Brookfield Names Paul Schulman President of U.S. Office Operations

Brookfield Office Properties has named Paul Schulman President and Chief Operating Officer of U.S. Commercial Operations, responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company’s 57-million-square-foot U.S. office business. Mr. Schulman will oversee functions including asset management, leasing, and operations of Brookfield’s 63-property U.S. portfolio located throughout New York City, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Houston, Denver, […]

One World Trade Center’s Massive Cement Core Provides Strength, Safety

Rising a symbolic 1,776 feet above the skyline of Manhattan and standing as the tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere, One World Trade Center is setting new standards in building a more resilient, safe and sustainable urban landscape. Monumental in scale, this landmark 104-story tower features 3,500,000 square feet of space that will accommodate activities […]

SL Green and Jeff Sutton Sell Student Dormitory High-Rise at 180 Broadway

SL Green Realty and billionaire developer Jeff Sutton, have sold their Pace University dormitory high-rise at 180 Broadway for $222.5 million. The deal includes all their interests, including their fee position and retail condominium unit. SL Green owns the dormitory portion while Sutton owns the retail. the buyer was not immediately disclosed. 180 Broadway is […]

Groundbreaking for AFL-CIO Funded 48-Story Chicago Residential High-Rise

A groundbreaking ceremony took place this morning at Wolf Point West Tower featuring more than one hundred and fifty workers and local labor leaders. Wolf Point West Tower is a $160 million, 48-story multifamily project being built in Chicago. The AFL-CIO Building Investment Trust (BIT) indirectly provided a $34 million equity investment in the project, […]

Law Firm Leases Top Floors of New Uptown Dallas High-Rise

Chicago-based law firm Sidley Austin LLP has preleased 75,000 square feet at the new McKinney & Olive office building in Uptown Dallas. Crescent Real Estate Holdings LLC broke ground June 19, and construction is now underway at the development located at 2021 McKinney Avenue. The Class A+ office space will include 480,000 square feet, with […]

Chinese Firm Plans to Build Chicago’s Third Tallest High-Rise

A Chinese real estate firm, the Wanda Group, is planning to invest $900 million to build Chicago’s third tallest building. The project site is located in the Lakeshore East development in downtown Chicago, one of the last remaining sites within the Lakeshore East area. Many of Chicago’s well-known sites and attractions are within walking distance […]

Q&A: Mike Meyer, Northern California Cushman & Wakefield

Like the vast majority of industry professionals, Michael Meyer, director, Northern California, Corporate Occupier & Investor Services at Cushman & Wakefield, didn’t seek the industry out. It found him. Meyer was looking for a job after graduation, and an agency placed him as an administrative assistant in the property management office of a high-rise. “With […]

Lerch Bates Promotes Ron Welts to San Francisco Regional Manager

Industry veteran Ron Welts has been promoted to regional manager of Lerch Bates’ San Francisco office. He previously served as project manager, elevator consulting group, providing vertical transportation consulting services for designs, maintenance, due diligence and modernizations throughout Northern California. Ron quickly established himself in the vertical transportation market of Northern California after joining Lerch […]

San Francisco Developer Resurrects Planned L.A. High-Rise Condos

San Francisco-based Trumark Urban has purchased a fully entitled development site in the South Park neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles, where it will build a $100-million condominium complex of 24 floors with 151 units. Formerly known as the Glass Tower, the residential high-rise was approved nearly a decade ago for the corner of West 11th […]

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 […]

Sales Center for $1.2 Billion Project Provides Buyers an Interactive Experience

Developer Kemper Freeman Jr has borrowed a page from the video game industry to solve a common real estate problem: how to sell a space that has yet to be built. Putting a high-tech spin on the traditional architectural model, the Kemper Development Company has introduced an immersive sales center experience. The multi-million dollar sales […]

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. [...]

Wood Partners Hires Trinity Blue as Senior VP of Operations for Western Region

Wood Partners has hired Trinity Blue, a veteran property manager and former vice president of AvalonBay Communities in New York, as senior vice president of operations for its Western Region. In the newly created position, Blue will oversee and drive internal property management operations with a primary focus on maximizing net operating income on the […]

San Diego-Based Firm Plans New High-Rise Mixed-Use Community

San Diego-based real estate development and investment company Zephyr Partners has paid $21.1 million in an off-market acquisition of one of the last remaining full blocks of available property in downtown San Diego – a 60,000-square-foot site on Broadway between 7th Ave. and 8th Ave. The existing property, consisting of rundown and underutilized retail, parking […]

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. [...]

Veolia’s New Boston Office Renovation Achieves LEED Gold Certification

Veolia’s new North American headquarters, at Exchange Place in Boston’s Financial District, has received LEED Gold for Commercial Interiors certification by the USGBC this month. Veolia Energy North America, operator of one the country’s largest portfolio of district energy networks and cogeneration facilities, moved into the 27,440-square-foot space, which comprises the entire 14th floor of […]

Boston RDA Approves 1.2 Million Square-Feet of Development

The Boston Redevelopment Authority Board approved a number of projects and initiatives throughout Boston last week. The ten approved development projects represent over $461.2 million of investment in the city and over 1.2 million square feet of development. When these projects break ground, they will create nearly 1,400 construction jobs. The BRA Board voted to […]

David Steinbach Promoted to CIO of Hines Global REIT

David Steinbach has been appointed as the Chief Investment Officer of Hines Global REIT, Inc. Since joining Hines in 1999, David has been responsible for the acquisition of more than $3 billion in assets for various Hines affiliates in the U.S. and internationally. Prior to this role he served in various roles in which he […]

Hines’ Houston Headquarters Awarded LEED Platinum

The Houston office of Hines recently remodeled their own lease space in the iconic Williams Tower. The space was awarded Platinum certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Commercial Interiors Rating System. Hines has occupied levels 49 and 50 (among other floors) in Williams Tower for more than 30 years. These two floors, […]

For Sale: San Antonio’s 28 Story Bank of America Plaza

CBRE has won the exclusive marketing assignment for Bank of America Plaza, a premier core Class A office building in San Antonio’s Central Business District. The property is owned by Talcott Realty Investors and managed by Transwestern. The 28-story, 534,184-square-foot office building is located at 300 Convent Street in San Antonio. It features the highest […]

Half Empty Dallas High-Rise, 1700 Pacific, Finally Finds a Buyer

1700 Pacific, a Class A office tower in the Dallas Central Business District has been sold to Quebec, Canada-based Olymbec Group for an undisclosed price. The building has been on the market since last year. The 49-story office tower has 1.3 million square feet, three levels of on-site parking and an off-site parking garage connected […]

Law Firm Leases Top Floors of New Uptown Dallas High-Rise

Chicago-based law firm Sidley Austin LLP has preleased 75,000 square feet at the new McKinney & Olive office building in Uptown Dallas. Crescent Real Estate Holdings LLC broke ground June 19, and construction is now underway at the development located at 2021 McKinney Avenue. The Class A+ office space will include 480,000 square feet, with […]

Peloton Selected to Manage Dallas’ Tallest Skyscraper

Metropolis Investment Holdings has selected Peloton Commercial Real Estate to oversee the property management of Dallas’ tallest office tower, the Metropolis-owned Bank of America Plaza at 901 Main Street. Peloton currently leases the 72-story high-rise office building. Bank of America Plaza contains over 1.8 million square feet of office and retail space and was completed […]

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. […]

Brandywine Realty Trust Named NAIOP 2014 Developer of the Year

NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, has selected Brandywine Realty Trust as the 2014 Developer of the Year – the association’s highest honor. Headquartered in Radnor, Pennsylvania, Brandywine is a full-service commercial real estate services firm structured as a real estate investment trust that owns, leases and manages 283 properties and over 33 million […]

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. [...]

Hertz Investment Aquires Tallest High-Rise in Jacksonville for $88 Million

Hertz Investment Group has completed the acquisition of Bank of America Tower, a high-rise office building located in Jacksonville, Florida for a purchase price of $88 million. The seller was Parmenter Realty Partners. The Bank of America Tower is comprised of 696,672 square feet and is located at 50 N. Laura Street in Jacksonville’s Central […]

Stiles and Rockefeller Group Break Ground on Fort Lauderdale High-Rise

Stiles Residential Group and The Rockefeller Group have broken ground on a downtown Fort Lauderdale luxury residential high-rise. The 8th Avenue Residences, located at 215 SE 8th Avenue, include 254-unit luxury residential units across 30-stories. “There is a growing demand for luxury multifamily living in urban areas throughout South Florida,” said Jay Jacobson, President of […]

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 […]

Developer Reacquires Atlanta High-Rise it Built 50 Years Ago

An Atlanta-based developer, Portman Holdings, has purchased 230 Peachtree Street, a 414,768-square-foot office tower in downtown Atlanta. The 50-year-old building was first developed as an office building by Portman in 1965 as part of the Peachtree Center mixed-use development. Renovation will commence immediately to convert the 27-story building. Upon completion, office space will occupy approximately […]

ThyssenKrupp Elevator Developing “Game-Changing” Maintenance Solutions

ThyssenKrupp Elevator maintains more than 1.1 million elevators worldwide, including those at some of the world’s most iconic buildings, like the new One World Trade Center in New York. At the 102-story skyscraper, ThyssenKrupp’s elevators will carry an estimated 3.5 million people every year. Traveling at 23 miles an hour, the building’s elevators are the […]

National Elevator Industry, Inc. Celebrates 100 Years of Leadership

The National Elevator Industry, Inc. (NEII) is commemorating the 100th anniversary of the first recorded meeting of the Elevator Manufactures’ Association (EMA), which later became NEII. In 1914, the first meeting took place in the Iroquois Hotel in Buffalo, N.Y. The trade organization was initially established in response to changing urban environments and the need […]

Hawaii Updates Elevator Codes, Requires Written Maintenance Program

The Hawaii State Department of Labor & Industrial Relations (DLIR) has adopted new elevator standards effective this month. The adoption of the proposed administrative rules will bring elevator standards up to the 2010 American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) standards for new elevators and the 2011 ASME code for existing elevators. The revised rules also […]

Optical Turnstile Reads QR Code from Visitor Smartphone to Allow Entry

Smarter Security, a provider of entrance control and outdoor security solutions, has announced the availability of FastScan TVS PS, which is the latest model of the tenant/visitor system the company first released in 2008. The PS model allows the use of two modern technologies, QR codes and smartphones, to assist visitors in quickly and securely […]

222 Broadway Installing a Remotely-Managed Security System

Datawatch Systems will soon be installing a remotely-managed access control system for 222 Broadway in Lower Manhattan. The 32-story, 756,138-square-foot office building is owned by L&L Holdings. Components of the security installation include new turnstiles and an upgraded access control and CCTV system. The security upgrade is part of a major renovation to the building’s […]

Cushman & Wakefield Names Three Key Members of Risk Management Services

Cushman & Wakefield, the world’s largest privately-held commercial real estate services firm, today announced three new appointments to the Risk Management Services (RMS) division, headed by former New York City Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly. New York Police Department (NYPD) veterans Phil T. Pulaski and Michael J. Farrell join as Managing Directors and David C. […]

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. […]

Veolia’s New Boston Office Renovation Achieves LEED Gold Certification

Veolia’s new North American headquarters, at Exchange Place in Boston’s Financial District, has received LEED Gold for Commercial Interiors certification by the USGBC this month. Veolia Energy North America, operator of one the country’s largest portfolio of district energy networks and cogeneration facilities, moved into the 27,440-square-foot space, which comprises the entire 14th floor of […]

Tenants File Lawsuit Alleging High-Rise Apartments Lack Heat

The LeFrak Organization, one of the largest landlords in New York City, put the deep freeze on thousands of Battery Park City residents during one of the coldest winters in recent memory. That is the accusation at the heart of a class action lawsuit filed yesterday in Supreme Court, New York County by the law […]

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. […]

SL Green Upgrading Lighting at Nine Manhattan Properties

SL Green Realty Corp. is expanding its LED lighting retrofit program, installing more than 8,000 LED lamps across nine Manhattan commercial office properties. The project is projected to save $370,000 annually in operating expenses, according to the Jay Black, SL Green director of sustainability. The buildings receiving lighting upgrades are: 1350 Avenue of the Americas, […]

Irvine Company Named San Diego’s Energy Grand Champion for Efficient Portfolio

At the ninth annual San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) Energy Showcase event on May 13th, Irvine Company Office Properties was honored by SDG&E as the Energy Grand Champion for 2013 for its outstanding results in energy efficiency and conservation. Irvine Company Office Properties was honored for enhancing its commitment to saving natural resources by […]

Pandora Media Completes New Headquarters at 125 Park Avenue

Pandora Media has completed the build-out of their East Coast headquarters at SL Green’s 125 Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. B.R. Fries provided construction management services, craft-oriented creative solutions, and overall project direction. The space includes 55,000-square-feet across two-floors. “We’re pleased to undertake projects like Pandora Media’s new offices, where cutting-edge workplace concepts merge with […]

SL Green Upgrading Lighting at Nine Manhattan Properties

SL Green Realty Corp. is expanding its LED lighting retrofit program, installing more than 8,000 LED lamps across nine Manhattan commercial office properties. The project is projected to save $370,000 annually in operating expenses, according to the Jay Black, SL Green director of sustainability. The buildings receiving lighting upgrades are: 1350 Avenue of the Americas, […]

Emergency Lighting Keeps Employees Safe and Your Facility Compliant

Emergency lights and exit signs are one of the most integral, yet overlooked, elements of a building’s life safety program. When the Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA) fines your business for non-compliant emergency lighting, it can cost up to $7,000 for a first-time violation and as much as $70,000 for a repeat violation. “Much […]

Facade Cooling Drip System, BioSkin, Wins CTBUH Innovation Award

BioSkin, a system of water-filled ceramic pipes that cools the exterior surface of buildings and their surrounding micro-climates, has won the 2014 Tall Building Innovation Award from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). The initial use of BioSkin was at the NBF Osaki Building in Tokyo, Japan. Based on the traditional Japanese […]

Lerch Bates Promotes Ron Welts to San Francisco Regional Manager

Industry veteran Ron Welts has been promoted to regional manager of Lerch Bates’ San Francisco office. He previously served as project manager, elevator consulting group, providing vertical transportation consulting services for designs, maintenance, due diligence and modernizations throughout Northern California. Ron quickly established himself in the vertical transportation market of Northern California after joining Lerch […]

Lerch Bates Appoints Jim Turner Project Manager, Great Lakes Region

Lerch Bates announced that vertical transportation industry leader Jim Turner has been named project manager, elevator consulting group, in its Great Lakes area office. Turner joins the world’s oldest and largest consulting firm for vertical transportation, façade access and building logistics armed with more than 22 years of comprehensive experience in the elevator and escalator […]

Massachusetts Hotels Must Comply with Food Waste Disposal Ban by October

Massachusetts’ statewide commercial food waste disposal ban will take effect on Oct. 1, 2014. The ban was designed to divert food waste to energy-generating and composting facilities and reduce the state’s waste stream. Large hotels are among the estimated 1,700 facilities that will be impacted. “We are committed to protecting our natural resources and creating […]

Guidelines for Infection Control Cleaning

The winter months are when schools, healthcare facilities, offices, and many other types of locations become very concerned about infection control. Fortunately, cleaning professionals can play one of the most important roles in helping to reduce illness and infections. “There are many steps cleaning professionals can take to help improve cleaning results and at the […]

San Francisco Goodwill Placing Collection Bins in Multi-Family High-Rises

SFGoodwill is launching a new initiative that will make donating textiles as convenient as dropping a bottle in a recycling bin. Designed to serve multi-unit apartment towers, the Goodwill goBINTM lets residents donate – and do good – without leaving their buildings. Clothing, shoes, and accessories can be dropped in anytime, eliminating the weekend trip […]

Six Tips to Keep Building Occupants Safe from Summer Fire Hazards

According to the United States Fire Administration (USFA), summer fires rank second in incidence rates compared to other seasons, averaging almost 5,000 fires per day. “During the summer, we are most concerned with fire hazards associated with fireworks,” said Jamie Samide, Senior Director of Marketing, Cintas, a provider of fire protection services. “However, grills, camp […]

New Device Aims to Help Survivors Escape Burning Skyscraper

Residents and workers in skyscrapers and other tall buildings are often trapped in case of a fire, 9/11 has demonstrated. Dutch inventors Eugene Verstegen and Joris Veeger have developed a product they call the “Evacuator,” that may allow evacuees to slowly and safely descend on a steel cable on the outside of the building. The […]

Common Misconceptions Facility Managers Have About Fire Safety

Founded by the International Code Council (ICC), Building Safety Month is celebrated by jurisdictions worldwide during the month of May. Building Safety Month is a public awareness campaign offered each year to help individuals, families and businesses understand what it takes to create and sustain safe and sustainable structures. The campaign reinforces the need for […]

ThyssenKrupp Elevator Developing “Game-Changing” Maintenance Solutions

ThyssenKrupp Elevator maintains more than 1.1 million elevators worldwide, including those at some of the world’s most iconic buildings, like the new One World Trade Center in New York. At the 102-story skyscraper, ThyssenKrupp’s elevators will carry an estimated 3.5 million people every year. Traveling at 23 miles an hour, the building’s elevators are the […]

Vacant for 18 Years, Downtown Cleveland High-Rise Set to Reopen

After sitting vacant for nearly two decades, the former AmeriTrust Tower in downtown Cleveland is almost ready to reopen as part of a mixed-use complex at the intersection of E. 9th and Euclid . Cleveland-based GEIS Companies teamed up with Sandvick Architects of Cleveland to bring new life to this long overlooked area of the […]

World’s Largest High-Rise Data Center Lands its First Tenant

Intergate.Manhattan, the world’s largest high-rise data center, has found its first mission critical office tenant. Datagram, an internet and hosting provider in the New York metropolitan area has signed a lease at the 1 million-square-foot facility at 375 Pearl Street in Manhattan. Datagram, which is also a brand new, Tier III data center colocation tenant […]