FLIGHT at Tustin Legacy is a redevelopment of a former Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin, Calif., into what its developer Lincoln Property Company is promoting as the first purpose-built creative office and mixed-use campus in Orange County.
Phase 1 of this campus, whose construction was recently completed, consists of 11 buildings and 470,000 sf for offices, a food hall, and a parking garage. The site has been reimagined as a new urban neighborhood “inspired by the vernacular of aviation,” according to the project’s designer Rios Clementi Hale Studios, which collaborated with House & Robertson Architects, the EA on this project.
The campus’ 38.74-acre master plan—which will be built out in two phases—positions uninterrupted double-height buildings, which are meant to evoke airplane hangars, into grids whose pedestrian-friendly streets extend into the surrounding city, “creating a sense of openness not typically found in developments of this size.”
The campus is adjacent to the new 26-acre Tustin Legacy Park with 2.5 miles of trails, and near the Metrolink mass transit station. (An interactive map of the campus can be found here.) CBRE is this campus’ leasing agent.
The nearly 39-acre master plan includes a second phase that reportedly will include an additional 500,000 sf of office space. Image: Rios Clementi Hall Studios.
The buildings themselves push core elements such as lobbies, elevators, stairs, and services to their perimeters to increase usable interior space and catalyze user activities.
The campus includes four-story open plaza office buildings, four incubator-style office buildings, a 12,000-sf food hall and 7,000-sf conference center. About 100,000 sf of amenities—such as the food hall known as Mess Hall Market (which had a soft opening in June with 10 vendors), as well as retail shops—are scattered throughout the campus along with outdoor spaces that can accommodate private meetings and public gatherings.
“Our goal with the design at FLIGHT was to not only redefine work life and the traditional office layout, but to provide a flexible environment that can accommodate any type of tenant,” says Mark Motonaga, Creative Director at Rios Clementi Hale Studios. “In addition, we’ve introduced a collaborative environment to connect tenants with the outdoor spaces through a diversified workplace layout that encourages curiosity and creativity.”
Outdoor spaces are set up to encourage impromptu meetings and gatherings. Image: Jasper Sanidad
To complete FLIGHT on time and on budget, Suffolk, the project’s GC, implemented its “build smart” approach, which for this project meant using sophisticated virtual, design and construction (VDC) modeling tools, Lean Construction principles and a unique “plan and control” process to facilitate collaboration, increase efficiencies, minimize waste, and deliver a more predictable management process.
“FLIGHT at Tustin Legacy is a testament to our growth in this region, as well as [to] Suffolk’s ’build smart’ approach, to quickly bring this unique project to life.” says Mark Turner, Suffolk’s COO of Los Angeles.
Some of the campus’ early tenants include the retail ecommerce service provider Branded Online; the financial services company Happy Money, which took 72,000 sf on an eight-year lease; and the co-working company Work Will Win, which signed a 25,348-sf lease last April. Lincoln Property Company confirms that it is in lease negotiation with several other “high quality” tenants.
The price tag for FLIGHT at Tustin Legacy was not disclosed. However, in July 2017 Bisnow reported that HFF, working on behalf of the developer group, had arranged for $141.6 million in construction financing for Phase I.
Phase II is a 20-acre piece of land located immediately east of Phase I and is entitled for almost 500,000 sf of additional development, according to Parke Miller of Lincoln Property Company. “Given how well Phase I is leasing, we are actively site planning and drawing Phase II and talking with a handful of potential Build to Suit opportunities,” he says.
The 12,000-sf Mess Hall Market includes 10 food vendors. Image: Jasper Sanidad
Related Stories
| 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.
| Dec 17, 2010
Vietnam business center will combine office and residential space
The 300,000-sm VietinBank Business Center in Hanoi, Vietnam, designed by Foster + Partners, will have two commercial towers: the first, a 68-story, 362-meter office tower for the international headquarters of VietinBank; the second, a five-star hotel, spa, and serviced apartments. A seven-story podium with conference facilities, retail space, restaurants, and rooftop garden will connect the two towers. Eco-friendly features include using recycled heat from the center’s power plant to provide hot water, and installing water features and plants to improve indoor air quality. Turner Construction Co. is the general contractor.
| Dec 13, 2010
Energy efficiency No. 1 priority for commercial office tenants
Green building initiatives are a key influencer when tenants decide to sign a commercial real estate lease, according to a survey by GE Capital Real Estate. The survey, which was conducted over the past year and included more than 2,220 office tenants in the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, Sweden, the UK, Spain, and Japan, shows that energy efficiency remains the No. 1 priority in most countries. Also ranking near the top: waste reduction programs and indoor air.
| Dec 7, 2010
Hot rumor: Norman Foster designing Apple’s new campus
Lord Norman Foster, reportedly has been selected to design Apple’s new campus in Cupertino, Calif. If the news is true, Foster is a good match for Apple say experts. Foster built his celebrity by marrying big gestures to technological wizardry. And, unlike some starchitects, he has glommed onto the environmental revolution—something Apple has made a point of embracing, too.
| Dec 7, 2010
Product of the Week: Petersen Aluminum’s column covers used in IBM’S new offices
IBM’s new offices at Dulles Station West in Herndon, Va., utilized Petersen’s PAC-1000 F Flush Series column covers. The columns are within the office’s Mobility Area, which is designed for a mobile workforce looking for quick in-and-out work space. The majority of workspaces in the office are unassigned and intended to be used on a temporary basis.
| Nov 16, 2010
Calculating office building performance? Yep, there’s an app for that
123 Zero build is a free tool for calculating the performance of a market-ready carbon-neutral office building design. The app estimates the discounted payback for constructing a zero emissions office building in any U.S. location, including the investment needed for photovoltaics to offset annual carbon emissions, payback calculations, estimated first costs for a highly energy efficient building, photovoltaic costs, discount rates, and user-specified fuel escalation rates.
