It also included new construction for an addition to the building, which tied into the existing structure. Now complete, the space provides patient rooms, procedure rooms, an optical shop, reception, waiting and contact rooms, a conference room, and offices. In addition to the interior work, the scope of work also consisted of exterior improvements including a new patio, front trellis, and parking improvements.

Specifically, this project included:

• Replacing two (2) existing 2000 ton / 4800 gpm cooling towers (built in 1992) with new units - one cooling tower on the roof of each building
• Installing new Variable Frequency Drives
• Supporting electrical and software upgrades to the existing BAS system

The project team carefully coordinated the construction plan, as both 20-story buildings remained occupied and operational, and were located in a tight urban location. 

In order to minimze disruptions, the project was split into two weekends - one tower per weekend, each with a 56-hour shutdown window. The existing cooling towers were drained, demo'd and removed, with new cooling towers subsequently lifted and assembled using a 550-ton crane. 

DPR utilized lean manufacturing techniques in order to accomplish this large amount of work within such a short time frame. 

Lean techniques included:

• Reassembling the the cooling towers at the mechanical subcontractor's local facility
• Fabricating and fitting-up the supply and return piping with control valves before scheduled shutdown
• Disassembling the cooling towers along with the prefabricated piping
• Shipping cooling towers to the jobsite for just-in-time lifting to the roof

The 171 17th Street Building was the first LEED Silver certified high-rise office building (core and shell) in the world and the first LEED certified high-rise office building of any level in Georgia.

The building has an all curtainwall skin, including stone glazed into the system. The Class A building also has a double-height lobby with stone and millwork finishes and a striking view of Midtown across the Downtown Connector.  The interior decor of the public areas is a mixture of white marble walls, gray marble floors, dark wood tones and draws in beige colors from the exterior of the building.  The facade of the building, the curtainwall, meets the ground to create an impression from the interstate that the building is sitting on dirt, which hides the parking structure below the building.

The roof of the building is also unique.  The two-story, cube-shaped structure, has approximately 300 light fixtures to create a lantern effect, which appears to glow at night. The roof feature incorporates the design and materials of the existing building while providing a placeholder for prominent signage.

The building has 7,144 lites of glass.  The building design allowed for maximum use of natural light while also controlling significant heat gain through the use of high-performance glass.   Shades were installed on the windows in the bank branch lobby that automatically roll down when there is a certain amount of sunlight censored, in order to control the climate.

30 Allen Plaza is a 15-story structure that includes eight floors of Class A corporate office space totaling roughly 270,000 sq. ft.  Included in this square footage is 15,584-sq.-ft. of retail space and a seven story, 242,959-sq.-ft., 582-space parking structure.

The exterior of the building is made of a full-curtain wall system featuring stone veneer, polished and thermal granite, precast for coping and ground level pilasters, vision glass and spandrel glass. The lobby features millwork and stone walls, polished metal appointments and marble floors.

The pour-in-place parking deck started with auger-cast foundations on the west end of the building, and about two-thirds of the way across it switched to large spread footings to get more depth to gain the strength needed. As construction continued, the east end switched to caissons because rock was not found. The project ended up with three different foundation systems in a 40,000 sq. ft.  floor plate. The auger-cast piles on the west end measured as much as 95-feet deep, while the caissons on the other only had to extend to 12-feet deep.

The 50,000-sq.-ft., two-story wood and steel structure seamlessly blends into the surrounding natural environment, presenting an understated yet elegant aesthetic that belies the complexity of the design components and construction processes that went into the project. From the diverse array of exterior building materials including aluminum, glazing, copper panels, stone, stone veneer and wood siding – all carefully overlaid to form a highly thermal rated exterior skin – to the highly energy efficient mechanical and electrical systems, to the rooftop photovoltaic panels that generate on-site energy, every building component contributes to the net- zero energy goal. The design includes two slender daylit office wings flanking a beautifully landscaped courtyard. The regional architectural language and material selection brings local poignancy to a replicable prototype.

Throughout the process, the Foundation emphasized the importance of ensuring that the design of the building—and the idea of energy innovation in the workplace—would be replicable, opening the door for a new generation of more environmentally sustainable buildings. The Foundation estimates that replication would cost $477 per square foot to feature the environmentally-friendly technologies used in this building.

The building began with deconstruction. The 1.5-acre site, set among 1960’s era buildings, was cleared in a way that maximized landfill diversion. In fact, more than 95% of construction waste was successfully recycled or salvaged, which earned the project the maximum LEED Points for Construction Waste Management. Rainwater is collected for toilet flushing and irrigation, and stormwater is retained on-site. Inside, meeting rooms are outfitted for remote collaboration, promising dramatic reductions in travel-related carbon emissions. Additionally, a transportation demand management plan helped eliminate the need for an underground parking garage, further reducing the organization’s carbon footprint.   Through integrated building design and aggressive reductions in plug loads, the building’s energy use will be reduced by 65%. In addition, innovative use of roof-mounted photovoltaic panels will offset any energy used.

The hardscape ties in with the downtown scheme, and the sky-line is improved by incorporating existing textures and materials with a more modern look, transitioning in the old with the new.

Terminus 100, the first building to be completed in the development, is the landmark tower that anchors the neighborhood at its most prominent corner: the intersection of Peachtree – Atlanta’s main avenue – and Piedmont streets.

Terminus 100 is a 27-story, 582,000-sq.-ft. office tower with approximately 69,500 sq. ft. of ground-level retail and a 14-story, 2,100-space parking structure. The building includes a health spa, fine dining, boutique retail and other upscale amenities. The tower rises from a vital retail base that provides all key services including a health spa, fine dining, boutique retail and other upscale amenities.

Terminus marked a new direction in development for this city, which has a rapidly growing business district but remains largely a commuter town. The dense development is rendered airy and accessible with predominantly clear glass cladding, multiple entryways, interior streets and courtyards and a pedestrian level that is devoted to store fronts and restaurants. The design of the tower responds to Buckhead’s less vertical, more residential character, and also to the importance of Peachtree Street.

The residential component, called SOVEREIGN, sits “above all” atop the office and retail levels, occupying levels 28 to 50.  With only 82 homes, all residences feature panoramic window walls ensuring spectacular penthouse type views, ceiling heights ranging from 10 to 16 feet, and spacious two and three bedroom homes with architectural designer finishes, such as hardwood and stone flooring; custom cabinetry, stone countertops, stone bubble message tubs with stone surrounds and stone clad showers with frameless glass surrounds.  Stacking the residential and office components gives the building a unique feel with even the first floor of private dwellings sitting 350 feet in the air and providing unmatched views of the surrounding countryside.  Two stories of amenities for residents, including a fitness center, separate the office floors from the condos. 

The prestigious Buckhead Club relocated its club to the top office floor of the building, Level 26. The 28th story Sky Terrace, boasts the city’s highest elevated outdoor heated swimming pool.  The Sky Terrace is beautifully landscaped with stone clad planters, stone and tile decks, BBQ grills, an outdoor fireplace, and a whirlpool spa. 

The most significant and unique challenge of this project was due to the varying floor plate sizes. There are no floor plates that are the same.  The edge of slab moves on each floor, and the entire column layout changed on the 27th floor to accommodate the residential floor plate layout.  There was a unique and powerful collaborative effort between designers, contractors, and vendors sharing common resources with a measure of trust to achieve the final common goal of the design look desired by the owner.

The project includes an emergency generator and a UPS system to support the facilities' 24 hour operation. A VRF (Variable Refrigerent Flow) System was also added to the space to supplement the cooling of the building's base system. The project was completed in 8 weeks, thanks to the team and subcontractors' commitment to the last planner system. Catalyst Rx began full operations at the facility as originally scheduled and is thrilled with their new space.

This project received a Zero Defects letter.

Careful consideration of the site layout and grading allowed the team to conserve the proper adjacencies and site security while improving sustainability and significantly reducing site development cost. As a result of the initial planning process, the team was also able to reduce the construction schedule by two months.

From the onset of the project, many strategies were utilized to achieve the goal of Silver certification. In order to manage and improve indoor air quality, materials were carefully selected and specified, including low-VOC carpets, paints and adhesives. To reduce waste and the demand for virgin materials, many of the existing architectural features of the showroom, as well as office furnishings, were maintained. The USGBC recognized these efforts by awarding the Innovation in Design LEED credit for exceeding the existing standards for incorporating re-used and salvaged materials. Furthermore, through careful consideration in design, each of the space's occupants has multiple access points to exterior views.

DPR held a training session with the city and its architect, Calpo, Hom and Dong, that included a Charette and a review of the existing facility. During the session, the customer was able to see potential value of using green building elements, many of which either had no initial cost difference over non-green materials or would produce cost savings in the long run turning the city's vision into reality. It was also important to the city, which is experiencing significant growth in its undeveloped area, that it not only promote sustainable building in new development, but lead by example.

The city quickly adopted the goal of targeting LEED® certification for the 40,000-sq.-ft. buildout of its new city hall, and with DPR's help both the architect and the owner began to drive toward implementing as many green building aspects as were possible for the project.

The end result of that effort was the first LEED-CI (Commercial Interiors) Certified city hall in Northern California and possibly statewide.

A one-stop counter was installed that streamlines processes such as getting building permits or passports. Additional features include meeting and conference rooms, city council chambers and large community meeting rooms. All totaled, the project earned 24 LEED® credits covering everything from building systems to educational signage. Just a few of the highlights include the following:

• A new white, single-ply roof was installed directly over the top of the existing built-up roof, lessening the need for cooling in the summer.
• More than 43 percent water savings were achieved due to the selection of water conserving plumbing fixtures.
• More than 77 percent of the construction waste generated from this site was recycled. That included more than 30 tons of existing materials that were removed and donated to Habitat for Humanity, while the existing HVAC units were removed and 98 percent of them were recycled.
• More than 53 percent shading was achieved by keeping the existing trees.
• All of the materials used were low emitting.
• The city has permanently installed building signage to point out various green aspects of the building. In addition, a building tour script has been written that includes details on the green aspects of the building and materials used in its construction, and the city in partnership with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District set up an energy efficiency information display in the main lobby of the permit and business development area.

Serving as construction manager, with the subcontracts held directly by the city, DPR kept the project on track despite myriad challenges along the way. Recycling and donating materials from the demolition also proved challenging, as did management of the cumbersome LEED certification paperwork, which required multiple parties involved to maintain documentation of the products and processes used.

To allow ample daylight to reach all workstations, 18 20' X 20' windows were cut into the sides of the building, creating light-filled work areas in a previously dreary space. A complex Building Management System (BMS) includes more control zones than a typical system, allowing the tenants greater control of energy use.

Clean construction methods were used during construction to help eliminate the potential for "sick building syndrome." Equipment and ductwork were wrapped during installation to keep them clean; when air systems were started, passageways were clean and no construction debris entered into circulation.

More than 75% off waste was recycled or diverted, and the site included separate bins for steel, concrete, unpainted drywall and waste. All office furniture was made of certified wood products, and drywall—which was self-performed by DPR—was made from recycled materials.

The two-story, Leed Certified office building includes a call center, data center, commercial kitchen and dining, fitness center, learning centers, high-tech audio/visual conference rooms, and disaster recovery operations.

The corporate headquarters tenant improvement project was a result of the consolidation of several other Yard House offices in Southern California. The 23,300-sq.-ft. office space, formerly occupied by Chrysler, encompasses one floor of a nine-story, 209,095-sq.-ft. office building within walking distance of the Yard House's Irvine restaurant located at the Irvine Spectrum outdoor shopping center.

The tenant improvement build-out was a high-end remodel of the entire floor consisting of office suites, conference rooms, administration space and a fully-stocked kitchen/lunch room. Unique design elements from the Yard House restaurants were included in the new office space, including their famous overhead "beer lines."

The new Watson Land Corporate Headquarters building is a two-story corporate office building, approximately 24,800-sq.-ft., with one level of below grade parking, is located in Carson, California.

The exterior of the building is pre-cast concrete and curtain wall window systems. The structural frame is a Special Steel Moment Resisting System with cast-in-place concrete basement walls.

Situated on a 37-acre site in Palo Alto's prestigious Stanford Research Park, the property features vistas, dozens of mature trees, generous landscape setbacks, and mature landscape areas. The buildings circle a large central courtyard that will serve as the heart of the VMware community.

The interior build-out consists of a laboratory/analyzer room, offices, conference rooms, reference libraries, IT room, lunch rooms, locker/shower rooms, and shop area. The shop areas have two 40-inch long (10-ton) and one 40-inch long (5-ton) overhead cranes, plus eleven 1-ton floor-mounted jib cranes (18' high). Additionally, there are eight welding booths with central exhaust system in the shop area.

The electrical system is a 480V 3ph 200A service with a motor control center. The mechanical system consists of a 40-ton and 35-ton air handling unit, hot water boiler, closed system air-cooled cooling tower, Liebert DX coils with variable air volume and constant air volume.

Early on, it was determined that the building's existing mechanical system would require extensive review to meet LEED-CI prerequisites and the unusually low floor-to-floor heights of eight feet, four inches would complicate the installation of ductwork, lighting, electrical and fire suppression systems. As a result, the team focused primarily on Materials and Resources and Indoor Environmental Quality rating system credits to meet certification goals. In the end, the USGBC project achieved Silver LEED certification for commercial interiors and was completed on time.

With the developer's budget and LEED credits in mind, the preconstruction team conducted cost studies of multiple office buildings, as well as the effectiveness of different parking systems.
Life cycle cost analysis showed that spending more on some items, for example the mechanical systems and glazing (upgrading to the more efficient Aircool Chillers with VFD, and Solar Band XL windows), up front would pay off in utility cost savings in about six years. The developer's budget was reached after an extensive value engineering effort, including $2,900,000 in suggestions, none of which affected LEED certification points.

The team, which self-performed the concrete, utilized BIM software to accurately detail/build the cast-in place concrete structures virtually and minimize construction waste. A “Tenant Manual” was created for future tenants to help guide them through the LEED-CI Certification process. More than 92.03 percent of all construction waste was recycled, with 2,944,690 pounds of debris diverted from landfills.

The buildings are part of a 333-acre master planned project in northwest Austin. The property includes a 182-acre habitat preserve for the golden cheeked warbler. Construction was scheduled around the bird’s mating season, when noisy work is not allowed.

The project included a new ground-up, steel-framed office building for personnel and an expanded parking area for about 171 cars (78,000-sq.-ft.). The project took 130,000 hours of labor and 15 months to complete, with 52% of construction waste diverted from landfills.

Sitework included demolition and renovation of existing paving, light structures, terra-cotta tile, glass and aluminum composite panel exterior and landscaping. The terra cotta tiles and opposing angles of the new media center fit perfectly into the Downtown Riverside skyline.

All of the buildings 34 conference rooms are named after well-known landmarks and communities around Southern California's Inland Empire.

The two-story steel-frame building, designed by Bohlin Cywinkski & Jackson of Pittsburgh, PA, and built on the site of an old cannery, has the look and feel of warehouses of the 1920s and '30s. Its design and construction draw on techniques and materials reminiscent of those yesteryears, featuring an open ceiling with exposed structural steel that was bolted rather than welded, fully exposed mechanical and electrical systems, Italian marble counter tops, German hardware, Italian theater seats and exterior bricks custom-manufactured in an old-style “beehive” kiln.

Several unique industry-specific features include a photo science darkroom, production areas for regular, as well as animated films, and render farms. The facility also houses offices, a 150-seat theater, two 50-seat screening rooms, and a sound control room and booth.

DPR's project manager for the $30 million, 60,000-sq.-ft. new addition to the project. “One Kearny includes the demolition of an existing three-story building, ground-up seismic construction of an 11-story high rise on one of the most logistically challenging sites in the city, the historical and seismic renovation of an existing 12-story building constructed in 1902, and the modernization of a building designed by famous architect Charles W. Moore.” said Jim Lacy, When completed in January 2009, the three adjoining buildings—the new 60,000-sq.-ft. building, the historic 1902 64,000-sq.-ft. building and the Charles W. Moore “annex,” which was added to the 1902 Building in 1956—will become one, with a shared opening between the three different addresses, and offer boutique office space and retail space on the ground floor.

Demolition of the existing three-story building began in August 2007 and construction started on the new 11-story addition in November 2007. With zero lay down area and only 800 sq. ft. of parking lane to deliver materials, the project team has had to employ a tower crane, set 240 ft. above one of San Francisco's busiest intersections, to immediately pick up materials and place them into the building.

Along with the tight Market Street location, the construction team is challenged with maintaining the integrity of the two historic buildings, while constructing the attached contemporary steel-framed addition designed by San Francisco architect and structural engineer Charles Bloszies. The project also includes a complete state-of-the-art seismic renovation, ADA compliant upgrades throughout the development, and installation of the latest telecommunications and security systems. In addition, new elevators and a new, energy-efficient curtain wall, which must look exactly the same as the old curtain wall to maintain the structure's historical building status, will be installed for the annex project. “We're delighted to be able to prove the depth of our technical expertise on this project,” said Lacy, “and it's equally as exciting to preserve and protect a significant piece of San Francisco's history.”

One of the greatest challenges of the project was that the tenant improvements were being completed concurrently with the shell construction by another general contractor, which created sequencing, staging, and manpower conflicts throughout the project. In spite of this, the team still met the aggressive six month schedule.

The campus includes a full service Kitchen, Servery, and Dining Area, Fitness Center, Learning and Development Center, Game Room and Usability Labs. The design includes 110 “neighborhoods”, which include media walls with 65” plasma screens for employee collaboration.

DPR constructed the sixteen floors of tenant improvements in under 10 months; DPR's scope of work occurred concurrently with the site work and parking garage scope of work being performed by another contractor. This included early delivery of the Central Server Suite and Building Four. DPR peaked at over 300 tradesmen on this fast track project.

The DPR team implemented progressive approaches to reduce the environmental footprint of the project. Environmentally friendly and sustainable materials, such as recycled carpeting and laminated bamboo paneling were installed. The campus also utilized low-emitting adhesives, paints and sealants as well as low-flow plumbing fixtures and energy-efficient lighting systems. Emerging off-site recycling facilities that accept drywall, lumber, metal and paper enabled DPR to divert more than 60% of the construction waste from the landfill.

DPR's Project Manager, Whitney Dorn said integrating and tracking sustainable concepts and green products into the new campus was a manageable process: “It is only difficult when the entire team is not on board. When the stakeholders, including designers, subcontractors, owner, and consultants, understand and support the sustainable goals of the project, it creates a pathway for success.

With this project, Intuit reached the standard set by the U.S. Green Building Council for green buildings - the company achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Gold Certification for Commercial Interiors.

In addition, the project expects to pay for any “premium” costs associated with LEED® in less than seven years in energy and water savings. According to Dorn, this is a conservative estimate. The cost benefit projections for electricity don't include what will most likely be large increases in energy costs in the next few years.

"In the future, I expect that every building will be designed and built similar to the process we followed at Intuit," Dorn said. "This approach is both green and smart."

Designed utilizing materials and equipment to qualify project for USGBC LEED Certification, careful consideration was taken throughout the procurement effort. Some of its “sustainable features” include occupancy sensors, high-efficiency HVAC units and a shuttle bus which ties the building to nearby railway transit. A touch-screen building management system in the lobby gives the viewer an indication of how energy is being used throughout the building, while 40 kW photovoltaic panels on the roof generate electricity from solar energy. Refurbished office furniture was chosen for desks, with 40% of the materials used being manufactured locally. In addition, indoor water use is reduced by waterless urinals and all of the site’s toilet and irrigation water is supplied by reclaimed water from the City of San Diego. More examples of energy-saving tactics are the installation of a “cool roof,” the addition of insulation to the interiors of concrete walls and the use of low VOC (volatile organic compounds) finish products.

Energy-efficiency related strategies are the running theme of this entire project. By achieving an energy-efficient design, the project qualified for cash incentives and help with offsetting fees for LEED registration and certification from the SDG&E Sustainable Communities Energy Efficiency Program.

The DPR office contains 11 conference rooms including the circular Delta Room and a large training area, a 16-person videoconference room, and a space dedicated to building information modeling technology. In addition, the open office features 14-ft. exposed ceilings. Scrims, which were designed to resemble the sail of boats, hang from the ceiling to diffuse light.

DPR with Pollack Architects helped Degenkolb meet their goals on a 26,000-sq.-ft. tenant improvement in the Russ Building for their new San Francisco office headquarters. The work consisted of partial demolition of the existing space, construction of open office areas, numerous conference rooms, a board room, private offices, a library, I.T. area and lobby.

One of the main challenges on this project was that the client decided after design was complete and during the demolition phase that they wanted to pursue LEED certification. DPR, with the rest of the team, had to roll up their sleeves and dig in, in order to get this done. DPR quickly created a LEED scorecard, identifying all achievable points and then assigned role and credit responsibilities to the project team. DPR then managed the plan and held each team member accountable for their assigned points. The status was communicated to the team using a responsibility matrix, so all team members knew where we were in our goal to achieve Silver certification.

We currently have 95% of all material and LEED template letters complete and uploaded to LEED On-Line and are awaiting review from the USGBC.

Construction was not always on continuous floors - i.e., the second and fifth floors were under construction while others were fully occupied - so site cleanliness took on an elevated role. Subcontractor crews continuously moved from one floor to another, creating tracks of construction dirt and debris. Each subcontractor was required to have a dedicated cleaning crew that cleaned throughout the day, rather than just day's end.

Hurricane Gustav caused the schedule to be delayed early on. Everyone stepped in to get the project back on schedule, and to ensure end-users and Christus' leadership knew where the project stood schedule-wise throughout. The project was completed within the contractually agreed-to timeframe.

Performing a 45,000-sq.-ft. tenant improvement within a four-milion-sq.-ft. business complex with a daily population of 14,000 people in five months can be a tall order, especially with site logistics and stringent building regulations. In addition to the limited site and building regulations of Embarcadero Center, the team was faced with several immediate project hurdles, including the availability of only one freight elevator for all trades (even for traveling between the 10th and 11th floors), a compact schedule - coupled with incomplete plans for the stairway, the procurement of lighting and furniture, and working around the ongoing operations of neighboring companies.

Having access to only one elevator, particularly with a condensed schedule, posed a major productivity challenge. DPR's team quickly resolved the issue by cutting the slab for the communication stairway between the floors early and erecting a temporary set of stairs for use until the permanent stair was built. DPR worked closely with the architect to identify potential constructability issues with the design of the stairway itself. Knowing the architect had a short window to produce construction drawings, DPR proactively submitted a few sketches to help find a workable stairway solution and keep the schedule on track.

To solve the long lead times on the lighting package, the team collaborated on the proposed lighting package to shorten the standard submittal process, resulting in approval to release numerous fixtures early.

As with any project, minimizing disruptions caused by construction is a top priority. At Embarcadero Center, noise abatement efforts go into effect at 8 a.m., requiring contractors to perform the bulk of their work during off hours. However, an added element was upstairs neighbors, one of the nation's largest full-serviced securities firms, with business starting as early as 4 a.m. DPR took an extra step to minimize construction noise even during the early morning hours, sending a team member upstairs to literally monitor noise levels and act as an immediate conduit to the construction team if it got too loud.

Using 3D clash detection tools to identify and resolve conflicts before construction started has improved quality and efficiency enabling construction to finish on time, completing this highly complex project in 22-weeks. This technology, coupled with close collaboration, has helped the entire team be more efficient, making it another successful project for Autodesk.

The building incorporates numerous earth friendly materials, selected for their durability, low maintenance and non-toxicity. DPR even had the local building department change the code to allow Aspect to use raised flooring throughout the building. Typically raised flooring is only for data centers. Aspect's utilization of recyclable materials and energy efficient practices, along with a building design allowing ample access to fresh air and natural light, and raised flooring puts this building at the top of the list for "green" buildings in San Jose.

Among its various green features, the renovated building is designed to reduce the lighting power density to 25 percent below the Title 24 energy requirements through the use of efficient lighting fixtures and controls. The existing building's 40-year-old HVAC system was replaced with a custom-designed, state-of-the-art energy efficient system. The complete renovation of the restrooms and pantry enabled the project to achieve exemplary water efficiency performance. Water consumption has been reduced by nearly 43 percent as a result of plumbing fixtures that were chosen. All adhesives and sealants in the building are below established VOC limits and the carpet meets the green building standard for low VOC emissions.

Construction began on floors three and five with the demolition of the existing offices, kitchens and conference rooms to allow the new construction of metal stud partitions, glass walls for offices and conference rooms which included sliding glass doors, the installation of new carpet, wood floors in the ktichens, new custom light fixtures and the rework of mechanical systems throughout to satisfy the heating and cooling needs of the new layout.

Phase two followed with floors one, two and four. It incorporated a rejuvenated cafeteria with hardwood floors, custom light fixtures and updated seating, a new lobby and security desk and a fitness center with rubber floors, plasma televisions, and exercise equipment.

Features of the structure include:

• Floor plates measuring 16 feet floor-to-floor with low-vibration design
• Floor to ceiling glass for views and light
• Elevated garden and terraces
• Cogeneration system and multiple chillers
• On-site stormwater treatment via organic bioswales

This project, designed by Smithgroup, is a complicated shell structure. The two basement levels, required complex waterproofing and mat slab foundation systems. The moment frame/BBRF steel structure has “zones” designed for vibration sensitive laboratory equipment(2000 micro inches). The exterior skin is an intricate panelized curtainwall system. The central MEP systems are sized and designed to accommodate a full build-out of laboratory intensive program. The restricted urban site required tightly controlled traffic control, deliveries and staging. DPR provided all pre-construction- cost budgeting, value engineering constructability reviews, procurement/buy-out, and construction services for this project – start to finish.

The new facilities at 400 Howard Street are to provide office accommodation for Barclays Global Investors:

1. For approximately 1,600 staff performing financial trading, back-office, marketing and head office management functions;
2. Trading floor functions on two floors;
3. Support facilities and amenities for staff commensurate with those of world class financial institutions;
4. IT and audio visual systems to support current and future information and communication technologies; and
5. Mission critical business infrastructure that has a resilience level of N+I.

Early development of this project required major rebuilding of one of Tampa's busiest intersections and extensive planning to coordinate traffic flow.  The Phase II office addition posed several logistical challenges to the Hardin team, including an extremely tight site which required inward focusing of the construction logistics.  The new office building had to be tied to the existing hotel atrium without interrupting on-going services and businesses.

Typical of Hardin's innovative building style and methods, a unique curtainwall system utilizing granite and glass was developed to allow the client to have its preferred distinctive exterior and yet remain within the budget.

Urban Centre established a measurement for excellence in the Tampa area and continues to enjoy the reputation of being one of the finest office and hotel developments on Florida's West Coast.

Hardin was challenged by Highwood's Properties and Kforce to provide them with a Class “A” office building utilizing a fast-track schedule which could accommodate the relocation of five of their branch offices into one facility.  As this building was the first of its kind in the historic Ybor City area. Careful consideration was given to the aesthetics of the building.  Various brick and building colors were utilized in order to match Centro Asturiano - a 100-year-old social club, which is a focal point of local gatherings and community events.

Kforce.com's new facility was designed to provide a casual environment which could meet every need of the Kforce.com employee by enhancing the workplace environment.  Of the 138,000-sq.-ft. facility, 5,000 sq. ft. is dedicated to an indoor, full-service cafeteria with dining facilities and full catering services.  An additional 15,000 sq. ft. is comprised of a full exercise arena containing state-of-the-art exercise equipment, locker rooms and showers, and a full, NCAA regulation basketball court.

The office building itself is built utilizing a steel frame structure with precast concrete and glass skin.  Kforce chose to install an aluminum “eyebrow” around the entire perimeter of the building creating consistent shade to the building exterior in order to maximize the energy efficiency, yet providing an eye pleasing aesthetic appeal.  The finished exterior product allowed construction to meet the owners schedule and budget needs while providing the building with a much richer look and feel.

The interior of the building continues to incorporate the historical look of the area by utilizing quarter-sawn cherry panel finishes and furniture.  The lobby floor is comprised of terrazzo, and is accented on the second and third floors with Mandarin style art. 

Safety was a concern throughout the project due to the dangers associated with erecting and securing the steel and precast walls immediately adjacent to high voltage (69kv) backup power lines which service the downtown Tampa area.  Through careful implementation of Hardin’s safety plan, including daily safety meetings and subcontractor awareness, the project was completed successfully with no lost-time accidents.

This facility was instrumental in the revitalization for the west side of Ybor City, and is a unique example of how new construction and state-of-the-art facilities can be incorporated into an historical environment with ease.

This campus was designed to accommodate nearly 2,500 employees and includes amenities such as dining services, a fitness center, child care facilities, an ATM/ branch bank, and personal service shops such as newsstands, a drug store, a dry cleaner, hair dresser and a shoe repair shop.
The low-rise campus is surrounded by lush landscaped berms with outdoor plazas, fountains and waterfalls to provide a secluded, tranquil environment.  Each building is interconnected by enclosed conditioned walkways to ensure personnel comfort and building security as well as provide a homogenous atmosphere among the individual buildings and associated staff.

Hardin delivered Citibank's facilities with an accelerated 14 month schedule.

Phase I of Capital One's build-to-suit campus began as a 25-acre greenfield site.  The site development encompassed two lakes, lush landscaping, extensive hardscape and site utilities, all while maintaining the integrity of approximately 20 acres of wetlands, and wetlands mitigation.  The three-story, 110,000-sq.-ft. building is a state-of-the-art data/call center which required paralled flexibility in the systems and approach to meet the aggressive schedule. Project highlights included a 100% raised floor, 2x redundant electrical and mechanical systems, 24/7 occupancy requirements, high-quality employee amenities, and an adjacent, easily-accessible parking deck accommodating 794 cars.

Also a "blast-track" schedule, Phase II of the development was a 110,000-sq.-ft. mirror image of the Phase I building and included construction of additional parking for 589 cars. A fifth level (78,400 sq. ft. / 276 spaces) was added to the existing parking deck while maintaining employee use of the existing deck.  A separate, lateral deck expansion added 108,000 sq. ft. for 313 additional cars.

Within the next Phase III, Hardin built the three-story, 118,625-sq.-ft. Community Center which includes a fully equipped, multi-stationed training center, exercise rooms, basketball courts, the human resources department, cafeteria, multi-media breakrooms, resource center, and other employee benefit areas.  The Community Center is positioned adjacent to a wetlands area that has been transformed into a nature center with trails, raised walkways, and a sanctuary setting. Phase III also included a 144,500-sq.-ft. office building, similar to previous buildings on-site, along with the second parking deck of 411,000 sq. ft.  Other site amenities including a sports complex with softball fields, tennis courts and a jogging track were also constructed.

Phase I included five buildings:

• Building "B” is a 45,000-sq.-ft., four-story building that houses Nielsen's technical facility, designed to withstand a category 5 hurricane.  At first glance, the building resembles a giant computer punch card.
• Building "C” is a 268,000-sq.-ft., four-story building that is over 700 ft. long.  Its primary function is support office and conference room space.  Because it is so long, sections of the floor are color coded to give the users a "landmark" on each of the 70,000-sq.-ft. floors. 
• Building "D” is a 41,000-sq.-ft., three-story building with double loading dock bays.  The lower floors accommodate "facility support" such as mail rooms and storage.  The upper floors have additional office space and training rooms.
• Building "E" is a 16,000 SF, single story amenities building.  The building is all glass on three sides that overlooks a brick paver courtyard to the north, lake and preserve to the east, and a large open courtyard with a Bermuda lawn to the south.  The company's full service cafeteria abuts this area, taking full advantage of the view of the preserve.
• Building "F" is a 16,000 SF, two-story Central Plant with a large mechanical yard.  This building houses two 750-ton water-cooled chillers, four 350-ton air-cooled chillers, and three cooling towers.  In addition to the mechanical equipment, there are four back-up generators.  Keeping this building up and running is critical requiring it be built with redundancy times two.  

Phase II included Building "A" - a four-story, 138,000-sq.-ft. office building plus additional tenant improvements in existing buildings (Building B and C) along with a 146,832-sq.-ft., 600-space, three-level parking deck.