0 Boston’s Building Boom Modernizes Skyline

Posted on January 5, 2016 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Curbed

Credit: Curbed[/caption]

What do you think about some of Boston’s newest buildings gracing our skyline?

According to Curbed, Boston “is in the midst of adding about 8,000 new apartments and condos over the next three years, doubling the amount built in large luxury complexes since the 1960s. Just last year, the city approved construction projects totaling more than $3 billion. By the beginning of 2015, some 14.6 million square feet of new buildings were rising in Boston.

You can read the full article on Curbed.com

0 4 Class A Buildings in Boston Under Construction with At Least 50k Sq. Ft.

Posted on December 3, 2015 by Wil Catlin

According to CoStar, there are 4 Class A buildings under construction that can accommodate users of 50,000 square feet or more. They are located in the Seaport and Back Bay and have combined number of 1,610,202 square feet.

Building Address	Submarket Name	Number Of Stories	Rentable Building Area	Typical Floor Size	Max Floor Contiguous Space	Total Available Space (SF)
888 Boylston	Back Bay	17	425,000	25,000	26,170	89,173
100 Northern Ave	Seaport	17	395,202	23,247	32,006	154,931
140 Northern Ave	Seaport	13	375,000	30,769	28,846	374,998
121 Seaport Blvd	Seaport	17	415,000	24,412	34,400	414,202
Total			1,610,202

0 Ron Druker Explains the Business of Condos

Posted on November 22, 2015 by Wil Catlin

Rendering of Millennium Tower in Downtown Crossing

Ron Druker of The Druker Company wonders, is it luck or skill with successful real estate projects?

From Bisnow:

Condos are a tricky business, especially compared to the reliable apartment…there’s a limited window for selling the units, Ron tells us. The developer who misses it can have trouble. Even when the project goes according to plan, Ron says, the risk is high and the reward may not be great. Sales can be strong, but the revenue is booked as ordinary income, which means that taxes can take a big bite. He says he was lucky twice: with The Heritage on the Garden in Back Bay and Atelier 505 in the South End. “I’m not sure I would be so again and choose not to tempt fate.” He’s also not about to build a big office/mixed-use project on spec.

You can read the full article on Bisnow’s website, here.

0 Back Bay Station Air Quality Fixes Prove Costly

Posted on October 13, 2015 by Wil Catlin

The cost of clean air is very expensive, but totally worth it.

According to an article on Banker & Tradesman, “The repairs could climb from $800,000 to $6 million…The MBTA commissioned Westwood-based Hatch Mott MacDonald to study the decades-old ventilation system as part of a $32-million station renovation project being led by developer Boston Properties. For years, diesel exhaust from commuter rail locomotives has lingered on station platforms and filtered up to the concourse…MassDOT spokesman Jason Johnson said the MBTA will adopt the report’s recommendation of creating a modeling assessment that would include detailed engineering. The model is expected to be completed by the end of winter.”

You can read additional information on the air quality assessment of Back Bay station on the B&T website.

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0 Boston Office Demand Poised for Best Year Since 2007

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Wil Catlin

The office market continues its upward push with the best year since 2007 and no signs of letting up. Increased rents combined with fewer tenant improvement dollars, increased construction costs and limited rent abatement make the total occupancy cost even higher.

Credit: BBJ

From the Boston Business Journal:

At 13 percent vacancy, Greater Boston notched the eighth-lowest office vacancy rate in the third quarter. That rate has stayed relatively flat, dropping just 0.2 percent year-over-year, the Reis report said…The increased demand for office space is driven by continued gains in the labor market, Reis said.

“Over the last seven years, not only has the number of total jobs created per month gradually increased, but the number of higher-wage, office-using jobs has also increased,” Severino said. “The labor market clearly shifted into a higher gear in 2014 and that is beginning to have a more consistent and material impact on the office market. Vacancy compression is poised on the precipice of accelerating in the next year or so.”

0 Drones are Increasingly being Used to Video Office Buildings, Lots, and Construction

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Wil Catlin

Video and drones keep popping up in the news, have a look at the video of Apple’s new campus shot with a GoPro-equipped DJI Phantom 2 drone. Look for more drone video of once non accessible construction sites. Drones will need to fly below the FAA’s 400 height and above the private property airspace height. In the case of this site in Cupertino, California, the max height is 83 feet:

0 Architects Look to Use Virtual Reality to Portray Building Designs

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Wil Catlin

Credit: BetaBoston

What will it look like? Let’s take a play out of our kids playbook by tapping into the gaming technology and apply it to proposed architecture. Tsoi/Kobus & Associates in Cambridge is doing just that by using Revizto to create a digital building. Put on the virtual reality goggles and let’s go for a walk.

From BetaBoston:

To “enter” a building, the client dons a pair of Oculus virtual reality goggles and gets an immersive first-person view. If she turns her head to the right, she sees what’s to the right. If she walks down stairs, using a joystick or keyboard commands to move, she feels a slight bounce on each step. She can walk through doors or go up on the roof to get a sense of how it will feel to be inside the space.

Another magical part? All of this can be done before a contract for a building is even awarded and could eliminate the need for creating life-size physical mock-ups out of plywood — making the whole process much more efficient.

0 Franklin Street in Downtown Crossing is Closed to Vehicles for Year

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Boston Business Journal

The cost of construction means jobs and detours. We all see the cranes in the air and the parade to cement mixers on our city streets, now we have one less street to drive on. Franklin Street will be closed till July of 2016.

An article from the BBJ notes “Pedestrian access will remain open. The Boston Transportation Department suggests the following detour route: right on Hawley Street past 33 Arch St., left on Milk Street past the Old South Meeting House, right on Washington Street, left on Court Street past the Old State House and left on Tremont Street.

“The closure is necessary due to construction activity in the area as well as a roadway reconstruction project,” the city said.

0 BRA Approves Six Office Building Projects in Boston

Posted on July 27, 2015 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Boston Globe

Six buildings in Boston’s Financial District, Congress Square, are set for complete renovation by Related Beal.

According to the Boston Globe, the BRA approved six projects in total, “the agency gave the go-ahead to some $515.6 million in development…One of the biggest projects is Congress Square, the renovation of an entire city block of buildings in the Financial District, between Congress and Water streets. Developer Related Beal plans to turn six office buildings into a boutique hotel, new housing, and office space…Also approved was Clippership Wharf, which would put 492 apartments and condos on 12 acres on the waterfront in East Boston. Developer Lend Lease plans to move forward on the long-stalled project and won approval to add housing units and subtract parking spaces from a plan approved in 2003.”

You can read the full article on the Boston Globe, here.

0 A Roadway Naming Debate Surrounds The Boston Greenway

Posted on July 20, 2015 by Wil Catlin

The Greenway Boston and surrounding roads

Credit: BostInno

Yes, this should be renamed as it has become a landmark in our city. Boston is confusing to navigate; Uber, Google and Waze have helped, but let’s give one of our new attractions a simpler address.

The debate, and subsequent argument for renaming the roads surrounding The Greenway is articulated by Bostinno.Streewise.co, noting “the Rose Kennedy Greenway is flanked by two parallel streets that run in a different direction. Atlantic Avenue winds northbound while on the other side, headed southbound, is a single street known at different points as John F. Fitzgerald Surface Road, Purchase Street, Surface Road and again John F. Fitzgerald Surface Road…By renaming what we’ll refer to here in this article as Surface/Purchase, pedestrians and non-natives would have an easier time making their way through Downtown, while the Greenway’s brand recognition would significantly increase—and that in turn would benefit the surrounding area and buildings.”

You can read the full article here: Bostinno.Streetwise.co – why this busy downtown Boston road should be renamed after The Greeenway.