Multiple-Car Elevator Systems on the Rise

The idea of having an elevator with two independent cabs operating in the same shaft dates back to the 1920s, when Sprague’s Dual Elevator System operated in a 20-story Pittsburgh building. It was taken out of service in 1931 and it wasn’t until 2002, when ThyssenKrupp Elevator AG announced its multiple-car elevator system, that we’d […]

Wireless Emergency Communications Move to Elevators

Building owners often pay hundreds – if not thousands – of dollars each month for the multiple phone lines that ensure communications in their multiple elevators. During an emergency, passengers rely on these elevator phones in case of entrapment or an emergency. They’re a necessary expense, but wouldn’t it be great to be able to […]

High-Tech: One WTC’s Elevator System is Most Advanced in Western Hemisphere

During lunchtime on the construction site of One World Trade Center (OWTC) in Lower Manhattan, crew members and the design team usually spend their break on the 103rd floor. They roll up the construction plans, close their laptops, and eat the sandwiches they’ve brought with them. On a clear day, the view is spectacular: the […]

High-Rise Security Requires Proactive Preparation, Execution

You would never allow a potentially dangerous stranger to enter your home and wander around it without supervision, so why do we often permit such security lapses in the workplace? After all, not only do we spend more time at the job than at home, but the threats in the workplace are, in many ways, […]

Stand-Outs: High-Rise Managers Share Their Team’s Best Practices

Owning or managing a tall building is a lot like operating a small city. Being responsible for the services and infrastructure that keep occupants and tenants in business is a big job. So why not take some suggestions and help from your colleagues when you can get it?

We found some examples of best practices that are being incorporated in high-rise facilities, and arranged them into categories.

High-Rise Hotels That Get IT

High-def flat screens embedded into bathroom mirrors. Electronic doorbell systems that feature guest presence detection and tray removal tracking. Energy management systems that set lighting and temperature levels based on whether guests are in the room, out of the room, or checked out. All of these technologies are being incorporated into upscale…

Buildings Need to Breathe for Maximum Efficiency

When benchmarking more than 400 buildings for New York City’s Local Law 84 this year, we found that median energy consumption for buildings taller than 20 stories was 87 kBtu per square foot. The minimum and maximum ranges were between 50 and 258 kBtu per square foot. What causes such a big difference in energy […]

Southern California High-Rise Hotel Installs Innovative Piping System

Harrah’s Resort Southern California in Valley Center, CA, takes its commitment to building a better playground seriously. The entertainment company’s most recent project encompasses a new 21-story Resort Tower that will accompany the existing casino and hotel. The resort recently changed its name. It was formerly known as Harrah’s Rincon, after the American Indian reservation […]

Inside HRF: What’s New in Variable Refrigerant Flow Systems (VRF)?

Using refrigerant as the cooling and heating medium, Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) zoning systems cool or heat each room or zone individually only to the level needed. VRF systems work in both new construction and retrofit projects, and are most often seen in healthcare, education, hospitality, multifamily, and mixed-use facilities. The technology has been available […]

Buildings Need to Breathe for Maximum Efficiency

When benchmarking more than 400 buildings for New York City’s Local Law 84 this year, we found that median energy consumption for buildings taller than 20 stories was 87 kBtu per square foot. The minimum and maximum ranges were between 50 and 258 kBtu per square foot. What causes such a big difference in energy […]

High Performance: What Does it Mean for Tall Buildings?

What does “high performance” mean for high-rise towers? Does it involve 100% uptime, net zero energy, or green building projects? Is it a tower with low environmental impact and a healthy indoor atmosphere?

“We’re constantly asking our clients what ‘high performance’ means to them, because some people see it as only tangible things with…

Power Down to Reduce “Phantom Energy” Use

Don’t forget to pull the plug and turn out the lights! While the concept is known by different names – phantom load, vampire power, standby mode – at the end of the day, “phantom energy” does the same thing: it pulls unnecessary extra energy from the grid into commercial buildings when you aren’t looking. Many […]

Chicago High-Rise Owner Turns Under-Used Top Floor Into ‘Wow’ Suite

A classic Mies van der Rohe-style building, 401 North Michigan was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in the 1960s. Formerly known as the Equitable Building, the 35-story tower sits on the second largest plaza in Chicago. “Pioneer Court is second in size only to the Daley Plaza,” says Eric Taylor, assistant vice president at Zeller Realty Group. “The building purposely has a large plaza area so it could be set back from the road.” [...]

Height of Hospitality: The Unique Challenges of High-Rise Hotels

High-rise hotels offer up some unique challenges. Regardless of the economy, guest satisfaction scores correlate with guest retention, length of stay, and overall hotel success – which ultimately contribute to a healthier bottom line. And facilities management plays an important role in making sure guests are satisfied with hotel facilities and amenities. So how do you overcome common high-rise hotel design and operations challenges to stand out as one of the [...]

Brooklyn High-Rise May Save $700k with Parking Garage Lighting Upgrade

It took 15 years for developer Joshua Muss to turn a small city-owned park on top of an underground parking garage into the high-rise complex that is aptly named Brooklyn Renaissance Plaza. Muss’s vision was widely hailed as key to revitalizing the heart of Downtown Brooklyn but it was a long struggle to bring the […]

Combat Thermal Stack Effect for Comfort and HVAC Efficiency

Stack effect occurs in all high-rises (and all buildings) in which temperature differences exist: warm air rises when it’s surrounded by cold air because of its lower density, and this phenomenon is what results in the thermal stack effect. Rising warm air reduces pressure in the base of the building, drawing cold air in through open […]

Buildings Need to Breathe for Maximum Efficiency

When benchmarking more than 400 buildings for New York City’s Local Law 84 this year, we found that median energy consumption for buildings taller than 20 stories was 87 kBtu per square foot. The minimum and maximum ranges were between 50 and 258 kBtu per square foot. What causes such a big difference in energy […]

Height of Hospitality: The Unique Challenges of High-Rise Hotels

High-rise hotels offer up some unique challenges. Regardless of the economy, guest satisfaction scores correlate with guest retention, length of stay, and overall hotel success – which ultimately contribute to a healthier bottom line. And facilities management plays an important role in making sure guests are satisfied with hotel facilities and amenities. So how do you overcome common high-rise hotel design and operations challenges to stand out as one of the [...]

Best Practices in “Green Cleaning” Restrooms

Most green cleaning programs focus on chemical choices. And that’s a great place to start. However, a more successful program—especially for restrooms—goes beyond by incorporating other approaches: proper equipment, procedures and processes, and training. All minimize the impact of cleaning on the health of janitors, building occupants, and visitors, while protecting the environment as a […]

High-Rise On-Site Composting Gets a Reality Check

New York City’s five boroughs produce an estimated 36,200 tons of garbage daily, totaling 13.2 million tons annually. Many commercial buildings have adopted recycling programs that focus on plastics, aluminum, and paper, but programs for compostable waste aren’t often utilized. Some waste management companies will separate wet trash pick-ups and divert compostable material to an […]

UFAD Robot Cleans Beneath Raised Floor Systems

Martins Maintenance is one of the largest family-run commercial cleaning companies in the northeast with over 200 clients in 10 states. Among those clients is a Fortune 500 company occupying a high-rise office building. The firm called on the aid of Manuel Martins Jr. and Jordan Amaral to help solve an interesting problem at their […]

Fire Protection Assessments in High-Rise Buildings

High-rise facilities typically employ numerous safeguards above and beyond most non-high-rise buildings. Additional requirements regarding the number of fire sprinkler risers, sprinkler system design, and required number of exits are also imposed on “very tall” or “super high-rise” buildings (high-rises more than 420 feet in height). Fire protection assessments (FPAs) – essentially comprehensive fire and […]

Fear the Fire, Not the Fire Alarm

The first time an end user – a facility manager, security guard or building owner – is faced with operating a fire alarm control panel might easily be in an emergency situation. In the midst of such a crisis, it is not the best time to determine which of 20 or 30 different buttons to push. Overly complex fire alarm interfaces make users vulnerable to “floating finger syndrome” –

Fire and Life Safety Auditing of Tenant Space Presents Challenges

The auditing of tenant space with regards to fire & life safety can be a challenge. There’s the delicate balance of trying to view all interior rooms and areas of the space being audited, be it small or large, and doing so without disrupting the tenants business in any manner. A look at key items […]

Inside High-Rise Facilities: In-Building Wireless Systems

Concrete, brick, steel, and low-e glass can all block or distort signals – whether wireless, cellular, or RF. In tall towers that accommodate a large number of tenants or occupants, the demand on wireless infrastructure can also slow or impair signal strength. Combine these two factors, and reliable signal strength is an issue that many […]

Height of Hospitality: The Unique Challenges of High-Rise Hotels

High-rise hotels offer up some unique challenges. Regardless of the economy, guest satisfaction scores correlate with guest retention, length of stay, and overall hotel success – which ultimately contribute to a healthier bottom line. And facilities management plays an important role in making sure guests are satisfied with hotel facilities and amenities. So how do you overcome common high-rise hotel design and operations challenges to stand out as one of the [...]

Making Wireless Work at Floor 50 and Beyond

When potential tenants come knocking, a marquee address, square-footage, floor plans and breathtaking high-rise views aren’t the only things they are looking for. Today business and residential lessors place a high value on cellular voice and broadband mobile data coverage. Landline telephones are rapidly becoming a thing-of-the-past for homes and for an increasing number of […]

Another Private Sector Tenant Signs on at 4 World Trade Center

Silverstein Properties announced today that investment research provider Morningstar, Inc. has signed a 10-year, 30,000 square foot lease at 4 World Trade Center. The company expects to move to the 48th floor of 4 World Trade Center in mid-2015. “The new World Trade Center is open and great companies want to be here,” said Larry […]

Boston Properties Sells 45% Interest in Three High-Rises for $1.5 Billion

Boston Properties is selling a 45% interest in three properties for about $1.5 billion in cash to Norges Bank Investment Management. The properties include 59-story 601 Lexington Avenue in New York City, and two Boston properties: Atlantic Wharf Office Building and 100 Federal Street. The deal values the assets at approximately $4.06 billion. Boston Properties […]

SL Green Sells 180 Maiden Lane in Manhattan to The Moinian Group for $470 Million

SL Green Realty and joint venture partner, The Moinian Group, have sold 180 Maiden Lane in Downtown Manhattan for $470 million. The buyer is a venture led by Murray Hill Properties and Clarion Partners. The sale is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2014. SL Green and The Moinian Group formed the joint […]

Coworking Center to Open at One South Wacker Office Tower in Chicago

As part of a dramatic repositioning of its acquisition of its 1.2 million square foot office building at One South Wacker Drive in Chicago, an Harbor Group International has signed New York’s Serendipity Labs to open and manage a 30,000 square foot co-working lounge and conference center on the Mezzanine level and second floor of […]

Groundbreaking for Gold Coast’s First New Condo High-Rise in Seven Years

Chicago-based Convexity Properties recently held the groundbreaking for 4 East Elm, the first new condominium high-rise to begin construction on Chicago’s North Side in five years and the first in the Gold Coast since 2007. The development offers 35 half- and full-floor condominiums ranging in price from $2.2 million to $7.2 million. The groundbreaking ceremony […]

LaSalle Investment Acquires Chicago’s 101 North Wacker

Hines has sold 101 North Wacker to LaSalle Investment Management on behalf of Bayerische Ärzteversorgung, the Bavarian doctors’ pension fund. Hines will remain the property manager. A purchase price was not disclosed. Completed in 1980, the 24-story Class A office tower includes 599,503 square feet. Designed by the renowned architecture firm Perkins + Will, 101 […]

Paramount Group Acquires San Francisco High-Rise Near Transbay Development

Paramount Group, Inc., New York’s largest privately held real estate investment and management firm, has acquired 50 Beale Street, a Class A office high-rise located in San Francisco’s South Financial District. This is Paramount’s second acquisition in the San Francisco market. The seller was a joint venture of Mitsubishi Estate New York and Rockefeller Group […]

Columbia Property Trust Acquires San Francisco High-Rise for $309 Million

Columbia Property Trust has acquired 650 California Street, a 33-story, 478,392-square-feet Class-A office tower in San Francisco from Tishman Speyer and Prudential Real Estate Investors for $309 million. The building was designed by Edward Charles Bassett of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill for Hartford Insurance. At the time of its completion in 1964, it was California’s […]

San Francisco’s First Multi-Tenant LEED Gold High-Rise Earns LEED Platinum

75 Hawthorne at Hawthorne Plaza in San Francisco has received Platinum certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Existing Buildings (EB) Rating System. Previously in 2009, Hawthorne Plaza became the first multi-tenant office building in San Francisco to earn Gold certification under the USGBC’s LEED EB rating system. Hines, in partnership with RREEF, […]

Restoration Completed at Seattle’s First Skyscraper

The Courtyard Seattle Downtown/Pioneer Square has completed a 19-month, $750,000 restoration of its historic building. The downtown Seattle hotel, at 612 Second Ave., is an adaptive reuse of the 1904 Historic Alaska Building. While the restored Pioneer Square hotel today houses smartly redesigned rooms, a high-tech lobby and numerous modern amenities, the building’s historic roots […]

Changing Skylines: Tall Building Construction is on the Rise

With everything the U.S. economy has endured in the last decade, who would have thought that the development and construction of high-rise towers in major cities would be on the rise? Despite the recession, the events of 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and the real estate market collapse, a recent report from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) – Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2013 – says that high-rise construction is increasing again across the country. [...]

Groundbreaking for Bellevue, WA High-Rise Office Tower

Trammell Crow Company and joint venture partner Principal Real Estate Investors have broken ground on 929 Office Tower, a 19-story, 462,000 square foot Class A office tower in Bellevue, Washington. The project will be ready for occupancy in December 2015. “We are excited to be partnering with Trammell Crow Company on 929 Office Tower to […]

Irvine, CA Office High-Rise Achieves 43.7% Reduction in HVAC Energy Use

An initial two-day validation exercise at 2600 Michelson, a 300,000-square-foot, high-rise office tower in Irvine, California, revealed that the building’s recent HVAC efficiency upgrade will provide a 43.7% reduction in HVAC energy usage. This reduction equates to a projected savings of nearly one million kWh per year. The 16-story tower, built in 1986, is owned […]

Cushman & Wakefield Appoints New Head of U.S. Property Management

Michael Prabhu has joined Cushman & Wakefield as the U.S. head of Property Management. As a Leader within the group, and based in downtown Los Angeles, Mr. Prabhu’s focus will be on the strategic growth of the firm’s property management business in the U.S. “Property Management is a critical part of our Investor Services platform. […]

Steve Frame Joins Lerch Bates SoCal Elevator Consulting Group

Steve Frame has been named project manager for Lerch Bates’ elevator consulting group. He recently joined the firm in its Lake Forest office in Orange County, Calif. As a project manager, Frame manages vertical transportation consulting services for design, inspection, maintenance, due diligence and modernization throughout Southern California. He most recently served in project management […]

Boston Properties Sells 45% Interest in Three High-Rises for $1.5 Billion

Boston Properties is selling a 45% interest in three properties for about $1.5 billion in cash to Norges Bank Investment Management. The properties include 59-story 601 Lexington Avenue in New York City, and two Boston properties: Atlantic Wharf Office Building and 100 Federal Street. The deal values the assets at approximately $4.06 billion. Boston Properties […]

GSA Seeks Ideas for Redevelopment of Volpe Center in Cambridge, Mass.

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking creative ideas from the real estate development community to redevelop the John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center) property in Cambridge, Mass. across the street from the Kendall Square Marriott hotel, near the MIT/Kendall Square stop on the MBTA […]

Four New Hires in JLL’s Boston Project Management Group

Ted Finnerty joins the Boston team from JLL’s New York office, where he was a Vice President and Associate Director. Prior to coming to Boston, Finnerty led the 12-person capital improvement team for the Empire State Building. The team implemented owner work, over $80 million of construction annually, and oversaw another $60 million annually of […]

PM Realty Group Decides to Manage Residential High-Rises In-House

Houston-based PM Realty Group (PMRG), has brought property management services in-house for its multi-family division. The firm has hired 30-year industry veteran Joan Maxwell as Senior Vice President who will work with PMRG Executive Vice President Bryant Nail to expand the business in key markets through the United States, the company announced. Prior to joining […]

Austin, Texas High-Rise Nearly Complete and 95% Leased

Colorado Tower, a 29-story high-rise office building under construction at Third and Colorado streets in downtown Austin, Texas, is now 95 percent leased. The developer, Cousins Properties, has signed five new leases totaling 157,279 square feet. Leasing at the 373,000 square-foot, Class-A office development is now 95 percent, up from 51 percent on June 30, […]

Skanska Breaks Ground on Second Energy Corridor Spec High-Rise

Skanska USA Commercial Development has started construction on a second speculative office building in the Energy Corridor at a cost of $108 million. West Memorial Place II will be a Class A office building site in Houston’s Energy Corridor. St. Louis-based architecture firm HOK designed the 381,000-square-foot, 14-story tower. It will be the first spec […]

PM Realty Group Decides to Manage Residential High-Rises In-House

Houston-based PM Realty Group (PMRG), has brought property management services in-house for its multi-family division. The firm has hired 30-year industry veteran Joan Maxwell as Senior Vice President who will work with PMRG Executive Vice President Bryant Nail to expand the business in key markets through the United States, the company announced. Prior to joining […]

18-Story KPMG Plaza at Tops Out in Dallas Arts District

One year after work officially began on the project, Turner Construction Company recently hosted a topping out ceremony for Phase I at Hall Arts. The high-rise office building is part of a five-acre, two-city-block, multi-use real estate project in the center of the Dallas Arts District, owned and being developed by Craig Hall and Hall […]

Austin, Texas High-Rise Nearly Complete and 95% Leased

Colorado Tower, a 29-story high-rise office building under construction at Third and Colorado streets in downtown Austin, Texas, is now 95 percent leased. The developer, Cousins Properties, has signed five new leases totaling 157,279 square feet. Leasing at the 373,000 square-foot, Class-A office development is now 95 percent, up from 51 percent on June 30, […]

Developer Proposes Space Efficient Downtown Pittsburgh Office High-Rise

Pittsburgh-based Oxford Development  has proposed a  new Class-A 20-story office tower in Downtown Pittsburgh. Previously, the developer had been pitching a 33-story high-rise  to replace an existing building at 441 Smithfield Street. The new tower is being called 350 Fifth and was designed to accommodate two anchor tenants and, if built, would be Pittsburgh’s 40th […]

Changing Skylines: Tall Building Construction is on the Rise

With everything the U.S. economy has endured in the last decade, who would have thought that the development and construction of high-rise towers in major cities would be on the rise? Despite the recession, the events of 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and the real estate market collapse, a recent report from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) – Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2013 – says that high-rise construction is increasing again across the country. [...]

Philly HVAC Firm Adds Verifiable ROI to Maintenance Contracts

Philadelphia-area HVAC construction, service, and energy services firm Burns Mechanical has launched of a new suite of consulting services for its commercial clients called Building Performance Services. The energy benchmarking, operations cost saving, energy monitoring services and full energy auditing capability will provide a measurable, provable return on investment (ROI) in conjunction with maintenance contracts. […]

Property Group Partners Named Manager of West Palm Beach Office Tower

KBS Capital Advisors has named Property Group Partners manager of CityPlace Tower in West Palm Beach, Florida. Designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects, CityPlace Tower is located at 525 Okeechobee Blvd. in the affluent downtown of West Palm Beach, Florida. With a total footprint of 295,933 square feet, this trophy-quality 18-story tower is the final component […]

Developer Obtains Loan to Build 51-Story Miami Residential High-Rise

A joint-venture between Eastview Development and GTIS Partners has closed on a $120 million loan from Blackstone Real Estate Debt Strategies to fund construction of Biscayne Beach, a 51-story, 399 unit luxury condominium under development at 711 NE 29th Street in Miami’s East Edgewater neighborhood. Construction of Biscayne Beach began in June 2014 with completion […]

550 Biltmore in Coral Gables Attracts Latin American Headquarters

On the heels of signing UBS to the largest Coral Gables lease of the year, Taylor & Mathis has secured an additional $25 million in leases at the iconic 550 Biltmore. The Taylor & Mathis leasing team of Brian Gale and Ryan Holtzman negotiated the transactions on behalf of owner AEW. In a new to […]

KBS REIT III Acquires 171 17th Street in Atlanta for $132.5 Million

Newport Beach, California-based KBS Real Estate Investment Trust III (KBS REIT III) has acquired 171 17th Street, a 21-story, trophy quality office building in Atlanta for $132.5 million plus closing costs. JP Morgan was the seller. It was 89-percent leased at closing. 171 17th Street is a 509,237-square-foot property that was the world’s first LEED […]

Groundbreaking Next Week for Midtown Atlanta Student Housing High-Rise

Dallas, Texas-based Inland American Communities Group, Inc. (IAC) will hold a ceremonial groundbreaking for its newest University House property, University House Midtown, on Wednesday, May 14th, at 10:00 a.m. Located at the corner of Spring Street and 8th Street in Atlanta, the high-rise residenctial tower will be adjacent to the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia […]

Atlanta’s 72-Story Westin Peachtree Plaza Completes $70 Million Transformation

The Westin Peachtree Plaza, Atlanta’s iconic John Portman-designed hotel, has completed the final phase of its grand $70 million renovation. In partnership with Atlanta architecture firm Cooper Cary, Atlanta interior designer Carolyn Auger of Blackdog Studio and contractor Balfour Beatty, every interior element of the hotel from the redesigned lobby, all 1,073 guest rooms and […]