In downtown Austin, Texas, a planned 48-story office tower, The Republic, recently secured its first major tenant—allowing for the groundbreaking by midyear. With views of Lady Bird Lake, the 833,000-square-feet building will be located across from its namesake, Republic Square Park.
Designed by Duda Paine Architects, The Republic will add a 20,000-square-foot public plaza to its main entrance that will act as an extension of the park. Ground-level elements also will include a restaurant space and other retail. Every office floor of The Republic will feature a private terrace, further connecting tenants to the outdoors.
“From the moment you arrive at The Republic, you will be immersed in the beauty of our city, whether from a private terrace, shared amenity space, or the ground-level plaza,” Seth Johnston, senior vice president, Lincoln Property Company, said in a statement. Lincoln Property Company and co-developer Phoenix Property Company have teamed up with equity partner DivcoWest to develop the project.
The 19th-floor amenity level will boast more than 50,000 square feet of indoor-outdoor space, including conference rooms, fitness center and spin room, club room with a lounge and bar, and a 25,000-square-foot outdoor terrace covered by shade canopies. The designers also emphasized the health and wellness of the office tenants and guests by incorporating touchless access technology and enhanced air-filtration systems.
In addition, bicycle commuters will have access to a private elevator that will take them directly to secure storage for nearly 350 bicycles, as well as a spa-quality locker room and showers.
On the building team:
Co-developers: Lincoln Property Company and Phoenix Property Company
Equity partner: DivcoWest
Design architect: Duda Paine Architects
Architect of record and sustainability consultant: HKS
Landscape architect: TBG Partners
Civil engineer: WGI
MEP engineer: Blum Engineering
Structural engineer: BDD
General contractor: Harvey-Cleary
Related Stories
| Feb 14, 2011
More companies willing to pay extra for green office space
New CoreNet Global/Jones Lang LaSalle survey shows real estate executives forging green strategies that balance environmental, financial and workforce issues.
| Feb 11, 2011
RS Means Cost Comparison Chart: Office Buildings
This month's RS Means Cost Comparison Chart focuses on office building construction.
| Feb 11, 2011
Kentucky’s first green adaptive reuse project earns Platinum
(FER) studio, Inglewood, Calif., converted a 115-year-old former dry goods store in Louisville, Ky., into a 10,175-sf mixed-use commercial building earned LEED Platinum and holds the distinction of being the state’s first adaptive reuse project to earn any LEED rating. The facility, located in the East Market District, houses a gallery, event space, offices, conference space, and a restaurant. Sustainable elements that helped the building reach its top LEED rating include xeriscaping, a green roof, rainwater collection and reuse, 12 geothermal wells, 81 solar panels, a 1,100-gallon ice storage system (off-grid energy efficiency is 68%) and the reuse and recycling of construction materials. Local firm Peters Construction served as GC.
| Feb 11, 2011
Chicago architecture firm planning one of China’s tallest towers
Chicago-based Goettsch Partners was commissioned by developer Guangzhou R&F Properties Co. Ltd. to design a new 294,570-sm mixed-use tower in Tianjin, China. The Tianjin R&F Guangdong Tower will be located within the city’s newly planned business district, and at 439 meters it will be one of China’s tallest buildings. The massive complex will feature 134,900 sm of Class A office space, a 400-key, five-star hotel, 55 condominiums, and 8,550 sm of retail space. The architects are designing the tower with multi-story atriums and a high-performance curtain wall to bring daylight deep into the building, thereby creating deeper lease spans. The project is currently finishing design.
| Jan 21, 2011
Manufacturing plant transformed into LEED Platinum Clif Bar headquarters
Clif Bar & Co.’s new 115,000-sf headquarters in Emeryville, Calif., is one of the first buildings in the state to meet the 2008 California Building Energy Efficiency Standards. The structure has the largest smart solar array in North America, which will provide nearly all of its electrical energy needs.
| Jan 19, 2011
Baltimore mixed-use development combines working, living, and shopping
The Shoppes at McHenry Row, a $117 million mixed-use complex developed by 28 Walker Associates for downtown Baltimore, will include 65,000 sf of office space, 250 apartments, and two parking garages. The 48,000 sf of main street retail space currently is 65% occupied, with space for small shops and a restaurant remaining.
| Jan 7, 2011
Mixed-Use on Steroids
Mixed-use development has been one of the few bright spots in real estate in the last few years. Successful mixed-use projects are almost always located in dense urban or suburban areas, usually close to public transportation. It’s a sign of the times that the residential component tends to be rental rather than for-sale.
| Jan 4, 2011
An official bargain, White House loses $79 million in property value
One of the most famous office buildings in the world—and the official the residence of the President of the United States—is now worth only $251.6 million. At the top of the housing boom, the 132-room complex was valued at $331.5 million (still sounds like a bargain), according to Zillow, the online real estate marketplace. That reflects a decline in property value of about 24%.
| Jan 4, 2011
Grubb & Ellis predicts commercial real estate recovery
Grubb & Ellis Company, a leading real estate services and investment firm, released its 2011 Real Estate Forecast, which foresees the start of a slow recovery in the leasing market for all property types in the coming year.
