A Ford Fusion driven by Shirley Mattson of The Dalles came out of a parking lot across from the Stratton Agency Insurance Services office in the 200 block of East Fourth Street and plowed into the insurance companys office building. Mattson said the car just took off. Photo by Jesse Burkhardt.

The Dalles Northwest Cherry Festival got off to an unusually impactful start on Friday with an incident that wasnt part of the scheduled activities.

At approximately 9:30 a.m., a black sedan came roaring out of a parking lot across from the Stratton Agency, an insurance company at 212 E. Fourth Street. The car jumped the curb and rammed into the office building with such force that bricks and cinder blocks were pushed several feet into the interior.

Glass, sheetrock, bricks and other debris was sent flying inside and the entire building shuddered, according to an employee in the office at the time.

I was sitting in my office with a customer and Boom! said Breanna Wimber, a Stratton Agency insurance agent. What the heck happened?! It was extremely scary. It was so loud and it shook the whole building. I didnt hear any screeching or anything, just Boom.

The car was driven by 83-year-old Shirley Mattson, a resident of The Dalles, who was transported by ambulance to Mid-Columbia Medical Center.

Mattson said her car, a 2009 Ford Fusion, just took off on her as she left the U.S Bank drive-thru.

I came through and the car just started speeding. The car would not stop. Ive never had that happen in all my years driving, she said. It was the fault of the car. Im going to have that car looked over very thoroughly.

Mattson suffered no broken bones, and said she hoped to be out of the hospital within a day or two.

She added that she was very grateful no one in the building was injured.

And Im so glad there were no cars or pedestrians, she said.

A desk near the front of the Stratton Agency office was knocked askew in the wreckage. The desk normally would have been occupied by Eileen Teas, and her desk and chair were mangled in the mishap. In a stroke of fortune, however, Teas was not there that day.

When Wimber dashed out of her office, the first thing she realized was that Teas normally would have been at the twisted desk.

Eileen would have been here today, but she has been off the last two days, Wimber said.

Her chair is mangled and facing the opposite way. Her briefcase was thrown about 15 feet toward the back.

According to Wimber, Mattson was screaming and had a bloody nose. Wimber went to her and tried to calm her down.

She said the car wouldnt stop, Wimber recalled.

Another Stratton agent, Liz Narciso, was on her way to the Fourth Street office when the accident happened.

I was sitting at Eileens desk yesterday, and I was going to be there today, Narcisco said. I had some work I was going to finish, and then I was going to come over to the office, but I didnt get around to it because I got a couple phone calls. Im feeling grateful I wasnt there.

The buildings owner, John Geiger, said he figured it would take about two months to repair the building, and the repair bill will be costly.

Id say $50,000-$60,000 on the low side, Geiger said.

A crew from Dave Adams Construction boarded up the building and made it safe and secure until full repairs can have made.

Wimber pointed out that the business was scheduled to have a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 3 to commemorate the opening of their new office.

It looks like well have to call the Chamber of Commerce and reschedule, Wimber said.

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Mishap sends car into office building - Dalles Chronicle

Fort Worth Star Telegram

Offices made from shipping containers coming to Fort Worth Fort Worth Star Telegram Soon, Matthijs and Jie Melchiors, partners and founders of MEL/ARCH studio, will start construction on a three-story office building near Evans and Rosedale avenues made entirely of shipping containers. In all, 40 containers of various colors will be used.

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Offices made from shipping containers coming to Fort Worth - Fort Worth Star Telegram

Judith McGinnis , Times Record News 4:24 p.m. CT April 21, 2017

Amanda Gonzales, right, picks up a bag of gourmet popcorn from A.L. Williams, owner of Aunt Margie's Gourmet Popcorn in the lobby of the Oil and Gas Building at 813 8th Street.(Photo: Torin Halsey/Times Record News)Buy Photo

The Oil and Gas Building lobby is ready to pop.

Aunt Margies Gourmet Popcorn, owned, operated and made by Anita Williams, has set up shop to the delight of companies that office there.

What began with a shared recipe has now become a unique enterprise. Williams has come home to Wichita Falls with a delicious start-up business.

I really did have an Aunt Margie, Williams saidwith a broad smile. I call her original recipe butter crunch.' Its sugar, butter and popcorn. I have to tell people all the time this is not caramel corn.

A graduate of Rider High School, Midwestern State University and Bethania Nursing School, she was 10 when her civil service-employed parents came to Wichita Falls. Marriage and children moved her to different states but she was ready to return.

A. L. Williams mixes up a batch of popcorn for her business, Aunt Margie's Gourmet Popcorn, which she started recently. Williams has been making her aunt's recipe for several years and now offers several flavors and varieties.(Photo: Torin Halsey/Times Record News)

Anita had a booth at the Farmers Market for a while but this is over the top, Cynthia Laney, executive director of Downtown Wichita Falls Development said. Her office is across the hall from Aunt Margies Gourmet Popcorn. Popcorn is my favorite snack and I like to have coffee with a mix of the butter crunch and the sweet and spicy.

White Realty Management Vice President Mark Chase, who worked with Williams,is just as pleased.

Years ago this was a concession stand. Chewing gum and candy bars, Chase said. Were very excited to have Anita here. I understand soon we'll have homemade lemonade to go with the popcorn."

Aunt Margie's Gourmet Popcorn is located in the lobby of the Oil and Gas Building, seen in this old photograph as the shorter building, center right. Construction in the foreground is of the Hamilton Building. Additional floors were built onto the Oil and Gas Building later, making it roughly as tall as its next door neighbor, the City National Building.(Photo: Torin Halsey/Times Record News)

The Oil and Gas Building has been a key contributor to the growth of downtown Wichita Falls. Built in the early 1920s, its 12 stories were an oil boomheadquarters. Old photographs collected by White Reality President and CEO David White depict the building surrounded by new builds like City National Bank and vacant lots ready for construction.

White Realty also manages the Hamilton Building, Energy Center Building, Chelsea Plaza andCity National Building.

"Currently 25 companies have offices at the Oil and Gas Building," Chase said. "People have told us a number of times they want to lease space in one of these buildings because their grandfathers used to work there."

A.L. Williams stirs up ingredients for her gourmet popcorn she makes from a family recipe. Williams recently opened Aunt Margie's Gourmet Popcorn and is located on 8th Street in the lobby of the Oil and Gas Building.(Photo: Torin Halsey/Times Record News)

With samples offered to visitors, office staffers and company execs, Williams continues to develop her brand. InitiallyAunt Margie's recipe was made as a gift for friends who asked for more and told others until it became a business.

"The sweet and hot version has cayenne pepper but I've also added milk and dark chocolate to the original recipe," Williams said, "By Thanksgiving I'll have cinnamon and pumpkin pie but Ireally want to do something with cheesecake."

A bag of Aunt Margie's Gourmet Popcorn made by A.L. Williams. Williams opened her popcorn business in the lobby of the Oil and Gas Building on 8th Street.(Photo: Torin Halsey/Times Record News)

Williams makes gift bags for all occasions. Aunt Margie's Gourmet Popcorn is open from 11 a.m ("to cover lunch time") to 3 p.m. ("afternoon snack time). She is flexibleto accommodate gift pickups and other needs. For more information or to place an order call(940) 263-9558 or go to https://www.facebook.com/auntmargiesgourmetpopcorn/.

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Sweet and salty treats come to historic office building - Times Record News

Construction crews work on a property on West Street near Curtiss Street in Southington, Friday, April 21, 2017. A Courtyard by Mariott is planned along with restaurants and shops thatll include a Mellow Mushroom, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Nutmeg State credit union and Cheshire Coffee. | Dave Zajac, Record-Journal Construction crews work on a property on West Street near Curtiss Street in Southington, Friday, April 21, 2017. A Courtyard by Mariott is planned along with restaurants and shops thatll include a Mellow Mushroom, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Nutmeg State credit union and Cheshire Coffee. | Dave Zajac, Record-Journal Construction crews work on a property on West Street near Curtiss Street in Southington, Friday, April 21, 2017. A Courtyard by Mariott is planned along with restaurants and shops thatll include a Mellow Mushroom, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Nutmeg State credit union and Cheshire Coffee. | Dave Zajac, Record-Journal Construction crews work on a property on West Street near Curtiss Street in Southington, Friday, April 21, 2017. A Courtyard by Mariott is planned along with restaurants and shops thatll include a Mellow Mushroom, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Nutmeg State credit union and Cheshire Coffee. | Dave Zajac, Record-Journal Construction crews work on a property on West Street near Curtiss Street in Southington, Friday, April 21, 2017. A Courtyard by Mariott is planned along with restaurants and shops thatll include a Mellow Mushroom, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Nutmeg State credit union and Cheshire Coffee. | Dave Zajac, Record-Journal Partial view of the dining room at Tavern 42 Burgers Brew & Que at 42 W. Main St. in Southington, Monday, August 15, 2016. After three months of renovation the new business has opened with American pub favorites and a wide selection of beers. | Dave Zajac, Record-Journal The bar area of Tavern 42 Burgers Brew & Que at 42 W. Main St. in Southington, Monday, August 15, 2016. After three months of renovation the new business opened Monday with American pub favorites and a wide selection of beers. | Dave Zajac, Record-Journal The bar area of Tavern 42 Burgers Brew & Que at 42 W. Main St. in Southington, Monday, August 15, 2016. After three months of renovation the new business opened Monday with American pub favorites and a wide selection of beers. | Dave Zajac, Record-Journal The nearly completed bar of 75 Center in Southington, Monday, January 9, 2017. Downtowns newest restaurant will open on Wednesday in the former Machiavellis location at 75 Center St. | Dave Zajac, Record-Journal Mary Forgues, marketing coordinator, draws a variety of beverage signs while preparing for the opening of 75 Center in Southington, Monday, January 9, 2017. Downtowns newest restaurant will open on Wednesday in the former Machiavellis location at 75 Center St. | Dave Zajac, Record-Journal Workers from Paramount Construction carry a 75" monitor while setting up the game room at 75 Center in Southington, Monday, January 9, 2017. Downtowns newest restaurant will open on Wednesday in the former Machiavellis location at 75 Center St. | Dave Zajac, Record-Journal Ryan Tunnacliffe, general manager of Ideal Tavern in Southington, creates a Nitro Mule, a signature cocktail at the new restaurant on Center Street in Southington, Thursday, August 25, 2016. | Dave Zajac, Record-Journal Ryan Tunnacliffe, general manager of Ideal Tavern, a new restaurant at 142 Center St. in Southington, Wednesday, July 13, 2016. | Dave Zajac, Record-Journal Joseph Lucci, executive chef, prepares Filet Mignon with Baby Vegetable and Black Truffle Aioli at Ideal Tavern, a new restaurant at 142 Center St. in Southington, Wednesday, July 13, 2016. | Dave Zajac, Record-Journal Ideal Tavern, a new restaurant at 142 Center St. in Southington, Wednesday, July 13, 2016. | Dave Zajac, Record-Journal Luxury townhouses at the Liberty Station complex on Liberty Street in Southington, Friday, January 13, 2017. | Dave Zajac, Record-Journal The Liberty Station apartment complex on Liberty Street in Southington, Friday, January 13, 2017. | Dave Zajac, Record-Journal The kitchen area of one of the new apartments at the Liberty Station complex on Liberty Street in Southington, Friday, January 13, 2017. | Dave Zajac, Record-Journal Matt Denorfia, left, and Andy Denorfia, owners of the Liberty Station complex on Liberty Street in Southington, Friday, January 13, 2017. | Dave Zajac, Record-Journal Construction continues on the new Hartford HealthCare medical building on Queen Street in Southington, Monday, January 30, 2017. | Dave Zajac, Record-Journal Construction continues on the new Hartford HealthCare medical building on Queen Street in Southington, Monday, January 30, 2017. | Dave Zajac, Record-Journal A Hartford Healthcare medical building under construction on Queen Street next to Price Chopper in Southington, Monday, May 16, 2016. | Dave Zajac / Record-Journal Inside the new Smashburger on Queen Street in Southington. | Farrah Duffany/ Record-Journal staff. FILE PHOTO: By 11 a.m. Wednesday, dozens of people were lined up awaiting the grand opening of the Smashburger location in Southington on Queen Street. The first 50 customers got free milkshakes for a year. | Farrah Duffany/ Record-Journal staff. By 11 a.m. Wednesday, dozens of people lined up awaiting the grand opening of the Smashburger location in Southington on Queen Street. The first 50 customers got free milkshakes for a year. | Farrah Duffany/ Record-Journal staff. A property under development next to Outback Steakhouse on Queen Street in Southington, Thursday, February 2, 2017. Construction began last year on the plaza thatll include a Chick-fil-A, Chipotle and Aldi. | Dave Zajac, Record-Journal A property under development on Queen Street in Southington, Thursday, February 2, 2017. A local developer is looking to rezone more houses nearby to allow commercial development and access to the plaza under construction. | Dave Zajac, Record-Journal Drainage pipes and drains staged on the property at 785 Queen Street in preperation for retail development Thursday Oct. 27, 2016 | Justin Weekes / For the Record-Journal Woodland Heights, a 72-lot development under construction on Loper Street in Southington, Friday, March 10, 2017. | Dave Zajac, Record-Journal Woodland Heights, a 72-lot development under construction on Loper Street in Southington, Friday, March 10, 2017. | Dave Zajac, Record-Journal Woodland Heights, a 72-lot development under construction on Loper Street in Southington, Friday, March 10, 2017. | Dave Zajac, Record-Journal Woodland Heights, a 72-lot development under construction on Loper Street in Southington, Friday, March 10, 2017. | Dave Zajac, Record-Journal Tree removal has begun on a new development on Loper Street in Southington, Friday, September 2, 2016. | Dave Zajac, Record-Journal Construction crews began bringing utilities from Loper Street into a new 72-lot subdivision being built by AA Denorfia Building and Development on on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016. | Bryan Lipiner, Record-Journal Noodles & Company in Southington, left, June 1, 2015. The national chain based in Colorado will be opening its Southington location at 832 Queen St. by June 17. | Dave Zajac / Record-Journal Noodles & Company, a national restaurant chain with an emphasis on pasta and noodle dishes is under construction at 832 Queen St. in Southington, Monday, January 12, 2015. The business is located in the same plaza as Puerto Vallarta and plans to open in March. | Dave Zajac / Record-Journal A HomeGoods store under construction in the new commercial plaza on West Street in Southington, Tuesday, February 28, 2017. The plaza will also include a Michaels and Pet Valu store. Chips Family Restaurant is being built on a pad separate from the stores. | Dave Zajac, Record-Journal HomeGoods, Michaels and Pet Valu stores under construction in a new commercial plaza on West Street in Southington, Tuesday, February 28, 2017. Chips Family Restaurant is being built on a pad separate from the stores. | Dave Zajac, Record-Journal A HomeGoods store under construction in the new commercial plaza on West Street in Southington, Tuesday, February 28, 2017. The plaza will also include a Michaels and Pet Valu store. Chips Family Restaurant is being built on a pad separate from the stores. | Dave Zajac, Record-Journal

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Measuring the value of property development in Southington - Meriden Record-Journal

Recent news from the C&D recycling and demolition industry.

Ten years after receiving its first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the University of California (UC), Merced in Merced, California, has earned platinum certification for its Classroom and Office Building 2 (COB2).

This marks the campus 17th LEED certification for new construction and its eighth platinum designation.

From day one, we made a deliberate commitment to build to highest sustainable standards, Assistant Director of Sustainability Mark Maxwell says. With each new building, were proud to demonstrate that were keeping that promise.

COB2 opened in fall 2016, providing much-needed classrooms, tutorial space, research labs and academic and administrative offices to support the campus projected growth, the university says.

Some of COB2s sustainable features include diverting 93 percent of its construction waste from landfills; using 51 percent recycled content during building construction; and being 43 percent more water efficient and 46 percent more energy efficient than California code requires.

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Green building - Construction & Demolition Recycling

Milwaukee Business Journal

Milwaukee's Coolest Offices: An office with a view big draw for Catalyst Construction Milwaukee Business Journal An office with a view of the Milwaukee Art Museum and Lake Michigan, along with lots of open spaces and natural light, highlight the new offices of Catalyst Construction LLP in downtown Milwaukee. Check out the attached slideshow to see photos of the ... and more »

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Milwaukee's Coolest Offices: An office with a view big draw for Catalyst Construction - Milwaukee Business Journal

Engineering | News releases | Research | Technology | UW and the community

April 20, 2017

A University of Washington-led research group has taken an important step toward measuring and ultimately reducing the global carbon footprint of building construction and long-term maintenance.

The Carbon Leadership Forum is a collaborative effort among academics and industry professionals based in the UWs College of Built Environments that studies reducing carbon emissions over a buildings entire period of use, or life cycle.

There is growing recognition in the building industry of the need to track carbon emissions across a buildings full life cycle, said Kate Simonen, architect, structural engineer and UW associate professor of architecture, who leads the carbon forum. But she said industry professionals need better information and guidance on how to implement low-carbon method in practice.

More on the Embodied Carbon Benchmark Study:

The forum took a step in this direction in December by publishing the results of its Embodied Carbon Benchmark Study. Embodied carbon is the name for all carbon emissions that occur when extracting, manufacturing and installing building materials. The study employs a process called Life Cycle Assessment LCA for short to measure embodied carbon emissions in buildings. Simonen wrote a book on the subject in 2014.

The benchmark study provides data to building industry professionals so they can include study of embodied carbon into their decision making. It includes the largest known interactive database of building-embodied carbon with information on more than 1,000 buildings. The report also provides a foundation for the next stage of the project, the development of a Life Cycle Assessment Practice Guide, due by the end of 2017.

Manufacturing materials and constructing buildings results in significant energy use and carbon impact, said Simonen. This research helps us answer questions such as: Is this a high (or low) carbon building? Which material choices or building systems lead to lower carbon solutions? How significant are green design choices?

To place construction-related carbon emissions in real-world perspective, Simonen added: Construction alone of a single low embodied carbon office building could save 30 million kilograms, or 33,000 tons, in carbon emissions the emissions equivalent of avoiding driving a car around the Earth 3,000 times.

This benchmarking stage follows the Carbon Leadership Forum work in 2012 to create one of the first sets of product category rules for reporting the environmental footprint of concrete, enabling concrete producers to more accurately report on their products carbon emissions. These standards have been used by the top six concrete producers in the United States to inform their selection of concrete mixes.

In the design phase, our data enables architects and engineers to use carbon, and other environmental impacts, as a performance criteria in addition to common criteria such as cost and strength, when specifying and selecting concrete, Simonen said.

To meet the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate, global carbon emissions must peak by the year 2020 and fossil fuels be eliminated entirely by 2050.

TheEmbodied Carbon Benchmark Studyis the first stage of the ongoing project called LCA for Low Carbon Construction, and was funded by the Charles Pankow Foundation, Skanska USA and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.

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For more information, contact Simonen at 206-685-7282 or ksimonen@uw.edu

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Toward greener construction: UW professor leads group setting benchmarks for carbon across life of buildings - UW Today

Exterior of the T3 building in Minneapolis.

Hines is widely known for building glass and steel skyscrapers across the globe. So, it would seem that the developer is going a bit against the grain in its latest endeavor with a boutique office property in Minneapolis made largely of wood.

The new 225,000-square-foot (21,000 sq m) T3 office building is being touted as the largest mass timber building in the United States to be constructed in recent history. The project, which was completed at the end of November, is located in the trendy North Loop neighborhood directly adjacent to Minneapoliss central business district (CBD). The use of wood componentsmainly glulam (glue-laminated timber) and nail-laminated timberis apparent throughout the building in its ceiling, floors, columns, and beams.

The big idea behind the building on the architectural side was to take the structural base material and have it as the finished product as well, says Bob Pfefferle, director of Hines Minneapolis. The building also emphasized sustainability throughout and has achieved Gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) status.

One of the factors driving the renewed interest in timber construction is the sustainable component and the use of a renewable resource as a core building material. For example, the 180,000 cubic feet (5,100 cubic m) of wood used to build T3 can be grown in North American forests in less than 15 minutes, notes Stephen J. Cavanaugh, design leader and principal at DLR Group in Chicago. The project was designed by Vancouver-based Michael Green Architecture (MGA) in conjunction with DLR Group as the architect of record.

While everyone is familiar with wood, using it on this scale is new and different, says Cavanaugh. The other key thing that T3 shows is that timber also can be economically viable for large-scale construction, he adds.

An unfinished floor in the T3 building.

Timber, Transit, and Tech

Timber is clearly the star of the show in the new building. It is a new approach to office, says Sam Maguire, a vice president at JLL in Minneapolis. It takes many of the same characteristics that people love about the historic warehouse district and the North Loop neighborhood and modernizes them with efficiencies and amenities that companies want to attract and retain workers in todays market, he adds. JLL is working with Hines as the leasing agent at the property.

Another goal for the project was to create a building that is ahead of its time in terms of technology, Maguire adds. For example, the building incorporated a cellphone booster system that enhances signal and connectivity throughout the building, whether people are parking their car below grade, in an elevator cab, or on the rooftop deck. That boost technology extends the battery life of devices and allows people to work on the fly wherever they are within the building, he says.

Transit is another key component of the project. The building is located about one block from Target Field Station, which is a major transit hub for light-rail transit, commuter rail, and metro buses. The building also has direct access to the Minneapolis skyway, an indoor walkway system that connects many of the buildings in the Minneapolis CBD, as well as having direct access to the Cedar Lake Trail bike and walking path.

It was that access to transit that first got Hines interested in the T3 site back in 2006. At that time, the North Loop was just started to gain traction as a new up-and-coming urban neighborhood adjacent to the CBD with condo and apartment development, chef-driven restaurants, and plans for the addition of the new bike trail. Talk of building a new Major League Baseball stadium in the area for the Minnesota Twins had been ongoing for about a decade. However, what really piqued Hiness interest was a plan to expand light rail and commuter lines to the neighborhood.

Target Field opened in 2010 and Target Field Station opened in 2014. Currently, the transit station has light-rail connections to Mall of America, the MinneapolisSaint Paul International Airport, and Saint Paul, with additional expansion lines that will be added to Eden Prairie in the south metro area. Were very excited about that and just benefiting from being near the center of the wheel-and-spoke public transit hub that is emerging, Maguire says.

A furnished office space.

Demand for Creative Space

Hines took some cues from the multifamily sector to create a live/work/play lifestyle for building occupants. T3 features ground-floor retail space as well as social and collaborative space, indoor bike parking, locker rooms, and a fitness center for building tenants. The upper floors are devoted to office, and the building also features a rooftop deck and underground parking with about 65 stalls.

Hines broke ground on the project as a fully speculative project. We knew going into it that there was a good likelihood that we may not get any of it leased prior, and if we wait for it to get pre-leased we may never break ground or we lose potential to be first in, says Pfefferle.

That lead has helped speed lease-up, including a reported deal with Amazon to lease the top two floors. The building has two small retail spaces left to lease on the ground floor and less than 15,000 square feet (1,400 sq m) of office space available. Everybody liked the idea, but once people could touch it and feel it and walk through the building to see what it was all about, that is when leasing took off, Pfefferle says.

And modern timber construction appears to have a growing following in both the public and private sectors. For example, construction was completed in January on the 87,500-square-foot (8,100 sq m) Design Building at University of Massachusetts at Amherst. The $52 million project was built as a demonstration project for wood structures. Timber construction also is gaining momentum in Europe; and in Australia, Lendlease kicked off a new 160,000-square-foot (14,900 sq m) timber office project in Brisbane.

Hines also is moving forward with additional timber office buildings. At present, the developer has five new timber office projects in various stages of development in the United States, including projects that have been announced in Chicago and Atlanta. So, the idea is very much in play in other markets, notes Pfefferle.

Link:
Hines' T3 Office Is Another Step Forward for Timber Construction - Urban Land

WeWork made its name renting shared office spaces to startups and other small companies in trendy buildings with fruit water and ping-pong tables. But in a bid to lure larger and more mature clients, WeWork is testing a new business proposition: offices for companies that, when it comes to the workplace, dont actually want to share.

In recent months, WeWork has begun providing design, construction, and management services to enterprise clients who want a workplace with the companys signature amenities and flair, but would rather pay WeWork to customize their space than lease one of its shared offices.

What were seeing is that large companies want to be small, Dave Fano, WeWorks chief product officer, told press at a breakfast in downtown Manhattan this morning. What they really want is that space as a service, he added, riffing on software as a service (SaaS), a popular bit of jargon in the tech industry to describe software thats licensed on a subscription basis rather than owned. Community managers, fruit water, coffeethey get the full experience.

WeWork decided to test an enterprise option after noticing that several companies had booked entire floors in its existing locations, effectively carving out their own offices. WeWork currently has 30 floors among its more than 135 locations that are rented out by single clients, or members. It has five buildings with only one or two occupants. One of them, an unnamed company in Chicago, reduced its leased space to two floors from three with WeWorks assistance. Real estate site The Real Deal also reported this afternoon that IBM has inked a deal for all eight floors occupied by WeWork in a building near Manhattans Union Square, and is set to move 600 employees to the space.

WeWork has always been deeply involved in the design and management of its office buildings. The offices have a purposeful Silicon Valley vibe, with glass walls, wood-paneled floors, and industrial accents. Theyre designed to create a sense of community, a popular WeWork talking point, but also to be maximally efficient. Weve thought obsessively about the right dimensions for a conference room, Fano joked. The company recently received a $300 million investment from Japans SoftBank and is valued at more than $17 billion.

That valuation is largely tied to WeWorks ability to brand itself as more than just another property management firm. As the company takes on a more obvious design and development role, its wary of being labeled a glorified facilities manager. Were not ever just going to do design and construction services, thats not for us, Fano said. What we really want to do is reinvigorate the culture.

He added that WeWork isnt focused on making a profit on development work it does for corporate clients. We dont want to make money on that, he said. We dont want to lose money on that, but were really just letting them leverage our design and construction.

A lot of the details still need to be hashed out. For now, WeWork is thinking about custom builds and on-site services for companies with 50,000 to 60,000 square feet and at least 1,000 employees. It would also aim to sign these clients to three- to five-year contracts. Thats a much greater commitment than WeWork asks from its typical member, who can rent a desk or office month-to-month. A rotating hot desk starts at $220 a month and a private office at $400 a month. WeWork leases and refurbishes its properties, but doesnt actually own them.

WeWork believes theres a market for space as a service among companies that aspire to be more startup-like, even if they dont want to share their workplace. Companies are looking to be asset-light and commitment-free, so that they can be nimble, Fano said. Space is the full environment. Its experience as a service, culture as a service. And we see all of those as a subset of the space.

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Shared office evangelist WeWork is now designing private offices - Quartz

Construction trucks lined up Wednesday for an intricately timed dance of delivering tons of cement for Pleasant Groves Grove Tower office building.

Despite weather delays, the crews were there Wednesday afternoon to pour the footings and foundation for the 192,000 square foot office space set to go vertical just near the northbound Interstate 15 freeway onramp and Pleasant Grove Boulevard. The building will be six stories tall, and will be able to house about 1,200 employees.

It is the largest multi-tenanted office building between Provo and Sandy, said Daniel Thomas, regional partner for St. John Properties. St. John is the development company behind the 65-acre Valley Grove development project that will eventually house almost 25 other buildings in addition to the Grove Tower.

The project brings an estimated $250 million investment into Pleasant Grove and will include one million more square feet of various types of office and retail space.

We are thrilled with the investment St. John Properties is making in the gateway of our city. The Grove Tower represents the breadth, depth, and quality of their company as much as the development they are building, said Pleasant Grove Mayor Mike Daniels. The project firmly establishes Pleasant Grove as the business center of the valley.

Thomas agreed that the site is a prime spot for this development, as it sits in the heart of Utah County, with unparalleled access. Instructure, an education company, has expanded into Utah County, and is already signed on to take the top two floors of the Grove Tower. Thomas cant share specifics on other tenants, but hes been excited about others who are coming in as well.

Were finding financial users, medical users and real estate. Pleasant Grove is a great location for a diverse group of businesses, Thomas said. Were serving more than just the tech community.

The project started with two low-slung buildings that Thomas calls the show row, fronting the corner of one of the busiest intersections in Pleasant Grove. Thomas said that office space allows users to have highly visible signage and direct access to their offices from the highly traveled Pleasant Grove Boulevard and North County Boulevard.

Though it will have less signage opportunities, the Grove Tower will have unobstructed 360-degree views of the valley from its floor-to-ceiling windows.

You put windows 100 feet in the air and the view will be incredible, Thomas said.

As with many of the buildings in the Valley Grove project, the Grove Tower is LEED designed, though it adds more than a million dollars to the construction costs. Thomas said there may not be a lot of economic benefit initially to a more energy efficient building, but it will lower the operating costs for tenants to the tune of almost 20 percent. St. John engineers estimate the Valley Grove project as a whole will consume 39 percent less energy, 12 percent less water and 35 percent less greenhouse gas emissions.

Were looking at the building and economic impact over 40 years. We hope were helping to solve some of the smog and air quality problem, Thomas said. We are building a legacy project in the heart of the county. This is a project that will stand for decades, and will be a critical part of the community and fabric of Pleasant Grove.

The footings and foundation for the Grove Tower started Wednesday, with steel erection planned for May. Thomas said he expects the first tenants to move into the Grove Tower in January.

Karissa Neely reports on Business & North County events, and can be reached at (801) 344-2537 or kneely@heraldextra.com. Follow her on Twitter: @DHKarissaNeely

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Pleasant Grove's Valley Grove project heads vertical - Daily Herald