FOUNTAIN HILLS, ARIZ. — International Dark Sky Discovery Center (IDSDC) has broken ground on its new observatory in Fountain Hills, approximately 30 miles northeast of Phoenix. SWABACK Architects + Planners designed the $25 million project, which McCarthy Building Cos. is constructing. The 23,000-square-foot facility will encompass a 27.5-inch PlaneWave telescope housed within a 20.5-foot domed observatory, and a 65-seat planetarium. The center will also offer a 150-capacity multipurpose auditorium and a “Night Sky Experience” exhibit space equipped with interactive educational and historical components. IDSDC will offer activities, educational opportunities and events for all ages, primarily serving the K-12 communities in Arizona. With the first research-grade telescope in the greater Phoenix area, the IDSDC will allow Valley residents to view parts of the sky that have become hidden due to growing light pollution.
Civic
KILLEEN, TEXAS — Austin-based Hoar Construction has broken ground on a 43,974-square-foot civic building in the Central Texas city of Killeen. The site is located on the Texas A&M University — Central Texas campus, and the building will house the consolidated operations of various utility facilities as well as the campus police force. Completion is slated for next summer.
ISLANDIA, N.Y. — Forte Construction, a locally based general contractor that specializes in public works projects, has opened its new corporate headquarters facility in the Long Island community of Islandia. The company purchased the 30,000-square-foot, three-story building at 1770 Motor Parkway in 2021 as part of a planned relocation and expansion from an 8,000-square-foot facility in Holbrook. The new facility supports about 300 employees between Forte and its sister companies, TAP Electric and BR Construction.
KANSAS CITY, MO. — The Kansas City Current of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has opened its $120 million home field, CPKC Stadium. The venue, which is located in the Berkeley Riverfront area along the Missouri River and seats 11,500 people, is the first soccer stadium in the world to be designed and built exclusively for women, according to the project team. Sports Business Journal reports the development of the stadium was privately financed by the team, although ownership eventually requested $6 million in state-issued tax credits to offset an escalated construction budget, according to the Kansas City Star. In April 2023, the Current announced that Canadian Pacific Kansas City, a railway operator whose U.S headquarters is located in Kansas City, had acquired the naming rights to the stadium as part of a 10-year deal. A host of Kansas City-based firms contributed to the design and delivery of the stadium, and many of these companies have design, engineering and construction teams that are led by women. They include: “Our vision was to create a player-first experience while equally prioritizing fans,” say Angie and Chris Long, founders and co-owners of the Kansas City Current. “Not only did our Kansas City-based …
NEW YORK CITY — Bedford Stuyvesant New Beginnings Charter School will open a 51,498-square-foot high school facility within a luxury condo building at 217 N. 10th St. in the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn. The lease term is 35 years. The charter school plans to relocate from 82 Lewis Ave. and occupy three of the building’s six floors in advance of the fall 2024 semester. Josh Berger of Norman Bobrow & Co. represented the school in the lease negotiations. Jason Frazier and Jesse de la Rama of CBRE represented the landlord, Largo Development.
Hoar Completes Vertical Construction of $128M UAB Medicine Rehabilitation Facility in Birmingham
by John Nelson
BIRMINGHAM, ALA. — Hoar Construction has topped out the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Medicine’s new $128 million Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility in downtown Birmingham. Located along 7th Avenue South, the building will total 346,000 square feet across 11 stories. In addition to 136 patient beds, the facility will comprise two levels of administration, conferencing and mechanical space and four floors of parking. Construction, which began in May 2022, is scheduled for completion in early 2025.
HOUSTON — General contractor Austin Commercial has broken ground on Sarofim Hall, an 83,000-square-foot academic building that will be located on Rice University’s campus in Houston. Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the building will be situated adjacent to the Moody Center for the Arts and will feature a cinema, flexible performance lab, adaptable classrooms and workshops. Sarofim Hall is expected to open in time for the fall 2025 semester.
KANSAS CITY, MO. — The NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs have announced plans for an $800 million renovation of the team’s Arrowhead Stadium. Developed in 1972, the stadium most recently underwent large-scale renovations in 2010. Plans for the new renovation were created in collaboration with a team of experts from Populous, a locally based sports design and architecture firm. The Kansas City Chiefs plan to pay $300 million of the $800 million total price tag, with the remainder coming from Jackson County taxpayers funded through the extension of a 3/8th-cent sales tax, according to reports by The Kansas City Star. County voters will go to the polls April 2 during a special election to decide the issue. Plans for the project include the addition of a new turf-covered “activation zone” with tailgate areas and covered entertainment space at the current site of Kauffman Stadium, home to the MLB’s Kansas City Royals. The baseball team also recently announced plans to develop a new stadium in downtown Kansas City. The stadium’s upper concourse will receive a new connection bridge and canopy, providing weather protection for fans and additional space for food and beverage offerings. New VIP entry points and sideline clubs under the …
CYPRESS, TEXAS — Children of America will open a 10,000-square-foot childcare and early education center at 20327 Longenbaugh Road in the northwestern Houston suburb of Cypress. Children of America Cypress Springs, which will be the organization’s third facility in the Houston area, will house 12 classrooms that can support about 175 students. The opening is slated for 2025.
NEW YORK CITY — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $13.8 million sale of two historic buildings in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg district. The undisclosed private investor that purchased the assets will redevelop the building at 101-107 S. Sixth St., which was originally constructed in the 19th century, into a 29-unit apartment building with 5,444 square feet of commercial space. The apartment building at 109 S. Sixth St. will undergo interior renovations on its second and third floors. Michael Salvatico, Shaun Riney and Samuel Leppo of Marcus & Millichap brokered the deal. The seller was also not disclosed.