Office Goes Tilt Wall
Tilt wall development is well established in the industrial sector, but suddenly its taking the suburban Class-A office market by storm. We sat down with Powers Browns Jeffrey Brown, whos pioneering tilt wall construction, making it stronger, taller, and sexier than youd ever imagine.
Jeffrey tells us tilt wall office projects (or value office, a term Powers Brown trademarked) are largely taking hold in the market thanks to equity requirements to develop. When you have to cough up 40% of your deal, you put more pressure on decreasing construction prices. But you don't want to cut quality; weve all heard how companies are using their offices to recruit talent. Jeffrey believes value office is the only way to get there. It saves $10/SF over traditional construction, with all the same appeal. That helps lenders get the returns they need to capitalize development.
Heres COREs 8 West Centre, which has an unheard of 67% glass-to-wall ratio, a significant stride in the appearance of value office (unless you're looking for a quick place to change). Jeffrey tells us tilt wall office projects actually have some aesthetic advantages over traditional design; for example, the layout has no exterior columns and can do cantilevered glass corner offices. Construction time is much shorter, but theres no difference in the DNA of the building. Thats why he says every major office developer in Houston is considering the product.
Jeffrey tells us Houston is on the leading edge of the movement, largely because we have a plethora of 300-ton cranes that can lift the 30-foot panels required to do taller tilt wall facilities. (If your city doesn't have as many, the cost to get the crane cancels out savings from design.) 8 West Centre was the first property locally to use these larger panels, which Power Brown developed when creating a blast-resistant tilt wall facility in DC.
Above, an introspective white car ponders whether its own creation was sort of like tilt wall.With 30-foot panels, Powers Brown is innovating taller tilt wall properties. Houstons first five-story project is under constructionTranswesterns Westgate office. And Stream Realty is about to launch a six-story office, above.Sierra Pines Phase 2 will be the tallest tilt wall project in Texas (and as far as Jeffrey knows, the country). He believes this is the tallest the industry can go with load-bearing walls. If you want to know more about value office, keep your eyes peeled: Powers Brown has a book out to publishers now on the topic.
