by Steven Sharp | Urbanize LA
Novipax, an Illinois-based company which makes absorbent packaging for food and healthcare products, currently operates out of a 100,000-square-foot facility located at 1941 White Avenue in La Verne. The proposed project, which would rise across the street from the Fairplex in Pomona, calls for razing all existing improvements to make way for a new five-story residential building featuring 367 homes and 1,588 square feet of retail space, as well as a six-level parking structure at the rear of the site adjacent to a Metrolink right-of-way.
by Steven Sharp | Urbanize LA
Just east of L.A. State Historic Park in Chinatown, rebar now protrudes above street level at the future site of a modular apartment complex from Thrive Living. The project, which replaced a food processing facility at 1457 N. Main Street, calls for the construction of a six-story building featuring 376 studio and one-bedroom apartments above 6,448 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. Plans also call for a 104-car garage.
by Nick Gomez | AO
Top ten lists are everywhere. It is a simple way of taking vast information and distilling it into 10 simple bullet points. While the list can often be subjective, the aim is to help you further explore a subject in depth. Most lists are about things to do or see, but I have decided to look at the repetitive mistakes people make that can derail a modular project.
by Madalina Pojoga | Commercial Property Executive
In Henderson, Nev., some 16 miles southeast of Las Vegas, a joint venture is investing $30 million in redeveloping a former 100,000-square-foot, two-building office campus into an open-air retail center. And many could see this office-to-retail conversion as a bold move considering the retail industry has been facing its own set of challenges over the past decade. But the team behind the project is banking on local metrics and the fact that residents don’t have access to similar centers in the immediate area.
by Ray Huard | San Diego Business Journal
A seven-story, 150-room hotel tower is under construction in Mission Valley adjacent to the existing Marriott Hotel Mission Valley. Designed by AO, with R.D. Olson Construction as the general contractor, the 98,000-square-foot Element is part of the Marriott family of hotels and The Mission Valley Element will share an outdoor courtyard, swimming pool, amenity deck, restaurants and an existing parking garage with the Marriott Mission Valley.
by Ben Dreith | Dezeen
Architecture firm AO never set out to design America's tallest skyscraper when it began work on the 581-metre Legends Tower planned for Oklahoma City, studio partner Bruce Greenfield tells Dezeen in this interview.
by Steven Sharp | Urbanize LA
Across the street from Lafayette Park in Westlake, construction is complete for the Bryson Legacy, a new affordable housing complex at 2721 Wilshire Boulevard. The project, developed as a joint venture between the Los Angeles Housing Partnership and Richman Group, is named for its immediate next-door neighbor: the historic Bryson Building. The new six-story building features 64 apartments reserved for households earning between 30 and 50 percent of the area median income level.
by Aymee Valdes | Idea Hall
AO, a leading full-service architecture firm with design expertise spanning the entire commercial and multifamily residential real estate spectrum, was a multiple-award winner at last night’s prestigious PCBC Gold Nugget Awards ceremony, held at The Westin Resort in Anaheim.
by Rebusiness Online
Driftwood Capital, along with architect AO and general contractor R.D. Olson Construction, has broken ground on Element Hotel by Marriott in the Mission Valley submarket of San Diego. The seven-story, 150-room hotel will be located next to the existing full-service Marriott Hotel Mission Valley. The two hotels will share the pool amenity deck and restaurant space, while each maintaining its own entrance, lobby, lounge and other amenities.
by TRD Staff
Pacific West Communities and Central Valley Coalition for Affordable Housing have landed a $70.9 million construction loan to build a 240-unit affordable housing complex in San Jose. An unidentified affiliate of the Idaho-based builder and nonprofit developer based in Merced secured the loan to construct the six-story complex at 4300 and 4310 Monterey Road, in Downtown, the San Jose Mercury News reported. It would replace a vacant lot.
by Joe Gose | NY Times
Shopping center landlords have found themselves in a wholly unfamiliar position: For the first time in 20 years, demand for retail space outstrips supply. That demand has soared recently and, after years of muted construction and a purge of weak-performing properties, met a retail market with less available space. Properties that survived the purge signed up tenants that would draw more shoppers and give them more reason to linger.
by Richard Korman, Nadine M. Post
Engineering News-Record
The Oklahoma City Council approved a zoning change on June 4 allowing a developer to build what is planned to be a 1,907-ft tower—and North America's tallest structure—in a mixed-use development. The rezoning, which passed by am 8-to-1 vote, removes the height restriction originally placed on the site. Further approvals from the council will be needed as the plan moves ahead.
by Debra Kim | NY Times
New York City could soon lose its claim to the tallest building in the United States. The Oklahoma City Council on Tuesday gave the green light to plans for a tower that will rise nearly 2,000 feet in Oklahoma’s capital city, dethroning One World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan as the nation’s highest.
by Jennifer Glatt | Hotel Management
Last week marked a significant milestone for wave-seekers and surf enthusiasts as construction began on the highly anticipated DSRT Surf Resort. This 17-acre AO-designed destination in Palm Desert, Calif., developed by Beach Street Development & Operations, will be California’s first facility to offer man-made surf waves open to the public. The resort's features include a cutting-edge surf lagoon, four-story hotel, surf center, restaurant, boardwalk, and beaches, with construction expected to be completed in the spring of 2026.
by Sumer Bowles | Orange County Business Journal
Leading full-service architecture firm, AO, is pleased to announce the addition of Brett Park as Principal and Tony Ortiz as Senior Project Manager to our renowned Landscape studio. With their extensive backgrounds in planning, landscape architecture, and placemaking, Brett and Tony enrich our team’s capabilities, reinforcing AO’s commitment to innovative design.
by Travel and Tour World
Introducing Ramsay’s Kitchen By Gordon Ramsay, a culinary gem brought to life through the collaboration of Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis and Horseshoe St. Louis. This esteemed establishment marks the debut of Chef Gordon Ramsay’s culinary prowess in the vibrant city of St. Louis. Drawing inspiration from Chef Ramsay’s extensive travels, Ramsay’s Kitchen promises an unparalleled dining experience, inviting guests to embark on a gastronomic adventure spanning the globe.
by Engineering News-Record
From diverse professional and skilled trade backgrounds, ENR’s 2024 National Top 20 under 40 winners have emerged as leaders at their respective orgs. they say industry Collaboration is key to recruit, retain and cultivate the next generation of workers. Now more than ever, recruiters must be honest and up front about the physical and mental demands of working in the AEC industry, says Rod Jones, a manager at Holder Construction Co., during a roundtable with the Top 20 held in Chicago during ENR’s Emerging Leaders Forum in March.
by Novid Parsi | Building Design + Construction
In Henderson, Nev., a city roughly 15 miles southeast of Las Vegas, 100,000 sf of unused office space will be turned into an open-air retail development called The Cliff. The $30 million adaptive reuse development will convert the site’s two office buildings into a destination for retail stores, chef-driven restaurants, and community entertainment. CAST and Partners Capital, Inc. recently announced they have finalized design plans for the upcoming mixed-use project. Located in the Green Valley Ranch community, the retail center is designed by AO.
By Ed Cadavona, Managing Partner, AO
With a growing need and rising costs, building affordable housing continues to be a major challenge in the Golden State, California. The demand for housing exceeds current supply with the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) estimating the need for 2.5 million new homes over the next eight years, with approximately 1 million designated for lower-income households.
by Emell Adolphus and Jonathan Keller | ENR
Commentary from the Top 500 Design Firms in 2024 reveals a shift in the use of artificial intelligence to complement design services. Last year, AI was the exception more than the rule, but this year more design professionals aim to integrate tech into operations. With ongoing labor challenges, rising interest rates and supply chain disruptions still driving up construction costs, firms say AI could be the X factor that helps projects stay profitable.