Premium ContentMouse over Home then click on Premium Content for information.The 83,000-square-foot entertainment complex is fully committed, with a few merchants yet to move in, said John Hughes of Magnum Development Corp.
Commercial space developed by Noddle Cos. is 93 percent occupied, said spokesman Kyle Peterson of Colliers International.
The 70-acre village is about 50 percent built, said Hughes, and “demand is exceeding supply.”
Among newest tenants: DLR, Mojo's Smokehouse & Ales restaurant and bar, Blue Cross Blue Shield.
This weekend's events include: Saturday, Baby Fair, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; “Playing With Fire” concert, 4 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.; Sunday, Farmers Market, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
What do you get when you cut loose a bunch of architects and engineers to design their own work building?
For starters: two years of self-examination, extreme attention to detail and do-overs to get it just right.
"Everyone's a critic," said Mike Kros, senior associate in the DLR Group. "All of us have high expectations; it made for some fun days."
In the end, though, Omaha gets three stories of airy, industrial-tech-looking space highlighted by bright colors, natural sunlight and some of the most environment-friendly features around.
The new $10 million headquarters of the DLR Group also was built as a learning lab where students, clients and others will be invited to get a close look at how cutting-edge office systems operate.
This weekend, the 72 local employees of the international firm that provides architecture, engineering and planning services will start moving into their 39,000-square-foot building at 6457 Frances St. in Aksarben Village. And they're pumped.
"It's just a great place to be — you live, work and play here," said Rick Dubes, an architect and principal at the firm.
From Dubes' second-floor workspace, he can gaze out floor-to-ceiling windows and see the sprawling midtown Aksarben Village that his firm helped plan. Shops, restaurants, a fitness center and businesses are surrounded by housing, a movie theater, a park and trails.
Indeed, it was when DLR was working on the Aksarben master plan (which replaced the former Ak-Sar-Ben horse track and arena) that it decided to build anew there rather than renovate the Regency Park offices where the firm had been for 40 years.
Officials saw the campus near 67th and Center Streets as a model for revitalizing Omaha's inner city. They also saw it as an opportunity to apply their design practices to their own work environment.
The building is on pace to obtain LEED Gold certification, an esteemed environmental title. DLR will occupy about 21,000 square feet on the second and third floors and will lease a level.
"We're not only talking the talk, we're walking the walk," said Kros.
A few of the building's standout elements:
>> Huge windows (referred to as a glazed curtain wall) let natural light stream in on the north face. The south wall might look like it's winking, but those are outdoor shades that automatically tilt to adjust sunlight.
>> Tubular light fixtures have a dimming device intended to save energy on sunny days.
>> A raised floor hiding power and data lines. Placement of heating and cooling duct work underfoot and closer to people, instead of above the ceiling, improves air flow and conserves energy.
>> Motion sensors at work stations turn off radios and other appliances when nobody is around.
>> A parking lot built with electrical outlets in anticipation of workers charging electric cars.
Construction proceeded despite tough economic times, said senior principal Tom Penney. He said a delay in the original fall 2010 move-in date largely was due to testing and energy efficiency goals.
Budget constraints led to a delay of an environmental-friendly "green roof," Dubes said. However, the building can support one in the future, and reflective materials help limit heat absorption.
DLR planners take pride in knowing that more than 75 percent of what normally would have been thrown away in a construction project was recycled. More than 90 percent of the steel was recycled, some from reused car parts, they said.
Something the staff gives up in their new digs is privacy — but that's a good thing, Penney said.
The firm wants to promote strong collaboration among architects and engineers, he said, so table desks and an open environment replaced most of the high partitions and private offices of the old site.
"Huddle rooms" are available when private conversations are needed. The glass, sound-resistant rooms are in the center of the second floor where architects and engineers will be based.
The building's third floor is largely accounting services for the firm established in Omaha in 1966 as Dana Larson Roubal and Associates. Today, DLR has 500 employees in 21 U.S. offices and Shanghai.
While the firm has been involved with a range of projects (including the Union Pacific dispatch center, the Qwest Center Omaha, the Peter Kiewit Institute and Werner Park), it is known as one of the country's top K-12 school designers. Penney said that led to his research into the psychological benefits of natural lighting and window views in boosting productivity.
He and his colleagues also can catch direct sun rays by walking onto a second floor balcony/break room that overlooks the urban village.
Already, the move seems to be energizing the DLR crew. Some have joined the neighboring fitness center; others are planning visits to the farmers market and weekend concerts.
Dubes is considering a change to join colleagues who will bike to work.
"The thought's entering my mind."
Contact the writer:
402-444-1224, cindy.gonzalez@owh.com
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