Thankfully, the real estate market is in a good place at the moment with an increasing number of sales being made each quarter. On top of that, the more people that buy a house, hire a moving company Winston Salem, and relocate, the more they are contributing to the local economy. Greater Richmond Association for Commercial Real Estate (GRACRE) is at it again, this time doling out top honors for 14 local CRE projects and transactions as part of its 12th Annual Commercial Real Estate Awards. “The Richmond market really evolved in 2012, and GRACRE is excited to acknowledge and celebrate these projects that are changing the landscape,” said Allyson Petty, president of GRACRE.
Held at The Country Club of Virginia, the awards ceremony recognized seven transaction finalists and 26 project finalists, ranging from entertainment to multi-family from Dinwiddie to Ashland. By the night’s end, 14 projects and transactions were named winners, with the Amazon.com Fulfillment Centers earning Project of the Year.
“The variety of award submissions this year has been a telling sample of the depth and breadth of the commercial real estate industry in the area,” said Petty. Organizations nominated projects and transactions by submitting entries consisting of a detailed project narrative with photo documentation, a list of contractors and consultants and other project information. Finalists were selected from the pool of nominees, and the award winners were selected from among the finalists.
Allianz Global Assistance, Best Office Renovation
• Rehabilitation of a large (300,000 square feet), outdated building – renovating a building facade is no small task but can really bring a much-needed overhaul to tired-looking buildings which, for commercial buildings, can also help to improve their brand image too.
• The design team’s main objective was to create a recognizable identity for Allianz. The architects working on the project also talked about updating a business’s bathrooms and this office now has three new blocks of bathrooms.
• Maximizes natural light and used color to bring visual interest to a large voluminous space
• The architects also suggested installing the wiring and pipes in the bathroom using a process known as diamond drilling, which is recognized for being non-invasive.
• Located in Henrico County.
Carytown Place, Best Retail Adaptive Re-use
• The CarytownPlace project is the result of a successful transformation of a mid-20th century vacant office building until a vibrant shopping destination. Prior to the redevelopment, the building was the former Verizon operations and call center.
• This project required a special use permit that was obtained through the collaboration of the Carytown Place associates development team, local neighborhood and merchant associations and city officials.
• The redevelopment process was also mindful of the environment. The project reused concrete rubble from the demolition as fill for the new parking lot and recycled ceiling tiles, floor systems, wiring, and various metals collected from demolition.
• Current tenants include: Fresh Market, Chipotle, Panera, PETCO and Hand & Stone.
• Located in the City of Richmond.
RiverFront Investment Group, Best Office Adaptive Re-use
• Riverfront Investment Group relocated its headquarters to the former Richbrau BrewPub location, which required the space to be transformed into a contemporary office space.
• The goal of the project was to deliver modern amenities while maintain the historic character of the 1866 building located in the Shockoe Slip.
• The project was able to reuse heavy timber salvaged from the demolition needed to create an elevator shaft, to construct the new stairway.
Uptown Alley, Best New Entertainment Building
• This project is located on a 15-acre site on contoured land providing group level entry at both levels of the facility. The facility provides diverse amenities and high quality services, facilities and events.
• There is a 30-foot custom fabricated stainless steel bowling pin mounted to the roof.
• Overall this project has provided Chesterfield County with a nearly $20 million investment including 100 new jobs, enhancing the regions quality of life and serving as a destination for great entertainment.
Greater Richmond Aquatics Partnership Aquatics Center, Excellence in Collaboration
• Partnership between: Poseidon Swimming, Trinity Episcopal School, Collegiate School, the Richmond Kickers, and Sports Backers.
• Central Virginia’s first elite aquatics training and competition facility, housing the 50-meter competition pool from the 2008 USA Olympic Trails in Omaha. The pool was completely deconstructed, relocated and rebuilt in Richmond.
• The project hopes to establish programs focused on underserved youth in Richmond who do not currently have access to swimming lessons, as well as promoting health and wellness among all area residents.
• Located in Chesterfield County.