Jump to content

The IBM Block


richyb83

Recommended Posts

IBM facilities provide preview ....Baton Rouge looks to other projects to predict local impact

 

When it was announced in late March that IBM would build a first-of-its-kind software development center in downtown Baton Rouge that will eventually employ 800 people, local elected officials and business leaders hailed it as a project that will transform the city.

 

IBM’s technology center in Baton Rouge also will be distinct from those in Michigan and Missouri in that it will be part of a large, mixed-use, riverfront development that will be a major catalyst for downtown revitalization,” Moret said in an email. He noted that IBM will have to report its Baton Rouge job numbers twice a year and the information will be posted on the LED website.

 

*rest of article*

http://theadvocate.com/news/business/6108052-123/ibm-facilities-provide-preview

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

IBM groundbreaking slated for late September

A groundbreaking on IBM's new 100,000-square-foot riverfront complex is tentatively scheduled for late September, according to Tina Rance, a spokeswoman for Commercial Properties Realty Trust, which is developing the building for the state through the Baton Rouge Area Foundation's Wilbur Marvin Foundation. The Lemoine Company has been chosen as the general contractor on the $30.5 million, eight-story complex, which will cover the entire downtown block that once was the site of The Advocate's newsroom and offices. A committee led by the project's architects, Antunovich Associates, selected The Lemoine Company in April from among several Louisiana contractors, according to Rance, who says the contract was not required to be bid. The Lemoine Company, which is headquartered in Lafayette and has offices in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, is also part of a joint venture in charge of the ongoing Tiger Stadium expansion and has completed several other downtown projects, including The Shaw Center. IBM's plans, which were announced in late March, call for the downtown office tower to be completed by spring 2015, with an adjacent residential and ground-floor retail complex to be completed by summer 2015. —Stephanie Riegel

Read more from Business Report here: http://www.businessreport.com/section/daily-reportAM#ixzz2XLf6epD4

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

The 8-story IBM Office will break ground later next week :shades:

 

IBM groundbreaking set for Sept. 26.... Startups, giants share spotlight

 

The groundbreaking for the IBM Service Center will be held at 2 p.m. Sept. 26 in downtown Baton Rouge.

 

The ceremonial event actually will be held at the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center on Lafayette Street, a few blocks down the street from where the IBM office will be built. The groundbreaking was moved to the Capitol Center to accommodate the expected turnout, and in case of bad weather, said Lauren Hatcher, a spokeswoman for the Baton Rouge Area Chamber.

 

IBM is set to open its offices in Baton Rouge in spring 2015. About 800 people are expected to work in the building, which will be on the former site of The Advocate on Lafayette, bordered by North and Main streets. An 11-story residential tower, with 95 apartments and nine luxury town homes, also will be part of the development. The residential units will be completed by summer or fall 2015.

 

The Lemoine Co. will serve as contractor for the $55 million project.

 

http://theadvocate.com/news/business/7076131-123/ibm-groundbreaking-set-for-sept

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awesome news! The IBM development is going to change everything for downtown. It's going to impact the job market and local economy in the entire region.

Hopefully wages for IT professionals in Louisiana will finally be more competitive with Houston and Atlanta. Maybe we can draw some of those people back to Baton Rouge who left for greener pastures in the IT field.

Edited by cajun
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awesome news! The IBM development is going to change everything for downtown. It's going to impact the job market and local economy in the entire region.

Hopefully wages for IT professionals in Louisiana will finally be more competitive with Houston and Atlanta. Maybe we can draw some of those people back to Baton Rouge who left for greener pastures in the IT field.

I'm hoping for this also. Software devs in dallas make on average 100k to 110k where in br its more like 65k to 75k.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Does anyone know how the height of the IBM towers would look in relationship to the other buildings downtown?  I noticed in the renderings that the new Hampton Inn hotel looks real small compared to the new IBM complex. I still think the residential tower should’ve been at least 13+ stories…ijs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If the Hampton Inn is just 7 stories, it seems as if the rendering is kinda exaggerating the height of the building. I don’t know if it is the elevation at the IBM site that makes it look taller than other buildings of that size or what.   In the renderings it shows that the IBM “towers” dwarfing the Hampton Inn and other buildings.  I just hope to see better from a design standpoint on whatever “tower” goes up next.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's supposed to be a parking deck under it with a retail component somewhere.....might explain the height (similar to how the Hilton looks from the river road elevation). I think the ceilings in the commercial office building are a bit higher than what you see in the little Hampton. From the river road side, it's probably comparable to a 10 or 11 story building, which will be a bit taller than the adjacent buildings. The scale in the renderings appear correct. Both buildings seem to have a 8'-12' parapet wall that is probably hiding M/E stuff on the roof. Some renderings show what might be a green roof (grass?) on the IBM building....maybe they'll have an outdoor meet space up there. The IBM building in particular looks like it may have the Dynamic Glass that tints itself when necessary (Like some of the Viracon products I've seen).

There are four levels (of what is probably mostly well disguised parking )underneath both "towers". The 4 levels under the residential side seem to be apartments flanking a parking deck with lots of balconies.

The IBM side looks like more office space for the entire 8 levels. The renderings show a 5 or 6 level residential "tower" on top of this 4 level structure. The residential portion looks slightly recessed with a large outdoor deck at the 5th level. It's probably going to be a pretty nice place to live.

The IBM component is making this the most exciting downtown project that I can remember. Definately a game changer, and I don't use words like that often.

Edited by cajun
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Having a major, single tenant office center built from the ground up a downtown setting is fairly rare these days. It isn't just old rust belt companies like Chrysler or P&G. It's rare for modern tech centers especially- many of which follow the whole Silicon Valley office campus trend in layout and style over the past 20 years.

Intel in Santa Clara, CA

Microsoft World Headquarters in Redmond, WA

Century Link headquarters in Monroe, LA

Apple in Cupernico, CA

FedEx World Tech Center in Collierville, TN

Intel Corp in Hillsboro, OR

Dell's campus in Round Rock, TX

Texas Instruments in Richardson, TX

BP'a US HQ is in a suburban area in western Houston near Katy, and we know Exxon is building something near the Woodlands that will rival ULM in size. We've sort of seen this trend with large health care centers as well. Suburban Atlanta is covered in campuses like that.

IBM's own corporate home offices are in a sprawling office complex surrounded by a forest north of New York City.

Most of these major corporations seem to choose large tracts in or near top tier, inner ring suburbs to develop into a sprawling office campus- and many are chosen over downtowns within very nice cities (nicer than Baton Rouge).

It's a major coup for Baton Rouge to have IBM downtown instead of in St George or somewhere off Corporate. I think if housing prices in town were any more expensive, they'd have preferred to move to a suburban area for their employees.

Edited by cajun
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Plan BR from 1998 still gets credit for this development(told you that thread would be crowded)....Wonder WHICH other properties around BR were once considered for IBM??

 

Big deal for Big Blue....Parking garage pitch sold IBM on BR plan

 

In summer 2012, economic development officials with the city and state were at a crossroads. Baton Rouge was one of several cities in the running for an IBM Service Center that would create hundreds of jobs and dramatically boost Louisiana’s efforts to develop its software industry and knowledge-based economy.

 

There was one problem: IBM wanted about 100,000 square feet of office space for its service center and company officials didn’t like any of the properties they had seen. A meeting was held to come up with some sort of compelling site for IBM, 10 days before company officials returned to Baton Rouge.

Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Stephen Moret said a decision was made during the two-hour meeting that the city and state should solve the problem by building a suitable office.

 

“We came up with doing this on the Manship site (the property on Lafayette Street that had been the home of The Advocate),” he said. A decision was made to make the property a mixed-use development, since the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and the Downtown Development District, two of the partners at the meeting, had a longstanding goal of getting more people to live downtown.

 

*Rest of article...pic shown

http://theadvocate.com/news/business/7683173-123/big-deal-for-big-blue

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • 2 months later...

Wanted to go take some updated construction pics on my day off yesterday...however the rainy/icy weather + bad traffic made it a "no-go"....will try again ASAP. 

 

Some of the vertical pilings are now up...the tower crane looks cool from I-110 :shades:  

 

This thread needed a bump up!

 

Maybe we can change the name of this topic to "The New IBM  Block"??

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.