Lawrence Group has completed the redevelopment of Kirberg Co.’s 44,000-square-foot headquarters and distribution facility in St. Louis. Lawrence Group provided design/build services for the redevelopment of the historic property, which contains office and warehouse space.

The two-story building achieved LEED certification with sustainable features such as bamboo flooring, motion-sensor lighting, maximized natural light, the use of recycled materials, a green roof, increased water efficiency and the installation of a shower for employees to promote alternative transportation.

Source: REBusiness Online

One of the big national AEC stories of 2007 was the number of top design firms acquired by larger companies last year. Sixteen firms “disappeared” from the ENR Top 500 Design Firms list due to acquisitions.

The trend to instantly create companies that can provide a full range of services — from planning and design through construction and even operations and maintenance — has been fueled by larger projects and clients who want single source delivery.

The U.S. dollar’s fall against foreign currencies is another factor that makes acquisition of U.S. firms by foreign companies look more enticing than ever. European companies can get 30% more for their money by using Euros in the U.S.

Still, there’s a lot to be said for the stability, integrity and commitment of firms owned by their founders, management teams or ESOPs (employee stock ownership plans). Among such successful companies in St. Louis are McCarthy, Walton Construction, Guarantee Electrical, Lawrence Group, Clayco, Kwame Building Group, Graybar Electric.

These companies and many others have found ways to provide the broad range of services owners want while still maintaining local ownership.

What other local AEC firms can you add to the list?

Walton Construction St. Louis has been selected as general contractor for the new $6.7 million, 20,000-square-foot Chesterfield Medical Institute. The facility will include an outpatient surgical unit and three medical practices — Laser & Dermatologic Surgery Center, West County Dermatology and Generation Dental Group. Walton also is providing pre-construction, estimating and value engineering on the two-story medical complex. The architect on the project is Feeler-Scheer Architects LLC.

Source: St. Louis Business Journal

Non-residential construction remains active in spite of the residential market slowdown and credit crunch, according to the Turner Building Cost Index, published by leading national construction company Turner Construction.

The index shows a continuing shortage of skilled labor and uncertainty about the availability and cost of materials, putting upward pressure on construction costs over the next several quarters.

At the same time, a decline of nine points in the Architecture Billings Index in February indicates tougher times ahead for both design firms and contractors. The downturn could indicate a noticeable slowdown in commercial construction projects coming online over the next nine to twelve months, according to the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

Some AIA members, however, are still reporting strong business from a billings and demand standpoint.

The one bright spot in commercial construction continues to be the institutional sector, which is showing positive conditions for school, hospital and government construction.

Source: Building Design+Construction

St. Louis-based Lawrence Group and Austin Tao & Associates have merged, combining two successful, well-respected St. Louis design practices that have been teaming on national and international projects for many years.

The Lawrence Group board of directors approved the acquisition as a move to expand services both nationally and internationally. Austin Tao joined Lawrence Group as a principal and is responsible for the firm’s growing international work.

“We’re picking up Austin’s Beijing, China, office as part of this acquisition,” said Lawrence Group CEO Steve Smith.

“The combination of our practices will allow us to more effectively grow our international business, where we both already have significant design assignments.”

Dave Dwars of the Lawrence Group was quoted in a Midwest Construction cover story on redevelopment of downtown St. Louis this month.

According to the article, 69 buildings have been restored downtown since 1999, totaling $1.3 billion in development.

An example is the Lawrence Group’s $125 million Park Pacific Building. Renovation of the 22-story, 470-sq-ft former Missouri Pacific/Union Pacific building, originally constructed in 1928, will include 108 condos, 50 apartments, 51,000 sq ft of office space and another 10,000 sq ft of space for street-level retail.

Another $1 billion in projects is in the pipeline with 26 buildings being restored or under development.

Other facts:

• 10,000 people live downtown of which 5,000 are new, according to the Downtown St. Louis Partnership.
• About 1,200 additional residents are expected to move in over the next three years.
• 2,700 new housing units opened downtown in the past two years.
• Downtown currently has more than 7,400 rental and sale units.