European-based developer Flagstone Property Group has selected Clark Construction Group of Tampa as general contractor and construction manager for its Island Gardens project, to be built on Miami's Biscayne Bay. Construction costs are reported as $300 million, with a total owner cost of $480 million.

Designed by Eric Kuhne & Associates of London and Spillis Candela DMJM of Coral Gables, the project will feature a luxury hotel tower with 147 rooms and 105 fractional residences, an upscale business hotel tower with 350 rooms, a 50-slip "super yacht" harbor, an estimated 220,000 sq. ft. for retail and restaurants, and a 1,600-space parking garage.

Clark also announced it had been named as the CM/GC for a $25 million project at the Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra. The project includes demolition of the existing clubhouse and the construction of a new clubhouse and related improvements at the Tournament Players Club.

Work is scheduled to begin in March, with a completion target of late March 2007.

Residential Drives Growth as Other Sectors Fall in September

Florida contract activity surged in August, as the overall value of contracts for future construction signed during the month improved by 24 percent over the same period of a year ago, McGraw-Hill Construction reported recently. However, two out of three markets fell during the month, though the residential sector grew by an incredible 38 percent compared to last year. Overall, the total value of new September contracts was estimated at nearly $5.6 billion, compared to the $4.5 billion figure reported last year.

The value of new residential contracts jumped by 38 percent compared to last September, with approximately $4.4 billion in new contracts. Meanwhile, the nonresidential sector fell by 13 percent, to total $856.2 million for the month, compared to last September's $982.6 million. The nonbuilding sector, which includes streets and highways, bridges and sewer and water projects, also fell, by 4 percent. This category totaled approximately $319.4 million, compared to the $331.5 million reported a year ago.

For the year-to-date, Florida activity is valued at nearly $52.3 billion for the first nine months of 2005, or about 17 percent ahead of the same period of a year ago. The nonresidential category is down by 6 percent, totaling nearly $8.2 billion to date. The value of nonbuilding contracts, estimated at slightly more than $5.2 billion, is 10 percent ahead of the 2004 pace. Residential is approximately 24 percent ahead of last year, with a cumulative value of roughly $38.9 billion.

HDR Picked for Downtown Fort Lauderdale Redevelopment

Broward County recently selected HDR to provide public-private partnership development advisory services for the Downtown Campus, an urban revitalization project in the heart of downtown Fort Lauderdale.

Broward County is within eight years of exhausting its available vacant land, and market pressure is expected to redevelop underutilized land throughout the county. The county commission has established a focused redevelopment effort to help increase area residents' quality of life, and is jump starting that investment through the Downtown Campus.

HDR will examine the feasibility of the endeavor, create a plan that is attractive to national developers, and then find a developer to finance, design, build and operate the mixed-use development project, which could include a governmental center, residential housing, office space, cultural amenities and retail shops. The county expects to spend $500,000 to $600,000 on the study.

Skanska Selected for $43 Million Orange County School Project

Skanska USA Building and local partner JCB Construction have been awarded a $43 million contract for construction of the Apopka Relief High School in Apopka. The project will feature 10 buildings totaling approximately 350,000 sq. ft., and will include classrooms, an auditorium, media center and sports facilities. Completion is targeted for 2007.

Catalfumo Chosen for European Club in Hallandale Beach

Catalfumo Construction of Palm Beach Gardens has been chosen as construction manager for The European Club, a mixed-use project in Hallandale Beach.

The 29-story project consists of 122,800 sq. ft. of commercial space, 155 condo-hotels and 118 residential units. It also will include space for banking, retail and offices at the pedestrian level.

Construction is set to begin late 2006, with completion scheduled for 2008.

Batson-Cook Breaks Ground for St. Vincent's Medical Center Projects

Batson-Cook Co. of Jacksonville has broken ground for two projects totaling $13.5 million for St. Vincent's Medical Center in Jacksonville. The 23,000 sq.-ft. Riverhouse project will serve as a new home for the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul sisters who service the hospital. It also will provide overnight stay rooms for out-of-town patients. The $4.5 million, three-story King Street Medical Office Building project will total roughly 55,671 sq. ft.

H.J. High Starts on Pair of Projects

H.J. High Construction Co. has broken ground on the first two phases of the new T. Dewitt Taylor Middle/High School replacement campus in Pierson. The scope of work includes the construction of a 10-building, 185,000 sq.-ft. campus. Initial occupancy of the three-phase project is expected by December 2006, with final completion slated for late 2007. The architect for the project is BRPH Architects + Engineers of Melbourne.

The contractor also announced it has been chosen as construction manager for the Pine Castle United Methodist Church Sanctuary and Classroom Building. Designed by R. Miller Architecture, the three-story, 57,000 sq.-ft. building will include a 1,250-seat sanctuary, chapel, classrooms, children's church and administrative areas.

Brasfield & Gorrie Tops Out Jacksonville Condo Project

Brasfield & Gorrie topped out the first of two phases at the Marina San Pablo Condominium project in Jacksonville. This phase consists of a 246,000-sq.-ft., 12-story condominium with 56 units, a 90-slip marina, and a 5,000-sq.-ft. yacht club. Phase I is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2006.

Phase II is a 12-story, 57-unit condominium, and is scheduled to begin January 1, 2006. The owner is Vestcor and the architect is Rink, Reynolds, Diamond, Fisher, Wilson Architects of Jacksonville.

Baker Barrios Unveils Design for Village of Imagine

Baker Barrios Architects of Orlando recently unveiled its designs for The Village of Imagine, a new resort-style condominium-hotel and village development located on Universal Boulevard across from the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.

Phase one of the resort, designed by Raymond Letkeman Architects, includes 470 condominium units and 43,000 sq. ft. of retail, food and beverage space. Construction was scheduled to begin in 2005, with a tentative completion date of early 2008. The Village of Imagine will be constructed in three phases and when complete will include 1,000 residential units and 50,000 sq. ft. of commercial space.

The developer is Intrawest Corp., and Baker Barrios Architects is the architect of record, and is also handling the construction administration and documentation.

Miller Construction Starts on Commerce Park Place Project

Miller Construction Co. of Fort Lauderdale has begun construction of a new 126,207 sq.-ft. tilt-wall office/warehouse condominium project, Commerce Park Place, in West Palm Beach.

Designed by Wolfberg Alvarez Architects of Miami, the project consists of three buildings, to be built in two phases, for owner Integrated Property Services.

Cornerstone Conversion Completes in Downtown Orlando

Construction of Cornerstone, a department store-to-office condominium conversion, completed recently. Located in downtown Orlando, the department store was renovated to include 94,800 sq. ft. of leased office condominiums. Also, 23,900 sq. ft. of ground-floor space was renovated for retail use.

The project owner was Kuhn Development. Baker Barrios Architects of Orlando was the designer.

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