Abandoned High-Rise Transformed into Luxury Apartments

Construction is complete on 1100 Apex, an adaptive reuse, mixed-use apartment residence in downtown Clearwater, Florida. Positioned on a 2.1-acre site, the development was originally constructed as an office building in 1972. After several failed redevelopment attempts in the early 2000s, the structure was abandoned in 2009, after which it fell into disarray. In 2017, GSP Development purchased the building and tasked McShane Construction Company with redeveloping the high-visibility, 15-story structure into a Class A multi-family residence. 1100 Apex includes 134 high-end apartment and townhome units that feature stainless steel appliances, quartz and granite countertops, wood plank flooring and private … Read more

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Industry Experts Release Recommended Guidance on Design Assist vs. Delegated Design

Over the past few years, the American Institute of Architects and the American Institute of Steel Construction have worked together to study design collaboration techniques commonly used in the construction industry. As a result of this joint effort, the AIA and AISC have published a paper titled “Design Collaboration on Construction Projects. Delegated Design, Design Assist, and Informal Involvement – What Does it all Mean?” Along the way, the AIA and AISC discovered the terms “design assist” and “delegated design,” while commonly used in the industry, often mean different things to different people. These differences often result in differing expectations … Read more

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Prefabricated Envelopes Deliver Flexibility to Projects

By George Vangelatos and Chuck Eyberg Today’s project owners want reduced costs and shorter construction time, while still seeking high-quality materials. One option to explore is prefabricated exterior building envelopes. Especially when used in large projects, prefabricated envelopes are made possible by integrated teams working together to answer client objectives. For example, take Torrance Memorial Medical Center’s Lundquist Tower in California. The expansion tower was conceived to have several skin types with elegant detailing. The project team worked together to devise an offsite prefabricated skin, which achieved high quality at a lower cost, and saved six months on the critical … Read more

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