The Water Campus

[ehyfield]

Not really “necessary.” It’s just a creative idea. It will be interesting to see how many new lights pop up on Nicholson as the corridor fills in.


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[ehyfield]

Roundabouts cause traffic to slow down, which is something that area might need in the future as the number of vehicles and pedestrians grows. They are also a safer way to execute a U-turn on roads with small medians without causing a backup or rear end accident.


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[richyb83]

I like the idea...things could slow down a bit on Nicholson.....where exactly Roundabouts might work best can be a bit tricky...the I-10 Miss. River Bridge Off Ramp Loop at that intersection (on your map) could present a problem......for me  personally if one were to be built....it  would go one Block south at Oklahoma Street near River House.  An nice entrance way into the future River District; i won't give up on in 10 years?

We could always add this topic to the Roundabout thread

I know in the Future a  Roundabout was supposed to go on Nicholson near the South Gate...not sure when (if ever)

Edited April 12, 2018 by richyb83

[ehyfield]

Moved to Roundabout thread...


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[greg225]

    Water Campus featured on CNBC series                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      https://www.businessreport.com/article/water-campus-featured-cnbc-series          

[richyb83]

Eye-catching Water Institute in downtown Baton Rouge earns architectural awards

The American Institute of Architects Baton Rouge presented three of its 2018 AIA Baton Rouge Rose Awards to the Water Institute, including its highest honor, the Gold Rose Award. Three separate juries chose the building for the Gold Rose, Members Choice and Sustainability Award, said AIA Executive Director Kathleen Gordon.

“The building appears in motion, like a grasshopper ready to leap into the water,” one of the judges wrote. “The structural system is well conceived, as is the detailing.”

Marvin “Buddy” Ragland, of Coleman Partners Architects, was the lead designer on the project, which included input from the Perkins and Will architectural firm in Seattle. The wedge-shaped building sits over the Mississippi River batture — and when the water is high, over the river itself — and connects by a series of steps to the old City Dock.

The Water Institute, which connects academic, public and private researchers studying delta, coastal and water systems, is designed to be the focal point for the Water Campus. The major street being built through the 35-acre site will lead straight to the Water Institute and the ramp that connects it to the world inside the levee.

#rest of article

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/entertainment_life/article_ac12ba02-a491-11e8-9baf-07d2ec2df4a9.html

[richyb83]

Wow...that's some EXPEN$IVE OFFICE SPACE!   Need to Take a Pic of the New Street in Water Campus...but dont think the sun will be out for the next 4  days or so.  + with 4-story developments like this;  don't see a High-rise office building anywhere near Downtown for a long time...

Leasing challenges for under-construction Water Campus office building

It’s been six months since global engineering and design firm Stantec announced it was moving into a 14,000-square-foot space on the fourth floor of 1200 Brickyard Lane, the 94,000-square-foot building under construction at the Water Campus. But with a softening downtown office market and the high costs associated with constructing a new building, few other businesses are signing up for office space.

Leasing agents say they’re planning to land one tenant by the end of March, and they’re in talks with another possible lessee who may sign on within three months. However, it’s unlikely those would fill the remaining 80,000-square-feet of space, let alone several other multi-tenant office buildings tentatively planned for the development.

“It’s hard to get people to bear the price for a new building, but that’s a problem anybody would have,” says Donna Whalen Little of Corporate Realty, which is handling leasing for the building. “Conceptually, it’s hard to pre-lease property when you have nothing to show them yet.”

Rental rates for the Water Campus office space are also on the high-end, coming out at $30 per square foot, though Little says that includes all expenses as well as a tenant improvement allowance so that businesses can build out their spaces.

“The space is brand-new and beautiful, but with that comes a cost,” says Jonann Stutzmann, an agent with NAI/Latter & Blum who handles properties mostly in the Acadian/College corridor. “Whether the Baton Rouge market can support a rate structure that high, that’s where the issue comes in.”

https://www.businessreport.com/realestate/leasing-challenges-for-under-construction-water-campus-office-building

[richyb83]

Old Municipal Dock transformed at The Water Campus

Looks cool at night from River Road ; the levee is hiding the very bottom part

[richyb83]

Office building from ^ Above Feb 9th  post .....

Taken a few months ago...nice looking building; almost looks like two buildings; would like to see it Cut in the middle (1/2); stacking on top of each other...making it 8-stories; saving some land too.

[richyb83]

Here's the new Water Street under construction leading to the Old City Dock (now the Center for Coastal & Deltaic Solutions)  at the Water Campus...

Didn't get the pic had hoped going north-bound on Nicholson...back 1/2 of Taxi got in the way

[richyb83]

20 loft apartments and park coming to Water Campus

Twenty loft-style apartments and an adjacent park will soon break ground at the Water Campus, officials said during today’s Downtown Development District meeting.

The 20 apartments—called 200 Water Street—will take up four floors in a standalone building that will begin construction sometime within the next week, says Tina Rance, vice president of marketing for Commercial Properties Realty Trust.

Around the same time, more than $1 million worth of work will also begin on Main Square, a planned park located in between the apartments and 1200 Brickyard Lane, the multilevel office building anchored by Stantec. Serving as the park’s centerpiece will be a fountain, modeled after the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain in London, with bikeshare stations and electric vehicle charging stations also located in the space.

“It will be a gathering place for the campus where people can go out and eat their lunch and enjoy being near the water,” Rance says.

Construction on both developments will last approximately 10 months, with pre-leasing beginning in three months. Meanwhile, she says efforts to access the Water Campus from South Boulevard will likely take a few more years, as the campus progresses and there are buildings north of Water Street.

https://www.businessreport.com/newsletters/20-loft-apartments-and-park-coming-to-water-campus

Editor’s Note: This story has been modified from an earlier version, which incorrectly stated the 20 loft apartments would be located in a 13-floor building, and that soil and railroad crossing issues were the reason efforts to access the Water Campus from South Boulevard would take a few years. Daily Report regrets these errors.

Edited October 9, 2019 by richyb83

[dan326]

Cool, maybe they'll build a tall one some day.

[richyb83]

New cyber coordination center aims to make Louisiana a cybersecurity leader

https://www.businessreport.com/newsletters/new-cyber-coordination-center-aims-to-make-louisiana-a-cybersecurity-leader

LUCKY BREAK: With 1200 Brickyard Lane still under construction, LED Secretary Don Pierson says it will be faster and more cost-efficient to get the Louisiana Cyber Coordination Center up and running. (Don Kadair)

[cajun]

When is Brown and Root going to develop their swanky new office tower in The Water Campus?  

Their line of work fits the campus's mission pretty closely.  

[richyb83]

On 12/27/2019 at 8:59 AM, cajun said:

When is Brown and Root going to develop their swanky new office tower in The Water Campus?  

Their line of work fits the campus's mission pretty closely.  

How prophetic Cajun!  Here's the New Brown & Root Tower!

APRIL FOOL's DAY

[richyb83]

200 Water Street under construction

 

Main Square under construction ..between 200 Water Street condos; 1200 Brickyard(forgot name of Company) & CPRA Bldg

[dan326]

Hey those look nice. I'ma have to drive by there to take a look.

[richyb83]

The Ramp entrance over the levee to the Water Campus Dock((Center for Coastal Deltaic Solutions))  looks pretty cool from this angle

[richyb83]

200 Water Street coming along on a rainy Summer day

[dan326]

Nice.

[cajun]

On 8/31/2020 at 2:28 PM, richyb83 said:

200 Water Street coming along on a rainy Summer day

That actually looks okay.  

It's a little modern for my tastes, but it's appropriate for the area.  It will look better when some trees are planted in front of it to mature it.   Sort of how my sister looks when you give her a surgical mask to hide her face.     

I wonder if they'll fill these up at all.     Not sure I'd want to live there since there's no retail yet, and these are probably too short to have a river view.  

Edited November 17, 2020 by cajun

[richyb83]

^^^ I hope those residential units have at least 9 foot tall ceilings??

Aptim moving from Shaw's former Essen Lane building to Water Campus downtown

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/business/article_de5c6c76-7b05-11ec-bce0-5b1814249017.html

Aptim, a global engineering and environmental consulting firm, is relocating its headquarters from the former Shaw Group building on Essen Lane to the Water Campus just south of downtown Baton Rouge.

The company expects to move into the Water Campus location at 1200 Brickyard Lane by the fall, according to a news release.

Aptim will take up 17,133 square feet at the building, spread out across the second and third floors, said George Bonvillain of Elifin Realty. Bonvillain and Will Chadwick at Elifin represented the Water Campus in the deal.

Opened in 2017, the Water Campus sits on 35 acres along the Mississippi River and is home to a number of coastal research institutions, most notably the LSU Center for River Studies and the Water Institute of the Gulf. Aptim's space will be near the LSU center.

[cajun]

On 1/22/2022 at 1:10 AM, richyb83 said:

^^^ I hope those residential units have at least 9 foot tall ceilings??

 

Head height looks like it's at least 9....so I would guess 9' ceilings.    Hard to tell without scale, but those doors are at least 6'8" tall.  They have what looks like an 18"-24" transom window, which must go all the way to the ceiling.    It's at the same height as the header of the windows.     

Not sure if they can do this, but I would like to see BREC add a small parking area on River Road near there.   There is a trail head at the Water Campus, but they can dress it up a bit sort of like what LSU did near the Vet school.   I think those lofts would be way cooler if they had a river view though.  They are on the wrong side of the Lemoine/APTIM building for that, and they are a few floors too short.   

Quote

Aptim moving from Shaw's former Essen Lane building to Water Campus downtown

Interesting about APTIM moving to a downtown office.  I figured Brown and Root will be moving next, but I guess now they'll have to look into a new building at the Water Campus that isn't built yet.   This probably fills up that commercial building completely given the list of tenants (National Guard Cyber Security center, Lemoine Company, Stephenson Disaster Management Institute, and now APTIM Consulting).   All of those names adds more legitimacy to the Water Campus and a very different business makeup that what we currently find downtown, which is primarily a financial, government, and legal business district.     The developers probably need to get the design work ready for the next spec building since they seem to be out of office space in the Water Campus now.    That's an incredible milestone to reach in the middle of a pandemic where so many people are working from home.

Will APTIM have the signature tenant status on that building on the Water Campus or will that go to Lemoine?     A business having their name on the building that's clearly visible from the often congested bridge could be a really good way to get their brand out there.    A building that close to the freeway can basically be a billboard for your company name (a particularly garish one if you are a personal injury lawyer).   

APTIM isn't a huge name the way that Shaw Group became in Baton Rouge, but they are a local consulting company tied in some ways to the energy industry.   They seem to be growing too and they might want to grow their brand awareness.    Lemoine is a huge name in the construction business on the gulf coast, but I don't think they have a sign on their building.  It's been a while since I've driven through that area though.

Engquist lives downtown (and owns vacant land there zoned for office) and Bernhard now owns companies that are based at the Water Campus.     That's the first time I remember the non-banking majors in the Baton Rouge business community having that many ties to downtown.    I hope that means that companies like H&E, EPIC, or Brown and Root seriously consider moving offices either on Lafayette Street or in the Water Campus.      I don't really know whose hands are on APTIM, but I'm glad they are here and seem to be right-sizing their space.    They are adding more legitimacy to the Water Campus, which is successful despite being fairly slow to come together.

Quote

 

The company expects to move into the Water Campus location at 1200 Brickyard Lane by the fall, according to a news release.

Aptim will take up 17,133 square feet at the building, spread out across the second and third floors, said George Bonvillain of Elifin Realty. Bonvillain and Will Chadwick at Elifin represented the Water Campus in the deal.

 

I don't want to sound like a crazy cat lady here.   You know I'm generally not a fan of government forcing additional expenses on developers or the nanny state.     But I think they are going to need to add cross arms on the sidewalks and the railroad crossing at Water Street eventually.    The plans are to develop the side of the tracks next to River Road into offices, retail, and parking, which means that there will be a lot of foot traffic crossing the tracks at Water Street.    

I think the city may want to consider updating the paved parking area underneath I-10 at Brickyard, including decorative lighting and some security.    Free, safe parking is going to be a huge help to developing the southern end of downtown from an entertainment business standpoint.    We can turn a major drawback (elevated I-10 running through the neighborhood) into an amenity that businesses want to locate near.    Then maybe we'll get lucky and the Belle of Baton Rouge will either relocate to the Atrium and significantly upgrade.....or leave town and let someone else take a stab at that real estate.

The WC will be a really nice area once all of the rumored entertainment businesses open up in the area around Pastime Lounge and Chealsea's.     There are a couple of other bars and restaurants that were in the planning stages there along South Blvd or Nicholson before the pandemic.   Chealsea's finally opened up there, which is HUGE.    They moved from one neighborhood underneath I-10 to another. 

Edited January 24, 2022 by cajun

[cajun]

Link to Business Report Daily Edition - Jan 31st 2022
 

Quote

 

One upcoming project will increase road access to the Water Campus. The Nicholson Corridor project will get underway this summer, Davies says, and will change the exit coming from Interstate 10 West to drop down onto Oklahoma Street rather than Terrace, allowing drivers to cross onto River Road directly.

The Water Street apartments are leasing up nicely, Davies says. As for potential business tenants, it’s too early to give names, he says, but a new building on the campus could be in the works, though the size and location have not been decided.

The Water Institute of the Gulf is booming, he says, and may soon double the number of its current employees, which is around 78, meaning the institute may need to expand. 

Overall, the biggest focus right now? “Everything,” Davies says. “It’s all working out the way it’s supposed to.”

 

It sounds like like we might be a year or two out from seeing another office building in The Water Campus between a potential new tenant and the Water Institute expansion.   They are probably also going to have to consider either a parking deck or a temporary parking lot if they have to add another 80,000-100,000 square foot building.  For 1200 Brickard, I think  Lemoine is on 3rd; Santec is on 4th.    And I think APTIM is taking the rest of the 2nd and 3rd floors.     

That's a surprisingly large building.    Probably still some space for Water Institute on 4th and 1st floor.   But not for any large scale tenant that wants everything on the same floor anymore.

 

Edited January 31, 2022 by cajun

[cajun]

Maybe the Water Campus needs more cool factor with more restaurants or something?   Perhaps they can improve this by expanding Brickyard Ln to South Blvd near Pastime Lounge?

Even if they construct another spec office building.....would you honestly open up a regional office (for a tech company, consulting firm, engineering company, or a big 4 accounting firm) in The Water Campus knowing that the office would need to be nice and "cool" enough to impressive potential new hires out of LSU, Tulane, etc.?  

I don't think it has that kind of momentum right now.     It still has that undeveloped feel to it, and what is there has a very corporate/ institutional look.  

Edited February 10, 2022 by cajun