From RE Business Online - Construction manager Kwame Building Group has completed work on the Olivette Vantage Credit Union Branch in St. Louis. The 5,500-square-foot building is the fourth in a series of Vantage Credit Union projects with Kwame serving as construction manager.

Walton Construction has begun renovations to “The Museum Store” located at the Gateway Arch and operated by the non-profit Jefferson National Parks Association.

The $425,000 project includes the demolition and renovation of the existing 3,000-square-foot “The Museum Store” and support office located in the base of the structure originally dedicated in 1966. Work includes new finishes, custom millwork, signage, mechanical, electrical and fire protection. Walton also will install store fixtures, office furniture and media monitors.

Prior to the new store renovations, Walton will construct a temporary store in the adjacent lobby, installing a temporary floor, access ramp and photo, data and electrical service.

Construction of the new store is expected to be completed by February 20, 2007.

On Friday, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay’s development director Barb Geisman, and Alderman Fred Wessels, 13th ward, presented the City’s Board of Aldermen a $59 million TIF financing proposal for the $387 million Ballpark Village to be developed by the Cardinals and The Cordish Company.

Geisman reported that, after the TIF, the city should receive an average of $3.5 to $4.5 million in revenue annually over the next 23 years, with city schools getting an estimated $2.3 million annually. Other public financing includes $27 million in state tax breaks, $25 million from special taxing districts and $5 million in public bonds bought by the developers. Another hearing will be held January 31 and the Cardinals hope the project will break ground this summer.

RE Business Online reports that construction is well underway on the St. Louis Community College (SLCC) Wildwood Campus at Missouri Routes 109 and Old 100. The $18 million project includes a 73,000-square-foot building with 25 classrooms, a science lab, an art studio, computer labs, and faculty and administrative offices. St. Louis-based Wm. B. Ittner Inc. provided architectural and design services and Kwame Building Group is construction manager and owner representative. The project is targeted for LEED certification.

The current cover story of Development magazine interviews a half-dozen mixed-use developers on current trends and their expectations for the future. Concerns such as rising construction and building materials costs, declining job growth and the downturn in residential development are leading to postponements and outright cancellations of mixed-use developments in some areas - California, Las Vegas and elsewhere. Still, experts say the synergies of mixed-use still offer advantages over single-asset developments for well-planned, well-located properties.

Development is the official publication of the national Association of Industrial and Office Properties.

So, after listening to a pair of PR industry podcasters talk for months about their new company Crayon’s presence on Second Life, the Web-based virtual world, I finally went to the site, created an avatar and took a look around the other night. My conclusion - very interesting, but I can’t imagine yet how this applies in my world.

And then the next day, this headline showed up in my email - “Second Life and Google Earth are transforming the idea of architectural collaboration.” It makes sense! In Second Life, anyone can design buildings within the site, and they can do it on a group creation platform. Great for collaboration, great for showcasing projects.

According to an article in Engineering News Record, “we may see architects lead clients on tours through a 3D-modeled Google Earth with a view of the firm’s buildings. In Second Life, multinational firms could create meeting rooms to foster interoffice collaboration.” Universities already are using Second Life to collaborate on class projects and companies are hosting virtual lectures that attract architects from all over the world.

I’m sure that this is one of the many Web-based technologies that will transform the work world in 2007. My advice? Stay tuned in, check out the technologies for yourself and do everything you can to stay ahead of the pack.