Cape Marco's Last Condo

WCI, Kraft Construction Deliver $92.5 million "Super" Luxury Building

by Natalie Keith

If the Belize condominium tower at Cape Marco in Florida is a luxury building, then the Veracruz condominium tower currently under construction is "super" luxury.

"With the Veracruz being the last site at Cape Marco, we wanted to deliver a tower that is even more luxurious than the Belize," said Craig Klingensmith of WCI Communities, the developer of both projects.

Kraft Construction Co. of Naples, the general contractor, broke ground on the $92.5 million, 26-story tower in August 2003. The Veracruz represents the sixth and final tower the contractor has built at Cape Marco and the company's 11th for WCI of Bonita Springs, Fla. The Belize opened earlier this year.

The 850,000-sq.-ft. building has 123 units ranging in size from 3,800 to 5,300 sq. ft. There are three penthouses that are approximately 10,000 sq. ft., said Tim Lacey, senior project manager with Kraft. The units range in cost from $1.3 million to $7 million.

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After completing the foundation work in mid-November 2003, Kraft started construction of the first elevated slab in December of that year. The building topped out on Oct. 4 and a certificate of occupancy is scheduled for Nov. 25, 2005.

This is the third-largest residential high-rise in Collier County with the Belize being the largest, Lacey said.

The architects on the project are Curts, Gaines, Hall Jones Architects of Tampa.

The building is a post-tensioned concrete slab structure with a masonry block-and-stucco exterior. Decks were poured on a two-pour, seven-day cycle rotation, which means that a deck was completed every seven days.

One unique aspect of the project is the front entryway, a 75-ft. cantilevered structure built of stainless steel and glass. Another innovative design element is the "pool over a pool." One of the pools will be constructed on a hardscape deck while the other one is constructed in a grotto underneath it. The pool on the deck has glass lenses on its bottom so swimmers can view people in the pool underneath it and vice versa.

Other features aimed at elevating the sense of luxury in the building include the use of vibrant, contemporary colors and polished stainless steel interior finishes.

"(The Veracruz) really has set itself apart from the other projects WCI has done," Lacey said.

Klingensmith said WCI bought the sites from the developer of the four other residential towers at Cape Marco with the goal of building luxury condominiums.

"They're two unbelievable sites," he added. "The views are incredible."

After seeing the success with the sale of units at the Belize, WCI decided to further emphasize luxury with the construction of the Veracruz.

"We tried to elevate the finishes and do some creative things with the amenities we offer in our buildings such as the billiards room," Klingensmith said.

The strategy appears to have worked. When WCI put the units on the market in February 2003, they sold out within one day. "We had 185 checks for 123 units so we have some backup offers," Klingensmith said.

Among differences between construction of the Belize and Veracruz is the type of foundation work. For the Belize, caissons were used, but for the Veracruz, an auger-cast piling system was utilized, Lacey said.

"The difference between the two sites is light night and day," he said. "With the Belize, we had to contend with a lot of obstacles."

The biggest challenge with the Veracruz has been building within an occupied community. Several measures, including cleaning the site daily, must be done to ensure minimal disruption to residents in the surrounding towers.

Despite Florida being hit by four hurricanes over the summer, the construction schedule was only delayed by eight days. Kraft Construction has company-wide procedures in place to deal with hurricanes, with the intent of minimizing damage as well as time lost, Lacey said.

"We were very fortunate that we didn't have any structural damage to contend with," he added.

Project Team:

Owner: WCI, Bonita Springs, Fla.
General Contractor: Kraft Construction Co., Naples
Architect: Curts, Gaines, Hall Jones Architects, Tampa