A local tech company has signed up to join Assembly Rows growing roster of business tenants in Somerville. SmartBear Software, which makes tools for software developers, will move its headquarters from Beverly to occupy about 33,000 square feet of an office and retail building at the $1.5 billion development. SmartBear will be Assemblys first tenant from the tech world. Donald Wood, the CEO of Assembly developer Federal Realty Investment Trust, shared the news on a call with investors last week.

SmartBear CEO Doug McNary confirmed the planned early January move to Boston.com. We looked all over the (Boston area), and when it came down to it, we had access to a really great space (in Assembly Row), McNary said.

Scoring a high-tech office tenant is a big moment for Assembly, which has leased out plenty of outlet retail, entertainment, and restaurant space at the site. SmartBear is its second office tenant, and will be the first to move in. Community activists have long pushed for office space in addition to housing and retail at the site, and plans at Assembly Row currently call for 1.75 million square feet of office space.

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When Federal Realty began work on the four-story building last year, it had tech companies in mind as it sought to lure companies that wanted to be near the city but found Cambridges Kendall Square too expensive. According to The Boston Globe at the time, Assembly was thought to be offering office space that was significantly cheaper than Kendall.

McNary, the CEO of SmartBear, said proximity to Boston and the rest of the regions tech community was crucial in the search for a new office. We needed easy access to the city, he said. Somerville gave us that access. McNary said he expects the new location will help the company recruit employees who prefer to live in the city. An Orange Line station opened at Assembly this fall.

SmartBear employs about 100 people in its corporate headquarters. It also has a European headquarters, and a few separate development centers in both the U.S. and Europe. In the past, it has been named to The Boston Globes Top Places to Work.

Wood, the Federal Realty CEO, said on last weeks call that he expects to have the Assembly building completely leased out in 2015. Its first floor is for retail, and it features about 100,000 square feet for offices.

Assembly already has one big office tenant in the bag in the form of Partners HealthCare. Partners is developing administrative and office space at the 1 million-plus square foot parcel that was once planned as the home to an IKEA store.

There have been some rumblings of a tech revival in the suburbs, but SmartBear joins Burlington-based Acquia as a very recent example of Route 128 tech companies that have decided to move closer to Boston.

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Somervilles Assembly Row Signs Up First Tech Tenant

IMAGINE being appointed managing director of a new company with a 14 million budget to handle, 1000 staff to manage and a 59 week operational turnaround to achieve before packing up and starting all over again somewhere else.

Such is the life of a construction site manager, who in the case of Hiscox's new 50,000sq ft office in Hungate, also has a number of additional challenges to overcome.

Work is now underway on the insurance firm's new four-storey flagship office, which will ultimately be home to a team of 500 staff in the city.

BAM Construction has been appointed for the build, marking a return to York for the firm, which worked on Network Rails new Route Operating Centre, as well as the University of Yorks Ron Cooke Hub, and the Melrose Stand at York Racecourse.

BAM Construction director John Phillips is site manager for the Hiscox build, and despite years of experience in the industry, is tackling a number of challenges for the first time on the project.

Mr Phillips said: "They have designed a building that's not a standard building, it's quite a landmark building and is very high spec. It's definitely a unique building.

"It's also a fairly risky building for us, it's not a simple building. Engineering wise and technical wise this is a very challenging building."

The challenges started before building work even got underway as the site for the new office lies above the remains of an early 12th century medieval list.

Construction staff have been working alongside archaeologists with the foundations and pilings of the building designed to miss key areas of archaeological importance.

Mr Phillips said: "The concrete frame of the building is also quite a challenge. The client wanted a clean, crisp finish. What at we cast is what is going to be seen so the finish is massively important.

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Building flagship Hiscox office in city is a challenge

In this April 16, 2011 file photo, students of the self-defense class work on punching techniques at the Gainesville Dojo's former location at 536 SW Second Ave. The building is set to be demolished next year.

The former location of the Gainesville Dojo will be demolished next year to make way for Nimbus, a two-story, 15,000-square-foot office building being developed by Trimark Properties.

Trimark is already advertising the Nimbus building for lease at 536 SW Second Ave., at the edge of Innovation Square, for office and research uses.

Demolition and construction is planned for early next year to be completed late in the year, said John Fleming, managing partner.

The property is a narrow north-south parcel. As part of the development plan, Fifth Terrace to the east will become a one-way street heading south, with angled on-street parking added.

Gainesville Dojo has relocated to the orange and blue former convenience store at 727 SW Fourth Ave.

Trimark continues to be busy with development activity in and around Innovation Square, with more in the planning stages. The company is renovating three buildings on top of more than a dozen buildings it already renovated, mostly for technology companies; recently completed Savion Park Apartments and is developing the Tuscana and Solaria phase II apartments.

Plans include an 80,000-square-foot research building at the old Family Medical parcel at 625 SW Fourth Ave. along with an early childhood education facility on the same parcel, and an apartment, retail and boutique hotel development on the western edge of Innovation Square along Southwest Second Avenue, with construction planned to begin late spring of 2016.

A new Lowe's Home Improvement is in the works for the Butler Plaza North expansion. A neighborhood workshop was scheduled for Oct. 22 for planners to discuss the project, which is a precursor to submitting plans to the city of Gainesville for approval.

The proposal includes a 114,000-square-foot Lowe's and three outparcels ranging from 10,000 to 13,900 square feet at Windmeadows Boulevard and Southwest 35th Boulevard, just north of Best Buy.

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Gainesville Dojo's former location to be demolished to make way for office building

Members of the media tour an office on the 63rd floor of One World Trade Center. The skyscraper, which opened for business Monday in New York, is 104 stories tall and cost $3.9 billion. The opening came more than 13 years after the 9/11 attacks destroyed the original World Trade Center buildings. (Andrew Burton, Getty Images)

NEW YORK Thirteen years after the 9/11 terrorist attack, the resurrected World Trade Center has opened for business marking an emotional milestone for New Yorkers and the nation.

Some staffers of publishing giant Conde Nast began working at 1 World Trade Center on Monday. The 104-story, $3.9 billion skyscraper dominates the Manhattan skyline. The publishing giant becomes the first commercial tenant in America's tallest building.

It's the centerpiece of the 16-acre site where the decimated twin towers once stood and where more than 2,700 people died on Sept. 11, 2001, buried under smoking mounds of fiery debris.

"The New York City skyline is whole again, as 1 World Trade Center takes its place in Lower Manhattan," said Patrick Foye, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the building and the World Trade Center site.

The agency began moving into neighboring 4 World Trade Center last week.

He said 1 World Trade Center "sets new standards of design, construction, prestige and sustainability; the opening of this iconic building is a major milestone in the transformation of Lower Manhattan into a thriving 24/7 neighborhood."

With construction fences gone and boxes of office equipment in place, the company moved into what Foye called "the most secure office building in America."

Prior to the move, Conde Nast addressed any issues employees might have had about moving into the tower.

The architectural firm, T.J. Gottesdiener of the Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, says it took extra measures to strengthen the steel-and-concrete structure.

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Port Authority calls World Trade Center "the most secure office building in America"

One World Trade Center in New York on October 17, 2014 JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images

NEW YORK -- Thirteen years after the 9/11 terrorist attack, the resurrected World Trade Center is again opening for business - marking an emotional milestone for both New Yorkers and the nation.

Publishing giant Conde Nast will start moving Monday into One World Trade Center, a 104-story, $3.9 billion skyscraper that dominates the Manhattan skyline. It is America's tallest building.

It's the centerpiece of the 16-acre site where the decimated twin towers once stood and where more than 2,700 people died on Sept. 11, 2001, buried under smoking mounds of fiery debris.

"The New York City skyline is whole again, as One World Trade Center takes its place in Lower Manhattan," said Patrick Foye, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns both the building and the World Trade Center site.

He said One World Trade Center "sets new standards of design, construction, prestige and sustainability; the opening of this iconic building is a major milestone in the transformation of Lower Manhattan into a thriving 24/7 neighborhood."

With construction fences gone and boxes of office equipment in place, Conde Nast CEO Chuck Townsend planned to walk Monday into what Foye calls "the most secure office building in America."

Only about 170 of his company's 3,400 employees are moving in now, filling five floors of the tower, said Patricia Rockenwagner, a Conde Nast vice president and spokeswoman. About 3,000 more will arrive by early 2015.

The building is 60 percent leased, with another 80,000 square feet going to the advertising firm Kids Creative, the stadium operator Legends Hospitality, the BMB Group investment adviser, and Servcorp, a provider of executive offices.

The government's General Services Administration signed up for 275,000 square feet, and the China Center, a trade and cultural facility, will cover 191,000 square feet.

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"The most secure office building in America"

One World Trade Center stands between the transportation hub, left, still under construction, and 7 World Trade Center, right, Monday, Nov. 3, 2014 in New York. Thirteen years after the 9/11 terrorist attack, the resurrected World Trade Center is again opening for business, marking an emotional milestone for both New Yorkers and the United States as a whole. Publishing giant Conde Nast will start moving Monday into One World Trade Center, a 104-story, $3.9 billion skyscraper that dominates the Manhattan skyline. Photo: Mark Lennihan, AP

One World Trade Center stands between the transportation hub, left,...

In this Sept. 11, 2010 file photo, the "Tribute in Light" shines above the construction cranes on One World Trade Center, and the lower New York skyline. In an annual tradition, the two bright blue beams of light are projected from lower Manhattan, in memory of the fallen twin towers. One World Trade Center's spire was fully installed atop One World Trade Center on Friday, May 10, 2013, bringing the New York City structure to its symbolic height of 1,776 feet. Photo: Mark Lennihan, Associated Press

In this Sept. 11, 2010 file photo, the "Tribute in Light" shines...

In this May 30, 2007 file photo, construction cranes work over the "Freedom Tower" construction site in New York. The World Trade Center, destroyed in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, will be anchored by One World Trade Center, as well as three additional office towers, a memorial and a transportation hub. The World Financial Center buildings in the background are occupied by Merrill Lynch, left, and American Express. Photo: Mark Lennihan, Associated Press

In this May 30, 2007 file photo, construction cranes work over the...

This Aug. 29, 2007 file photo shows the World Trade Center site, center, surrounded by skyscrapers in New York. Installation of the 408-foot, 758-ton spire on One World Trade Center was completed Friday, May 10, 2013. It will serve as a world-class broadcast antenna and also as a beacon to ward off aircraft. Photo: Mark Lennihan, Associated Press

This Aug. 29, 2007 file photo shows the World Trade Center site,...

In this Oct. 9, 2007 file photo, an ironworker in Lynchburg, Va. welds steel destined for New York's One World Trade Center building. Photo: Mark Lennihan, Associated Press

In this Oct. 9, 2007 file photo, an ironworker in Lynchburg, Va....

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World Trade Center reopens for business

BUILDING PERMITS

PMT2013-02461 2079 Hardscrabble Drive; $1,372,500; DK Turst; Grant Place Builders Inc.; New three-story single-family dwelling home: to include 6,448 square feet of finished area, two-car attached garage of 759 square feet, 373-square-foot roof deck, and 1,499-square-foot porch. Home to include seven bedrooms, seven baths. Includes associated MEP. See ADR2013-00055 and TEC 2013-00022 for further information. See PMT2013-02462 for detached garage on same planset.

PMT2013-07110 3325 19th St.; $32,145; Renee Golobic and Dale Ortiz; Remodel of residence including conversion of attached garage into conditioned living space with two office/bedrooms, remodel of kitchen, coat in front living room area. Scope of work includes new front and rear porches and revision to front roofline. Sept. 30, 2014 change of scope: Remove front porch from scope of work.

PMT2013-07113 3325 19th St.; $14,600; Renee Golobic and Dale Ortiz; New, 374-qsuare-foot detached structure (scope changed/reduced from garage per Sept. 30 resubmittal) in rear yard of residence. Reviewed in conjunction with remodel proposed through PMT2013-07110.

PMT2014-02942 3550 Fourth St.; $950,000; John Ingold; Ron Patryas / Live Modern LLC; New two-story single-family home. Conditioned space is 3,451 square feet. Garage is 528 square feet. Unfinished space is 700 square feet and a 24-square-foot deck. the scope of work includes associated MEPs.

PMT2014-04138 2885 Springdale Lane; $710,500; Hassan Benessa; Jim Black Construction Inc.; 2885 and 2887 Springdale: Complete rebuild of two fire-damaged condo units from existing foundation up. Units to match existing appearance and layout but to meet current building code requirements.

PMT2014-04286 4535 Darley Ave.; $271,061; Candice Brown; Fruth Construction Inc; Second story addition and remodel of single-family dwelling. Second floor scope to include three bedrooms and two baths. Remodel of main level and addition of two new door openings. Includes addition of new front porch.

PMT2014-04329 2790 Dartmouth Ave.; $15,889.50; Jason Woods; Nuttelman Custom Build, LLC; Conversion of a section of an existing attached garage into habitable space (150 square feet of kitchen area), with a new slider door, and new window. Scope includes a new washer/drier set, and baseboard radiant heat (branching off of existing hot water loop), Electrical under separate permit.

PMT2014-04355 3800 Lakebriar Drive; $250,000; Richard and John Suddath; Addition (908 square feet) and remodel (1,4136 square feet) to one half of an existing duplex. Scope includes new covering for 95 square feet of existing deck. All associated MEPs included. (Minor Modification approved under ADR2014-00145).

PMT2014-04449 1790 Forest Ave.; $62,500; John and Holly Lind; Nuttelman Custom Build, LLC; Addition (270 square feet total) and remodel (199 square feet total) to existing single-family dwelling. Scope of work includes added master bed, added entryway, added bump-out in dining room, interior remodel of kitchen and bath, closet, and demolition of existing attached garage. Includes all associated electrical and plumbing, and a new 59 square feet porch. New detached garage under separate permit.

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Boulder building permits: Nov. 3, 2014

An electrical fire in downtown Sutton ravaged an office building and caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage, officials said.

A little before 7 p.m. Friday, Sutton Fire Chief Chris Moore was handing out candy to trick-or-treaters at the fire station when someone came running in, saying there was a fire downtown.

About 30 firefighters from Sutton, Hastings, Clay Center and Grafton battled the fire at 211 N. Saunders Ave., Moore said. At its height, flames were seen shooting from the roof of the two-story building, which is owned by Abat Lerew, a construction contracting company. The space was being renovated, Moore said.

No one was there at the time, but the building is in the line of downtown businesses.

"It was pretty scary, actually," Moore said. But the firewalls held, and the fire didn't spread.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, he said. The fire was put out by 10 p.m., and caused an estimated $100,000 to $200,000 in damage.

The downtown Sutton area was fairly empty at the time of the fire, Moore said, because most people were at a high school football playoff game.

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Downtown Sutton fire damages office building

For years during and after the recession, nobody wanted to talk about building another office tower in uptown Charlotte.

Too risky, the developers said. Recession-scarred banks were barely lending money to build houses, much less to construct multi-million dollar skyscrapers.

But today, multiple tower projects are battling for tenants. Spectrum Properties and Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers are perhaps the furthest along in the development pipeline. Theyre slated to break ground in January for their 25-story office tower at 300 S. Tryon St., beside Latta Arcade.

Real estate insiders took particular note of the project because it already has an anchor tenant, Babson Capital Management, to occupy the biggest chunk of the building.

Now, developers of two other uptown office tower projects say theyre going to break ground next year too even though neither project has the financial security of having an anchor tenant in hand.

Crescent Communities says its 27-story Tryon Place mixed-use project will go forward at South Tryon and Stonewall streets next summer. And Portman Holdings, which owns the Westin Hotel at College and Stonewall streets, says ground will be broken in June for its 19-story office tower atop the Westins parking deck.

(Trinity Capital Advisors, developers of 1000 S. Tryon, a 14-story office tower planned just outside of the Interstate 277 loop at Morehead and Tryon streets, have said they will wait for an anchor tenant before starting construction).

I got a chance to sit down recently with Atlanta-based Portmans CEO, Ambrish Baisiwala. He said his firm is absolutely going forward in June, with or without an anchor. He chuckled in acknowledging that, at the moment, theres lots of aggressive marketing percolating as the rival projects compete for corporate tenants.

Im quite comfortable with it, said Baisiwala, whose two decades in real estate includes work in the Middle East, India, Southeast Asia and Australia.

Talking to him and to Portmans leasing director, Travis Garland, I got a sense of what the sales pitch sounds like. They touted their buildings two-story outdoor balconies, direct access to the Lynx light rail trains and proximity to the meeting spaces and restaurants of the Westin. They noted the high visibility their tower can have from I-277, and said the building could be finished in the fourth quarter of 2016 faster than the other two proposed towers within the 277 loop.

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After years of no new towers, uptown has dueling skyscraper projects

McKinney, Texas (PRWEB) October 30, 2014

When it comes to something as important as law enforcement, the North Little Rock Veterans Affairs Office knew they were going to need a very dependable, veteran-owned company to provide their department with a new facility. Recently, the Arkansas VA Office awarded ICON Construction, a general contractor specializing in the design and build of modular, permanent modular and modular re-locatable buildings, the prestigious build of their new Law Enforcement Training Center (LETC) and Academy Administration Facility.

The forces current outdated building offers obnoxiously low ceiling heights, claustrophobically cramped quarters and impossibly narrow common spaces that are keeping officers from successfully performing their job duties. All of these issues will be a thing of the past once the new state-of-the-art building is in place. In fact, the new facility will be equipped with the latest in finger print reading secure doors, energy efficient LED lighting systems, level 4 tape, texture, and print finish interior walls, hi-end vinyl plank wood flooring, and 60 tons air conditioning to supply the entire building.

Construction of the permanent, two-story modular facility is set to begin at the end of February. The resulting 15,000 square foot space will be the only training facility for the VA Police force throughout the country.

Technical Supervisor, Jamie Womble said, Its a really exciting design-build project. In it, were striving for a functional design which aesthetically complements the surrounding buildings. The new building will be 100% compatible with the sites historical surroundings, complete with state-of-the-art security intrusion systems. We look forward to a successful completion and are so honored to have been awarded such a prestigious project with our nations VA.

After careful review of some major obstacles presented by the sites historical base, the VA quickly realized a modular facility was the best way to easily pass the tight streets and large trees without disturbing the locations carefully preserved history. In addition to these, the topography is such that the building will sit at the high point of the site location, requiring ICON to adapt the new LETC with retaining walls and relocated exiting utilities.

Once the modular building is in place, including all of the exterior brick, stone work, and stairways, it will blend seamlessly with the historical sites surrounding buildings, and will have all of the modern convinces you would expect with a new building, including a modular elevator, all of which will meet each of the current codes for the local area.

About Icon Construction:

Icon Construction is proud to be the only small business, Veteran and Native American owned manufacturer of modular structures in the U.S. For the past 15 years, their experienced team has provided customers with outstanding service from beginning to end. Icon continuously strives to build the highest quality modular buildings in the industry & deliver products that are superior to its competitors. Since April 1, 1998, Icon Construction has been able to meet the space needs of many major markets including military, education, administration, health care, government, commercial and residential facilities. For more information please visit:http://icon-construction.com/

Media Contact: Joe Green jgreen(at)icon-construction(dot)com

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North Texas-Based ICON Construction to Design & Build New VA Law Enforcement Training Center