Embracing innovation, sustainability and community engagement remains paramount as Texas’s commercial real estate landscape evolves, something. The Beck Group knows well. With a diverse portfolio spanning the United States, Mexico and internationally, Beck continues to redefine industry standards. Matt Leyman, regional director of Beck’s Dallas office, offered his insight into how his firm is addressing client and market demands. Fluctuating interest rates have significantly influenced private- and commercial-sector projects, particularly in office and multifamily spaces. Developers, Leyman said, are being challenged to initiate projects, with pre-leasing becoming a prerequisite for commencement. Uncertainty looms over the office market as organizations reassess workspace needs. Despite a shrinking private market, the public sector remains robust, with project for local entities and data centers driving demand.

“The Beck Group has initiated measures to mitigate this problem by increasing job-site efficiency and productivity, which benefits everyone, including our trade partners,” shared Leyman. “This approach involves integrating deeper into supply chains, creating cost benefits, and improving fabrication/production efficiencies.” Clients, he added, are embracing the design-build delivery method, Beck’s specialty. “Design-Build is the teaming of two separate design and construction firms in a formal agreement or, in our case, contracting with fully integrated firms like Beck,” Leyman explained. For example, Texas Health Huguley commissioned Beck’s design tea to plan and assess a new patient tower for its campus. Then Beck’s construction team successfully completed a six-story patient bed tower featuring a ground floor with a new public lobby and administrative spaces, a women’s services floor and three additional levels that house med/surg units with 36 inpatient beds per floor. Reflecting changes in healthcare standards, the new facility’s rooms are nearly double the size of the original private patient rooms, providing ample space for equipment and visiting family members. Leyman also highlighted surging demand for sustainable building materials, driven by regulatory standards, consumer preferences and environmental consciousness. This shift towards eco-friendly materials aligns with Beck’s green building initiatives and underscores the firm’s commitment to durability and cost-effectiveness. “At Beck, we implement sustainable building materials, evaluate construction activities that reduce emissions and develop corporate strategies that set us apart from our peers in design and construction,” said Leyman. The trend towards adaptive reuse and repurposing of existing buildings also reflects Beck’s commitment to sustainability and urban revitalization. “High-rise towers are becoming a mix of product types with retail, office, multifamily and hotel constructed in a vertically stacked design,” Leyman said. This approach minimizes environmental impact, reduces resource consumption and contributes to neighborhood preservation. “We are developing strategies and workflows to consider the total life span of buildings. A material’s durability, long-term maintenance, future adaptability, eventual building demolition and material recyclability are taking priority,” said Leyman. “Our team is also future-proofing buildings by designing and building with flexible layouts, movable or demountable partitions and prefabricated components. We’re incorporating strategies for technological advancements. We also prioritize energy efficiency and try to understand climate threats better so that buildings can withstand extreme conditions.” At the Old Parkland West Campus in Dallas, Beck’s design and construction teams helped Crow Family Holdings bring its vision of a new headquarters to life by redeveloping the neglected historic hospital into a stunning Class A-plus office campus. Beck is currently working on the West Overlook of Trinity Park Conservancy’s longawaited 250-acre Harold Simmons Park just west of downtown Dallas. The former industrial site had an existing long shed, which was incorporated into the design, along with an event lawn, café, skate and bike park, water features, play cove with a cable ferry, six two story interactive towers and more.

Another trend Leyman has witnessed in commercial property design is an emphasis on wellness and employee well-being. Projects are increasingly focused on providing amenities and experiences akin to luxury hotels, fostering vibrant and inspiring environments. “Live-work-play concepts are dominating the place-making effort. One example is the office environment. Office buildings are shifting to a service- and amenities-focused competition in response to those who generally want to experience vibrant, comfortable, and inspiring environments. Also, developers are repurposing old office spaces into multi-family,” Leyman said. “The new office model is increasingly focused on mixed-use, offering a combination of retail, outdoor space and place-making, hospitality and multi-family.” He pointed out that higher mortgage rates and the rising cost of homeownership are forcing younger generations into the rental market earlier in their careers. Additionally, Leyman added, many younger people working in urban areas are shunning renting in the suburbs, opting to live in amenities-focused apartments closer to work. Meantime, Leyman said technological advancements are reshaping construction methodologies, enhancing efficiency, safety and quality assurance. From sophisticated quantity take-off tools to safety applications utilizing photo recognition, he said the industry is witnessing a paradigm shift and Beck is adapting as needed. “Our team is continually developing and honing in on the most efficient applications,” Leyman said. “There are innovations in on-site or nearsite fabrication technologies. These relatively new applications would benefit prefabrication without the challenges associated with full modular factory prefabrication.” Beck’s imprint on the built environment will be a lasting one, created via a holistic approach to construction that incorporates collaboration, diversity and education initiatives.

Vision Commercial Real Estate vice president Barrett England completed a purchase and several lease negotiations at 1005 N. Saginaw Blvd., in Saginaw, Texas.

England assisted developer Blazing Hospitality in the purchase of a .98-acre tract that was home to a run-down metal building. The developer worked with the city to take advantage of a Chapter 380 Economic Development Agreement to aid with the demolition of the previous building to make way for a new 8,000-square-foot commercial strip that is already leased to several new tenants. Construction is expected to be completed in early Q3 2024.

After the purchase, Vision Commercial’s England and  Director Jack Sclafani took over leasing efforts and quickly inked deals with Tim Hortons Coffee, Bakery, and Café, Firehouse Subs and LiquorLand. There’s one opportunity left to join these name brand tenants in an in-line, 1,250 SF space.

In lease negotiations, Kendall Graff with Woodmont represented Firehouse Subs. Tim Hortons was represented by Max Keffer and Alden Harris of SHOP Companies.

Cushman & Wakefieldrepresented Shoo Loong Kan, a Singapore-based restaurant group specializing in Chongqing/Sichuan hot pot cuisine, in its lease at West on West shopping center in Houston and at Carrollton Town Center in Carrollton, Texas.

In Houston, Shoo Loong Kan plans to open its 6,213-square-foot space at West on West, 12220 Westheimer Road, the restaurant’s first Texas location, and will follow with a 6,330-square-foot Carrollton restaurant.

Cushman & Wakefield’s Michael Pittman II, Michael Burgower, and Rachel Granstrom represented Shoo Loong Kan in lease negotiations with West on West owner NewQuest Properties, which also owns the Carrollton location.

Adolfson & Peterson Construction completed two projects with the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas.

The Jazz Lab renovation included updating 3,932 square feet of space within the Music Building. The project encompassed acoustical performance improvements, interior renovations, the addition of instructional technology with recording/webcasting capabilities and new furnishings, along with HVAC and ADA compliance modifications. The area serves as rehearsal space for the university’s nine jazz lab bands, including the seven-time Grammy-nominated One O’Clock Lab Band®, as well as four vocal jazz ensembles.

AP also constructed UNT’s Advanced Air Mobility (UAAM) Test Center, a 120′ length x 300′ width x 80′ height netted facility supporting research in unmanned air systems and ground autonomous vehicles. A contained facility, the Air Mobility Lab creates all-weather conditions with full FAA compliance, enabling testing and analysis of Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle (UAV) physical robustness and safety criteria including hard-ground impact, collisions, and effects of high-speed maneuvers on flight dynamics and controls.

This facility is part of UNT’s Center for Integrated Intelligent Mobility Systems (CIIMS), which was established in 2020. CIIMS brings together various expertise, including engineering and business, around intelligent mobility, such as autonomous flight, ground vehicles and the systems that enable their deployment.

Smith Group is the Music Lab project architect, while Walter P Moore serves as the architect for the Air Mobility Lab.

Expect the office sector’s struggles to continue for the next five years … at least. That’s the sobering news from a new study from Clarify Capital.

According to Clarify Capital’s student, 16% of surveyed business owners who currently rent an office space plan to decrease or eliminate that space within the next year.

Clarify Capital found that an additional 24% of surveyed owners who currently rent an office space plan to do the same, ditching that space or downsizing it, within the next five years.

In its survey of 663 business owners, Clarify Capital found that one in five of those owners preparing to downsize or eliminate their office space are doing so because their employees prefer remote or hybrid work.

Owners in certain businesses are more likely to make this shift. Clarify Capital found that 44% of business owners in the marketing space plan to downsize or eliminate office space while 25% in the healthcare space and 24% in technology plan to do the same.

A total of 43% of buisness owners who told Clarify Capital that they want to reduce or eliminate their office space said they are making this move to reduce their costs. A total of 20% said that they are doing this because their employees prefer remote or hybrid work, while 14% are making this move because they need less office space because of efficiency improvements or changes to their business models.

There is some good news for office owners and brokers, though, in Clarify Capital’s report. Its survey found that 57% of surveyed business owners say they will keep the same amount of office space during the next year while 26% said that they will increase the amount of space they need.

And in the next five years? A total of 34% of surveyed business owners said that they would keep the same amount of office space during this period while 41% said that they would rent additional space.

In partnership with the Housing Authority of the City of Austin, The NRP Group celebrated the grand-opening of The Markson, a 330-unit mixed-income housing development in Austin, Texas’, Barton Springs community.

As a part of both organizations’ commitment to creating affordable housing options for Austin residents, more than half of the units will be reserved for residents earning 80% of the Area Median Income. 

The Markson meets the neighborhood’s demand for quality, accessible workforce housing, and embodies the vision that Dan Markson carried throughout his 30-year career. Through his tireless efforts, bold leadership, and brilliant partnership development, Dan Markson changed the affordable housing landscape, leading to the creation of over 29,000 multifamily units in Texas, with more to come. 

The Markson is one of the eight developments created in partnership with HACA, comprising over 2,300 units throughout the city. The organization serves over 25,000 Austin residents through 21 Project-Based Rental Assistance Properties, Voucher Programs, and the Austin Affordable Housing Corporation.

The Markson offers affordable rents for people who provide critical services, including teachers and first responders, close to their places of work. To assist local school teachers in finding affordable housing, NRP Group is also extending one month of free rent to all employees of nearby St. Andrew’s Episcopal School. The community’s location offers easy access to downtown Austin and nearby employment centers, like Yeti and NXP, catering to essential workers and local employees alike.

The Markson residents will enjoy an array of outdoor amenities, including a landscaped pool courtyard with private cabanas, an outdoor kitchen with grills, bocce ball, volleyball courts, and a dog park. The property’s sky lounge offers indoor and outdoor gathering spaces complemented by sweeping views of downtown Austin, providing a serene retreat for residents, families, and their guests.

Residents will also have access to a pet spa, bike storage, conference rooms, co-working lounge space, coffee bar, fitness center, game room, and package concierge. The community features a central parking garage with electric vehicle charging stations for added convenience. The Markson comprises one- to three-bedroom units with monthly rents ranging from $1,487 to $3,182. Residences are available in two different in-unit finishes—toffee flat panel or cream shaker style—and offer stainless steel appliances, pure white quartz countertops, luxury vinyl plank flooring, and keyless entry. A selection of units feature outdoor balconies.

Situated within the lush backdrop of the Barton Creek Wilderness Park, residents of The Markson will have access to a scenic nature trail, reservoir, the nearby Barton Creek Greenbelt, and over 20 acres of preserved nature area. The entire property is landscaped with native prairie plantings.