New Residential High-Rise Planned for Phoenix

The 318-ft tall Omega residential tower will occupy space near the historic Orpheum Theatre and Phoenix City Hall.

32 Story Omega Slated for Downtown Phoenix

Omega, a 32-story residential high-rise by W Developments LLC, may soon be emerging in downtown Phoenix, next to the Orpheum Theatre and Phoenix City Hall. The project, located at 2nd Avenue and Adams, is the second downtown residential high-rise by developer David Wallach, principal of W Developments, who is also underway with The Summit at Copper Square.

Omega is a 318-ft high-rise project which features 204 residential units, 8,000 sq ft of ground-level retail, a 12th-floor pool deck, rooftop party space and meeting rooms. Parking is planned on the first six floors. One-, two- and three-bedroom dwellings will be offered.

The building's elliptical design features heavy use of stone, concrete and glass, drawing in substantial amounts of natural light. The structure will be consistent with elements of the area's surrounding architecture, allowing it to fit seamlessly into the street scene.

The design of the project is a collaborative endeavor by Hirsch Associates LLC of Chicago and HKS Inc. of Phoenix. Omega is scheduled to break ground in late 2007 and be completed late 2009.

New Control Tower Dedicated at Sky Harbor

The Federal Aviation Administration and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport dedicated the new, 326-ft-tall Air Traffic Control Tower last month. The new tower is nearly twice as tall as the previous Air Traffic Control Tower at Sky Harbor.

The $89 million facility features new digital and ground radar technology. Its height provides an unobstructed view of the entire airfield for air traffic controllers, and the impressive structure can be seen from miles away in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The new facility also co-locates the tower and Terminal Radar Approach Control at the Phoenix Airport.

For the past several decades, the two have been housed in separate locations at Sky Harbor. Controllers inside of the tower manage all of the takeoffs, landings and ground movement at Sky Harbor. TRACON controllers manage air traffic in the Phoenix air space. The two groups work hand-in-hand. Now, their workplaces are much closer and more conveniently located to one another.

Pasadena, Calif.-based Jacobs Engineering Group designed and built the concrete and steel structure.

Retail Developer On Pace to Open 7.7 million sq ft

Phoenix-based Vestar Development plans to open more than 3.3 million sq ft of retail space in 2007 and will begin construction and development on an additional 4.4 million, totaling nearly $1 billion in private investment.
Vestar's nearly completed projects include the $52 million, 465,000-sq-ft Crossroads Town Center phase III opening this month; the 1.3 million-sq-ft Tempe Marketplace, opening in July; the $68 million, 635,000-sq-ft Sundance Towne Center with opening in August; the $85 million Lake Pleasant Towne Center and 265,000 sq ft Gilbert Gateway Towne Center phase II, both also opening in August.

Projects just beginning include the $110 million, 850,000-sq-ft Oro Valley Marketplace which broke ground in March and will be completed in September 2008; the 1.1 million-sq-ft Queen Creek Marketplace, scheduled for completion in March 2008; and the 900,000 sq ft, $107 million Canyon Trails Towne Center which will break ground in July.

Summit Builders and The North Central Group Build Two Hotels

Summit Builders has commenced construction for a new Hampton Inn & Suites in Glendale and a Courtyard by Marriott in Phoenix. Both projects are being built for The North Central Group of Madison, Wis.

Located across the street from the University of Phoenix Stadium, The Hampton Inn & Suites will encompass 149 guest rooms and suites within four stories. Amenities will include a pool, spa, exercise facilities and guest business services. PK Architects of Phoenix is providing architectural services.

The Courtyard by Marriott will be located at the Loop 101 and Interstate 10 and provides 127 guest rooms within four stories. The hotel will provide meeting rooms, restaurant, a market, lounge, pool and exercise facility. CLC Associates of Denver serves as project architect. Both hotels feature high-end finishes throughout and are expected to be completed in December to accommodate guests attending the Fiesta Bowl and Super Bowl.

High-Tech Glass Clears Up Grand Canyon View

The new Grand Canyon Skywalk, a glass bridge suspended 4,000 feet above the Colorado River, recently opened on the western edge of the Grand Canyon. Part of what makes this engineering marvel possible is the durable and ultra-clear glass that was designed and produced by Saint-Gobain. The company is known for its creation in 1682 of the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles in Paris. More recently, Saint-Gobain designed and manufactured the glass in the "Pyramid" of the Louvre.

Saint-Gobain manufactured the low-iron Diamant® glass for the floor of the Skywalk at its Cologne, Germany plant. It was processed into laminated glass at three of its European subsidiaries. The deck, approximately 10-ft wide and 70-ft long, is made of laminated tempered glass more than two inches thick, produced in 46 pieces that were shipped directly to the western edge of the canyon. Each piece of glass is held in place by connectors specifically designed by Saint-Gobain for the bridge.

The floor glass includes structural interlayers of DuPont SentryGlas® Plus for clarity and strength. The Diamant glass in the Skywalk contains a significantly lower amount of iron oxide than regular glass, appearing virtually invisible to visitors and giving them a completely unobstructed view. The glass deck is supported by outer and inner steel beams anchored into solid stone in the wall of the Grand Canyon.

PB Evaluating Scottsdale Roadway Corridor Improvements

The City of Scottsdale has awarded a contract to PB to evaluate corridor improvements for Pima Road in Scottsdale. The project will be a joint effort between the city of Scottsdale and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, with funding provided by the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Pima Road is a two-lane road that straddles the boundary between the City of Scottsdale and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. Rapid growth in the area requires additional capacity to serve new developments and handle overflow from the Pima Freeway (Loop 101) located about a quarter mile east. The project involves preparation of an alignment study, a design concept report and an environmental assessment intended to document the need for improvements to the roadway and to define its function and character for the future.

As the prime consultant, PB is responsible for all aspects of the project, including civil design, environmental assessment and a roadway alignment study. The firm will coordinate the involvement of the two adjacent communities. The project will be completed in summer of 2008.

Phoenix Children's Hospital Expands to East Valley

Phoenix Children's Hospital broke ground on a $9 million, 35,000-sq-ft ambulatory/urgent care facility at Southern Avenue and Higley Road in Mesa.
Ensemble Real Estate of Phoenix is the developer and owner of the build-to-suit medical facility, which will be occupied by PCH. Completion of the building is scheduled for late summer 2007.

The PCH East Valley facility mirrors the architectural look of the hospital's Phoenix campus buildings, which features facades with bold primary colors.

Simultaneously, Ensemble is developing a 20,000-sq-ft medical office building with an emphasis on pediatric care adjacent to the PCH facility. The new medical office facility will provide complementary pediatric physicians and healthcare providers the opportunity to office in the immediate proximity of a PCH healthcare facility.

Ensemble is developing the medical office building in a joint venture with Michael Pachtman, M.D. Dr. Pachtman's East Valley pediatrics practice will occupy the entire first floor.

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