EB-5 investment funds new Miramar, Fla. business complex

Riviera Point Holdings LLC will broke ground March 29 on a $17 million business complex in Miramar, Fla. that brings international investment and a location for hundreds of new jobs to the area. The first new office construction in that market since 2009, The Professional Center at Riviera Point, located on a four-acre site at University Drive and the Florida Turnpike, will have 70,000 sf of office space in two four-story buildings. The initial building is projected for completion in February 2013.

According to an economic impact study by Wright Johnson LLC of Palm Beach, The Riviera Point development will result in the creation of 441 jobs from the construction and operation of the center once fully tenanted. Corrales Architectural Group of Boca Raton designed the professional center and Cushman Wakefield is the leasing agent. According to Jon Blunk of Cushman Wakefield, the complex offers easy access to area expressways and is flexible enough to accommodate multiple professional firms or a single corporate user in each building. He noted that the development is well-timed to meet the demand for new generation space in a market where vacancy rates have been steadily declining.

The Professional Center at Riviera Point qualified as an EB-5 investment opportunity under the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services program, and is part of the Florida Regional Center EB-5 Investment, LLC. EB-5 allows a foreign national interested in obtaining permanent U.S residency to qualify by investing in a commercial enterprise that generates at least 10 jobs for U.S. workers for two years. At that point, the conditional EB-5 Visa becomes permanent. The qualifying investment for a project such as Riviera Point, which is located in a Targeted Employment Area, is $500,000. BD+C

Cannon Design, an internationally ranked architectural, engineering and planning firm, is pleased to announce Richard Smith has joined the firm as a Principal. Smith joins the leadership team for Cannon Design’s Science + Technology (S&T) practice and will focus on developing strategies for immediate and long-term growth.

| Jun 13, 2013

Winfrey hired as Health and S&T studio head for SmithGroupJJR Dallas

SmithGroupJJR, one of the nation’s largest architecture, engineering and planning firms, has hired David Winfrey, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, as leader of its Health and Science & Technology Studio at its Dallas, Texas office.

| Jun 13, 2013

WorkingBuildings acquires Specialty Operations Solutions

The WorkingBuildings Companies, a leading provider of comprehensive Owner-based solutions for the built environment, announces the acquisition of Specialty Operations Solutions (SOS), a national provider of research and laboratory services.

| Jun 13, 2013

Health Product Declaration Collaborative names Knott as Executive Director

John L. Knott Jr. has been named as the Health Product Declaration Collaborative’s (www.hpdcollaborative.org) first Executive Director following a national search. The Health Product Declaration Collaborative (HPDC) is a customer-led standards-setting organization committed to the continuous improvement of the building industry’s environmental and health performance, through transparency and innovation in the building product supply chain.

| Jun 13, 2013

AIA partners with industry groups to launch $30,000 'Designing Recovery' design competition

The program will award a total of $30,000 to three winning designs, divided equally between three locations: Joplin, Mo., New Orleans, and New York.

| Jun 12, 2013

More than 90% of New York City schools have code violations

More than 90% of New York City schools have at least one outstanding building code violation. Loose wires, stuck doors and inadequate ventilation are just some of the problems.