Several of our more recent projects have been driven by consumer desire for socially connectivity, an idea traditionally limited to large cities. While the suburbs are not going away anytime soon, we’re seeing increased emphasis on places that create an experience and a sense of place. This means finding everything you need for daily living …
While all of our projects are special, a handful standout for one reason or another. The Thomas Jefferson, a 20-story structure completed circa 1929, was once considered among the finest Southern hotels. After closing about 3 decades ago, this beautiful Florentine building sat empty. Through the efforts of many, we are now repurposing the space …
We have been restoring The Lyric Theatre for about 9 months now, with a completion date scheduled at year’s end. To create a state of the art rigging system at the stage fly, we recently installed micropiles. They carry the load of four 65’ columns that are supporting about 25 tons of load individually. Our drilling ranged …
This past week, I attended ICSC ReCon in Las Vegas, where I always enjoy visiting with longtime friends and meeting new ones. I had the pleasure of being introduced to Clark Johnson of Johnson Light Studio and EVOKE on the last day of the conference. He and his team have designed lighting for an impressive …
We are currently constructing an urban redevelopment project that will have a value of about $120 million when completed. Approximately 40% of the dollars required are coming from a little-known federal visa program known as EB-5. EB-5, which was designed to promote investment and employment in the US, has gained popularity in the real estate development …
We’re just starting on an apartment project where we decided to go with variable refrigerant flow (VRF) technology for the heating and cooling needs. Instead of each unit having its own HVAC system, these VRF systems use a central condensing unit. Each space is linked digitally to a central controller which manages conditions and monitors usage. Each …
Recently, someone told me that as a country, we are not over “mall-ed,” we are just under-demolished. There is still a place for shopping malls on good real estate, just not as many. Patterns are changing. I traveled to New England this week to visit a couple of our projects. Driving through smaller towns like …
We are finishing a project that features a technology element so proprietary that there are no drawings. Instead, the system manufacturer sent employees to direct which components go where for our “rough in.” This served to protect the intellectual property. Our team took a number of steps to minimize confusion and maximize productivity on this …
In planning our projects, we always look at average weather conditions. Average is a thing of the past, and it seems we are now surprised by reality more often. We had a project in Wisconsin last winter, and we were told it was the coldest in memory. I guess they did not know about this …
For income producing commercial property, Capitalization (Cap) Rates determine property values, a function of the dollars generated by the property and thus the ROI. These cap rates are influenced by a ton of different factors including type of investment, location, potential for increasing cash flow. The lower the cap rate the more valuable the property. …
I’m fortunate to be a part of a solid initiative called Design Alabama. Every year we participate in a Mayors’ Summit, working with five different cities on their most challenging design problems. We just completed our 2015 Summit. A few interesting nuggets I learned about Millennials trends (people born 1979 to 1996) 31% of Millennials prefer …
Recently, we have been in the final lap of the most complex financing project I’ve ever worked on. We’ve been wading through a Historic Tax Credit (“HTC”) and New Market Tax Credit (“NMTC”) deal for a landmark redevelopment urban project. In the beginning, it was like observing alien matter. There were lots of consultants–legal and others–along …