Texas Architects, Developers and Builders Expanding Operations

Despite economic woes, new offices open in Dallas and Houston; Studio RED Architects adding an office in Vietnam

Meeks + Partners Capitalizes on Eco Boom With M+P Green Studio

M+P Green Studio, launched by Meeks+Partners, will focus on the planning and design of sustainable multifamily projects. Shown, above and left, the 2125 Yale, a 5,880-sq-ft space with clean, sharp lines maintaining its urban framework and industrial aesthetic in one of Houston’s oldest neighborhoods.

Taking advantage of slower economic times, Houston-based architectural firm Meeks+ Partners launched its M+P Green Studio recently to position itself to meet the needs of multifamily developers who “want to go green when the recovery begins.”

“In terms of the timing of creating the M+P Green Studio, it had a lot to do with the reception LEED has in the public and commercial world,” Keith Malone, associate partner with Meeks + Partners, told Texas Construction.

“It has a good foothold in those markets and is well accepted in government and commercial work, ” he adds. The firm will be led by a three-person team of LEED-accredited professionals and the studio will incorporate sustainable strategies into the planning and design of multifamily developments. In addition to LEED guidelines, studio team members will incorporate the green initiatives set forth in the newly adopted National Green Building Standards

The studio will lay the groundwork for the new directions in making sound land-use decisions. With the implementation of the program, the team reviews the site plan, building mechanical systems and material selections with a goal of reducing the energy consumption and to make the buildings more efficient. That will reduce operating costs and respond to market demands, Malone says.

“For sustainable design to reap the most benefits for everybody, it needs to hit every facet of the architecture and development world,” he says. “Our obligation is to bring those practices into the multifamily world. Transitioning into the multifamily world is natural and an important progression.”

Malone says the slowdown in the commercial real estate market allowed Meeks+Partners to “step back, retool and prepare to bring sustainable design to the multifamily world when the economy picks back up. We certainly see some of the larger multifamily developers starting to embrace sustainable design while incorporating LEED and National Green Building Standards into their developments.”

One such project was 2125 Yale, developed by Houston-based Allied Realty Services and designed by Meeks+Partners.

Allied undertook certain green initiatives by following the requirements outlined in the National Green Building Standards. Developed by The National Association of Home Builders and the International Code Council in conjunction with the National Multi Housing Council, the requirements are designed for multifamily and single-family properties.

Some of the initiatives employed include the pedestrian-friendly property’s high-density design and close proximity to mass transit; saving all the Live Oak trees that dot the perimeter of the site; a two-level structured parking under residential buildings and common areas; use of reclaimed wood flooring from Kaplan’s Ben-Hur store, which stood on the site for nearly 100 years. The wide-plank flooring is used throughout the 5,880-sq-ft glass-enclosed clubhouse and leasing center as well as certain apartment homes. Additionally, the project used insulated double-studded party walls; low-energy double-pane glass in doors and windows; low-water volume commodes; water-saving showerheads; Energy Star appliances and more sustainable practices.

Studio RED Architects Open New Office in Vietnam

Studio RED Architects, headquartered in Houston, opened its third and newest office in Ho Chi Minh City in April. The 4-year-old firm has been responsible for such recent worship, retail and theater projects in Houston as Lakewood Church, Houston Baptist University Cultural Arts Center and the new A.D. Players theater. Partners in the firm have designed such high-profile projects as the repositioning of Memorial City Mall, Houston; Gucci retail stores; the Disney Institute; Terminator 2:3D at Universal Studios; Orlando Museum of Art Wortham Theater Center in Houston, and Galveston’s Moody Gardens.

The new Vietnam office will be led by Trung Nguyen, adding to the Studio RED offices in Houston and San Diego.

KDC Launches National Medical Development, Acquisitions Division

Dallas-based KDC launched a new national medical development and acquisitions program and hired 11-year medical industry veteran Nathan Golik to lead the new division.

KDC is actively seeking partnerships with hospital systems and directly with physicians across the country. In July 2008, KDC announced plans for aggressive growth and introduced new corporate partners E2M Partners and Sammons Enterprises.

Prior to joining KDC, Golik served as vice president of the The Cirrus Group, one of the nation’s largest medical development companies, where he was involved in transactions valued at more than $300 million. His transaction history includes medical office buildings, acute care hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers and inpatient rehabilitation hospitals.

DC has completed more than 90 corporate build-to-suit office and industrial projects valued in excess of $2.5 billion and totaling more than 13 million sq ft.

McCarthy Moves Dallas Headquarters to Larger Space

Dallas-based McCarthy Building Cos. Inc. moved its Dallas headquarters from 14131 Midway Road to Coit Central Tower, located at 12001 North Central Expressway in Dallas.

The firm will be moving 41 employees from its current office that spans approximately 10,000 sq ft to 15,000 sq ft of office space.

Stanley Consultants Inc. Opens Houston Office

Stanley Consultants Inc., engineering, environmental and construction services provider, opened an office in Houston located at 3200 Southwest Freeway to provide a local presence to its Texas clients.

Stanley Consultants has been providing engineering services in Houston since 1998, primarily through the company’s Austin office. An increasing volume of work at the Texas Medical Center and other higher education, health care, and industrial clients, created the demand for a permanent office. The move also facilitates an expansion of power, energy, infrastructure and land-development services to East Texas.

John Goetzmann is the office manager, with more than 35 years of professional experience including mechanical engineering and project management.

HOLT Crane & Equipment Opens New Headquarters in Houston

Houston-based HOLT Crane & Equipment, the Link Belt Crane distributor for Central, North, Northeast and Southeast Texas and Southern New Mexico has opened its headquarters facility in Houston.

As an authorized Link-Belt distributor, the company sells and services all Link-Belt cranes in addition to stocking genuine Link-Belt parts. HOLT Crane & Equipment’s new Houston headquarters is located at 7010 Northeast Loop. HOLT Crane & Equipment, A division of HOLT CAT, also has facilities in San Antonio and in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

Marmon Mok Earns Green Building Award for Girl Scout Center

The city of San Antonio honored San Antonio-based Marmon Mok Architecture with a 2009 Green Building Award. The awards honor commercial builders, residential builders, remodelers, architects and designers and other organizations for advancing green building through innovative design and construction techniques, excellent educational programs and successful advocacy efforts.

Marmon Mok received an honorable mention award in the commercial project category for its design of the Sally Cheever Girl Scout Leadership Center. The center was constructed using nature and innovative architecture to reduce energy costs. The orientation of the center provides a minimal amount of direct solar heat, while preserving mature trees that provide shading for the building. A large rainwater and condensate harvesting system was put in place to help irrigate the landscape of the center. The water conservation feature previously won an award from the San Antonio Water System and has been featured in national green building publications.

Duke Realty Corp. Named 08 NAIOP North Texas Developer of the Year

Duke Realty receives “Developer of the Year” award: L to R: Greg Fuller, president. NAIOP North Texas; Jeff Thornton, senior VP, Duke Realty; Pax Glenn, awards committee chair, NAIOP North Texas.

Dallas-based Duke Realty Corp. won the “2008 Developer of the Year” award presented by NAIOP North Texas, an organization for developers, owners and related professionals in office, industrial and mixed-use real estate.

This award is peer recognition of outstanding achievements in commercial real estate, and judged by the developer’s quality and quantity of work, according to NAIOP.

The award is presented annually in recognition of an organization’s achievements and is open to firms that developed 200,000 sq ft or more of commercial space between 2007 and 2008. Candidates are judged by the following: quality of products and services; the ability to adapt to market conditions; strong reputation in the real estate and general business communities and active involvement in NAIOP.

JQ Honored for Engineering Excellence, Best Practices

Jaster-Quintanilla of Dallas earned a number of awards recently including the “Best Green Project in 2008” in the North Texas region by the Dallas Business Journal. JQ Dallas provided structural engineering services for the firm’s work on the Trinity River Audubon Center in south Dallas.

Additionally, the firm was recognized with national honors including:

Award of Merit: Water Structures from the International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI) for repairs to the Morris Sheppard Dam and Powerhouse project at Possum Kingdom Lake in Graford; the ZweigWhite The Zweig Letter Hot Firm 2008 List with JQ celebrating its second consecutive year to be named in the top 200; and ZweigWhite 2008 Pinnacle Award winner.

Most recently, JQ Dallas was named “Member Firm of the Year for 2009” by the Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter of the Society for Marketing Professional Services.

Turner Construction Co.’s Dallas Office Wins National Award

Turner Construction Co.’s Dallas office won a national Excellence in Construction Award from the Associated Builders and Contractors for its construction of Comerica Bank’s new corporate headquarters in downtown Dallas.

Turner Construction was hired to manage the Comerica Bank project shortly after the company announced it was relocating its corporate headquarters from Detroit to Dallas. The fast-track project involved the interior renovation of nearly 200,000 sq ft in the distinctive glass-and-granite 60-story Comerica Tower. in downtown Dallas, previously known as the Bank One Building.

The multi-phase renovation included a massive atrium-covered banking and stock exchange hall (open from the lobby to the fifth floor), five floor levels, and the addition of wood-paneled conference rooms, a dining hall, break rooms, restrooms, resource centers and numerous executive offices among other renovations.

Prior to winning the national award, Turner won three local ABC awards for its construction of Comerica Bank’s new corporate headquarters in Dallas, its construction of Sagem Avionics Inc.’s new United States headquarters facility, located in Grand Prairie, and for its renovation of Dallas’ Mansion Restaurant at Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek.

USGBC Balcones Chapter Presents Austin ISD ‘09 Green School Award

Volma Overton Elementary School in the Austin Independent School District received the United States Green Building Council Balcones Chapter 2009 Green School Award.

Designed by Austin-based O’Connell Robertson, this 83,000-sq-ft facility opened in fall 2007. The school also achieved a three-star rating from the Austin Energy Green Building Program.

The school’s notable green building and sustainable design achievements, based on a derived baseline for a typical school building, include:

59% (1,229,320 lbs) of all construction waste diverted from landfills

26% decrease in electrical demands of the building equivalent to $24,200 savings annually

26% decrease in potable water usage equivalent to 251,937 gallons saved annually

92% reduction in irrigation water usage

75% of interior spaces have outside view

53% building materials sourced regionally

Overton Elementary also received three innovation points from the AE Green Building Program for its reflective roofing system; use of recycled materials; and the school’s daylight design plan.

Additional project team members include associate architects Casabella Architecture of Austin and Architecture Plus of Austin; structural engineer Jaster-Quintanilla of Austin; civil engineer Raymond Chan & Associates of Austin; and construction manager-at-risk American Constructors of Austin. The sustainability consultants were ACR Engineering and Cotera+Reed Architects, both of Austin.

National Asphalt Pavement Assoc. Calls for Award Submissions

The National Asphalt Pavement Association’s 2009 Awards Program is under way. The award nomination forms are now available for download from the NAPA Web site, hotmix.org. NAPA’s Quality in Construction Awards—general paving, airports, and non-typical pavements— are open to both members as well as non-members and have a deadline of a postmark of Oct. 2.

All other award categories—asphalt operations safety innovations, outstanding brochure, community involvement, ecological (sponsored by Roads & Bridges magazine), and outstanding web site awards—are open to NAPA members only. The deadline for these award entries is a postmark of Sept. 18.

Click on the “Awards Program” button at the top right-hand side of the home page to get to the nomination forms.

USGBC Offers Resources to Save Energy, Money by Building Green

The U.S. Green Building Council continues to provide resources to help state and local governments nationwide take advantage of the economic recovery opportunities presented by green building, including the newly released “Top 10 Ways to Use Recovery Funds for Green Building.”

From investing in green schools and home energy retrofit programs to creating a revolving loan fund, this list can be used by governments from small towns to metropolitan cities and counties as well as state governments looking to make the best use of federal economic recovery funding. The full document can be downloaded by followingusgbc.org/government to the Green Economic Recovery Resources page.

By following usgbc.org/government to the Green Economic Recovery Resources page, information may be found such as a matrix outlining how specific provisions of ARRA are relevant to green building, a recorded series of webcasts on implementing recovery funds, the “Roadmap to Sustainable Government Buildings” and other tools.

Local governments that are looking for more holistic guidance on sustainability planning may also want to review the “Playbook for Green Buildings+Neighborhoods” at greenplaybook.org.