hotel and law office across Scott Street from the HarborCenter development; and the $31.7 million project to turn the former F.N. Burt box factory on Seneca Street into high-end office space and apartments.

Cuomo has poured his heart into restarting the Buffalo economy and evidence of those efforts is all around. Failure to extend this program threatens to interrupt the progress that is under way.

Ongoing developments may not suffer, but long-term success depends to a great extent upon capitalizing on the momentum that Cuomo has set in motion. If the momentum flags, so will Buffalos prospects. In a city where brownfields are ubiquitous, a program to remediate them is essential.

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Cuomo should agree to bill extending tax credits for cleaning up brownfields

19 hours ago

A holistic approach is necessary to successfully plan and construct energy efficient buildings. But implementing best practices elsewhere is not a straightforward task.

To tackle climate change,new buildings are required to consume as little energy as possible. That's because, in Europe, buildings are responsible for about 40% of our energy consumption. The EU energy performance of buildingsDirectivetherefore imposes a near zero-energy consumption for all new buildings by the end of 2020. New public buildings have to be built according to this standard by the end of 2018. In this context, the EU-funded projectDIRECTION, due to be competed in 2016, aims to implement suitable technologies to demonstrate the feasibility of creating very low energy buildings.

The project features threecase studiesinGermany, Spain and Italy, which may serve as best practice examples to be adopted by other sustainable buildings. "If you have successfully planned and constructed a building, which has very low energy demand [while retaining the] highest room comfort, then it is a 'best practice' building," says Jan Kaiser, research associate at theFraunhofer Institute for Building PhysicsIBP in Kassel, Germany. Best practice also means that the know-how is applicable for any location, Kaiser adds. This is, for example,the case for the new office building NuOffice in Munich,Germany, which recently received the international PlatinumLEED certificatefor green buildings.

However, implementing best practices in other locations is not a straightforward task. "There is not a single method," points outNorberto Gonzalez, project partner and business developer at 1A Ingenieros in Valladolid, Spain. "You cannot use the same technologies in different countries," he tells Directions. This is due to the different climatic conditions and the availability of different natural resources for supplying renewable energy. The market development and the local technological know-how also matter. Moreover, national regulations may set the limits for the way in which energy efficient technologies are applied.

Another important issue is to carefully think about the building's design from the very beginning, according to Gonzalez. This ranges from considering key issues, such as orientation and insulation, to specific ones, such as air conditioning systems and lighting. This is because "the firstdesign decisionswill have a very high impact on energy efficiency," Gonzalez stresses. But this design phase may also prove difficult. "You can do calculations. But there are always more variables than those you can think of. The only way to deal with that problem is to look at the real world [implementation]," he tells Directions.

Moreover,it is crucial to integrate the new building into the local district, which also matters in terms of utilising local energy resources, according to Gonzalez. "And there has to bean intelligent energy management systemto ensure proper operation," he adds. In Gonzalez's experience, it is also very important that the building matches the owners' requirements. "Communication is the key point in best practices," he tells Directions.

Indeed, "architects, engineers, project developer, building physicistsall the actors involvedhave to agree on the desired performance of the building and how to reach the goal," Kaiser concurs. "The building has to be optimised in a holistic way," adds Kaiser. In his view, it is therefore crucial to bring together all actors at a very early stage of the planning. This so-called integral planning includes concepts that help establishing useful communication networks. Most importantly,the project developer has to have a deep understanding for a building's performance, according to Kaiser.

Another expert agrees. "You have to communicate first and then identify the targets," saysRory Bergin, architect and sustainability expert at a company calledHTA Designbased in London and Edinburgh, UK. In his view, this is particularly true when introducing new technologies and materials, which is often the case in sustainable buildings. "Designers need to be good at designing but also at persuading", he adds. This is because thedifferent experts involved in the planning and construction of the building, including insurance companies,are often sceptical about new materials and technologies.

However, Bergin also points out that it is not always possible to involve all stakeholders from the very beginning. "Often, offices are not built for specific customers," he says. Rather, they are built and then rented out. "You therefore have to make the system simple," he adds, to keep flexibility and make the building attractive for various users. He also sees a need to develop metrics that characterise and present the quality of a sustainable building. "As time goes by,there will be more awareness of sustainable buildings and thus more expectations," he says. "But to allow people to make informed choices there need to be metrics they are familiar with," he concludes.

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Learning from new, very low-energy buildings

The Vice President Saulos Chilima on Tuesday inspected the new government Office Block being constructed at Capital Hill in Lilongwe.

Chilima, speaks with reporters after insepcting the project in Lilongwe-Pic. by Abel Ikiloni.

Delta Construction Director, Mr. Amin Usman explains the progress of the project-Pic.by Abel Ikilon

New Office building under construction at Capital Hill in Lilongwe-Pic. by Abel Ikilon

Chilima with Minister of Lands, Bright Msaka inspect the project in Lilongwe-Pic. by Abel Ikilon

Chilima observed that it has taken a long time for the offices to be completed to enable other government Ministries that are renting from private owners to occupy it.

It has really taken a long time for the offices to be completed and we want this to be done quickly to ensure that some government ministries that are currently renting from private owner occupy the building, said Chilima.

The Vice President however said it was pleasing to learn that the contractors will strive to work hard and finish construction of the office building early next year and be ready for occupation.

He said once the construction of the building is finished it will provide office space to many government Ministries that are currently renting from the private owners.

The office building will create conducive working environment for the civil servants and also make government save some money that is paid to private sector where some ministries are renting, said Chilima.

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Malawi VP inspects construction of new office block at Capital Hill

SINGAPORE: The Republic's sovereign wealth fund GIC on Friday (Dec 12) announced an agreement to acquire Eco Sapucai in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro - marking its first wholly-owned investment in Latin America.

The 86,060sqm AAA office is currently being developed by Hemisfrio Sul Investimentos (HSI), and construction is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2015, according to GIC's press release. A GIC spokesperson declined to disclose the size of the investment.

When completed, Eco Sapucai will be one of the highest quality buildings in the city with a LEED Gold certification, which attests to a development's best-in-class building strategies and practices, it added.

Regional Head of Americas for GIC Real Estate Tia Miyamoto said: "Eco Sapucai is a welcome addition to our global portfolio of bestinclass assets. We believe strong demand for this firstrate office property will translate into a stable income stream, which suits GIC as a longterm investor.

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GIC buys office building in Brazil

ALLENTOWN, Pa. -

An eight-story-tall office building, billed as phase three of the Butz Corporate Center at Ninth and Hamilton streets in Allentown, narrowly was approved in a 3-2 vote by the citys planning commission Tuesday afternoon.

The seven enclosed floors of the new building will stand on pillars over a street level parking lot behind the existing Butz building.

The unusual split vote by the planning commission was spurred by the concerns of several neighbors, primarily that their properties may be damaged during construction.

Some said their places already were damaged during the first two phases of the Butz building construction.

The owner of Fegleys Allentown Brew Works objected to the possibility that the tall building will block the sun from reaching a solar energy system on the roof of his restaurant at 812 W. Hamilton.

The new Butz building will be erected at the rear of 840 W. Hamilton.

It will rise in what is now a parking lot on the northwest corner of two alleys: West Maple and South Lumber streets.

Tom Daniels, senior project manager with Butz, said construction will begin in March on the $15-million project and take a year to complete.

The developers volunteered to pay for pre-construction inspections for three adjoining properties along Ninth Street, but not for the entire neighborhood.

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Allentown getting another new office building

A scaled-back office building proposed for the rear of Allentown's Butz Corporate Center received narrow approval Tuesday from the Allentown Planning Commission despite objections from several neighbors.

The $15 million proposal, which now calls for a seven-story building with one floor of parking, was originally proposed as the sales headquarters for technology firm United Fiber & Data, a York-based company constructing a $200 million fiber-optics network that would stretch from New York to Virginia.

United Fiber is now considered a "potential" tenant, said Eric Butz, the building's architect and part owner of EPC Allentown, the property's developer.

Developers also have nixed plans to put three floors of upscale condominiums in the structure, which was originally slated to also have three floors of parking. As proposed, the building will now be entirely office space, save the parking on the first floor.

The cuts were made after the Butz Corp. conducted a cost-benefit analysis of the structure, Butz said.

United Fiber, a company backed financially by three members of the York rock band Live, was initially proposed as the building's primary tenant. Members of the band and company CEO Bill Hynes joined members of the Butz family and Mayor Ed Pawlowski in May 2013 to unveil plans for the building, which was to house 100 employees of the company.

United Fiber is currently a tenant of the existing Butz Corporate Center at 840 Hamilton St., Butz said. Whether United Fiber moves to the new building depends on its interest and what kind of space the company needs, Butz said.

"There's a lot of juggling to be done," he said.

Construction, which was originally slated to begin in 2014, could now begin by March 2015, Butz said. It will take about a year to build, officials said.

Neighbors of the Butz property had numerous concerns about the impact of construction in the area and traffic flow if the projects gets built.

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Allentown planners approve scaled-back Butz building plans

BRISTOL A developer wants to buy two shuttered elementary schools and convert them to apartments for senior citizens, but Bristol Hospital is asking for one of the properties as the site for a medical office building.

Residents will get to give their opinions at a hearing Wednesday on what Bristol should do with the O'Connell and Bingham buildings. The city council ultimately will decide whether to go with one of the proposals or look for different alternatives.

Bristol Hospital is asking the city to give it the 98-year-old Bingham School on Route 6. Hospital officials propose razing the three-story building and building up to 60,000 square feet of medical office space in phases. The hospital estimates that the total construction cost would be $21 million to $27 million.

The hospital, which is on the verge of being acquired by the private Tenet Healthcare Corp., is asking the city to provide the property without charge. It has said it would want up to 18 months to determine whether to go ahead with construction of the new complex, which would provide medical office space on the edge of downtown and within a short drive of Plymouth.

Bristol Hospital's proposal doesn't include the O'Connell School in the West End.

The Litchfield-based Park Lane Group is asking to buy both schools for the combined price of $219,000. The company said it would seek state and federal historic register status for them, and plans to renovate both into housing for seniors. Park Lane said that it could create about 70 apartments in total, and that it would be agreeable to providing the gyms in one or both buildings as community facilities.

Park Lane has been campaigning to get supporters of its plan to Wednesday's hearing. Ted Lazarus, head of the company, said in a statement Tuesday that preservation of the historic schools is important.

"Both buildings are very important elements of Bristol's architectural legacy," he said. "Why demolish a building which can be restored and again made useful in a new role as senior housing?"

The city wants to dispose of both properties to reduce maintenance costs and the risk of deterioration. Both were closed as schools within the past three years, along with Memorial Boulevard Middle School and the Jennings School; the city has not decided what to do with either of those other properties.

A study for the city by AMS Consulting concluded that Bingham's value is theoretically more than $900,000, with about $526,000 of that attributed to the land. But the actual market value would be far less, the company reported.

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Bristol To Hear Suggestions For O'Connell, Bingham Buildings