FORT BEND COUNTY — A partnership was announced between the University of Houston System and Fort Worth-based video game developer and publisher TimeGate. The agreement includes equipment, facility hosting, training and mentoring for student interns. The university will purchase the motion capture equipment and TimeGate will provide space and commercial talent at its Sugar Land headquarters. This will give students the opportunity to learn real-world experience while still in school.
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. — The Korte Co. has broken ground for a $9.5 million exercise facility addition at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. The St. Louis-based design-build construction firm will compose approximately 37,390 square feet of space for weight training (both free and machine), aerobic conditioning, Physical Fitness Test-specific exercises, floor aerobics, fencing and spin-cycling classes. Slated for completion in early 2012 and designed to achieve LEED Silver certification, the facility will utilize tilt-up concrete panels with a marble stone veneer to match the existing U.S. AFA building.
LAKE WORTH, FLA.; AND STUART, FLA. — Two transactions, valued at more than $2.3 million were handled by Peter Filomena of Palm Beach Gardens-based Reichel Realty & Investment on behalf of Gulfstream Goodwill Industries. First, located at 7810 S. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth, the 22,000-square-foot former Lighthouse for the Blind building was sold for $650,000 to SEACO III. Additionally, he represented the company in a $1.66 million, 10-year lease from landlord Aaron Rents for 12,800 square feet at 1101 S. US #1 in Stuart.
DALLAS — North Dallas High School and Sam Houston Elementary School, both in the Dallas Independent School District, will undergo renovation projects. North Dallas High School will replace an existing annex building with a new single-story addition that will house science classrooms. The project also involves replacement and upgrades to mechanical and electrical systems, updating existing restrooms and replacement of pneumatic controls on the second and third floors with direct digital controls (DDCs). Meanwhile, Sam Houston Elementary School will replace and upgrade lighting, mechanical and electrical systems, update existing restrooms and replace pneumatic controls with DDCs. Warrior Group, a Dallas-based general contractor, will provide construction management services for both schools. Construction is scheduled to begin in April, with a completion date set for April 2012.
JACKSONVILLE, FLA. — Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Red Apple Development, the development arm of Charter Schools USA, has purchased a 117,000-square-foot facility at 7510 Baymeadows Way in Jacksonville. Situated on an 18.8-acre campus, the property sold for $5.8 million. The buyer plans to renovate the property and open Duval Charter School at Bay Meadows, which will serve students kindergarten through 12th grade. K Dan Shalloway and Jim Morgan of Sperry Van Ness represented the buyer; Bruce Jackson of CB Richard Ellis represented the seller, Ashland Oil, in the transaction.
BOSTON — Harvard University has signed a lease for a 40,000-square-foot building located at 90 Smith St. in Boston's Mission Hill neighborhood. Constructed in 1888, the building had been vacant for the past five years before Harvard leased the building and had it renovated. All of the building's major systems were replaced, the masonry exterior was restored, a copper cornice and gutter was mounted, historically appropriate windows were installed and an interior office system designed to LEED standards was installed. The building will house the Harvard School of Public Health's administrative offices. The Cushman & Wakefield team of Frank Nelson, Michael Greeley and Joseph Pearce represented the landlord, Weston Associates, in the deal.
MELBOURNE, FLA. — Chicago-based HSA PrimeCare and Chicago-based Harrison Street Real Estate Capital have partnered to acquire Crane Creek Medical Center, which is located at 2222 S. Harbor City Blvd. in Melbourne. Built in 2009, the six-story, 107,000-square-foot medical office building was purchased from a joint venture of Milwaukee-based Zilber Ltd. and the building's anchor tenants, The B.A.C.K. Center and Osler Medical. Terms of the transaction were not released.
SAN ANTONIO — SHW Group, an educational architecture and engineering firm, has completed Rolling Meadows Elementary School in the Judson Independent School District, located in close proximity to Interstate 35 in San Antonio. The $14 million, 113,000-square-foot campus is the district's first sustainable designed school. Features include vented roofs designed for future rainwater collection, regionally selected construction materials, and gardens and ponds designed to educate students on the importance of the environment. The building is situated on an east/west axis for less solar heat gain and lower cooling costs; and the majority of the glass windows face north and south for optimum daylight exposure. Academically, the school is organized in a series of pods that feature six to eight classrooms clustered around a flex space used for informal gatherings and group learning opportunities. The facility currently serves 500 students but has a capacity to serve 750 students. The district expects that capacity to be reached within 2 years based on current enrollment and significant population growth in the area.
KENNESAW, GA. — Choate Construction Co. has been selected to construct a laboratory science center on Kennesaw State University's (KSU) campus in Kennesaw. The 74,203-square-foot building will be situated between the existing Science and Mathematics building and the Clendnin Building. The property will offer chemistry, biotech and biochemistry teaching labs, facility offices, administrative space, support spaces and a multi-story atrium. Perkins+Will is designing the facility to achieve LEED Gold certification. Green elements will include room occupancy sensors and sun shades.
PHILADELPHIA — Construction is complete for the $786 million expansion to the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The project, which was completed by a joint venture between Tishman Construction Corp. and Joseph Jingoli & Son, included the construction of 935,000 square feet of new space. The expansion include more than 528,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit area, 23 additional meeting rooms, three new exhibition halls, a 56,000-square-foot ballroom, a new main entrance atrium lobby, an extension of the Arch Street Concourse, a new central power plant and new support space. The expansion spans 13th Street and extends a city block to Broad Street. The grand opening will be held in March. Vitetta Group was the architect.