Devon Energy to build city's largest tower

[BigRedJed]

Linky (http://www.newsok.com/article/3215672/)

More (http://newsok.com/article/3215602)

Yet more (http://newsok.com/article/3215601)

[BigRedJed]

The height is actually probably going to be 40+ stories, and could even approach 50. The design is still in flux, and they were basing minimum height on square footage, before considering retail and other space. Some of the ultimate size of the building will also be dictated by the staff growth during the planning stages. Obviously, that sector continues to expand at a breakneck pace.

Either way, it will forever change the skyline. Thanks, Devon!

[birddog]

so it's going to be directly north of the botanical gardens? if so, that;s good news because that area looks like skid row.

[BigRedJed]

Directly north of the Gardens is now a surface parking lot with underground structure. A block north but in the same parcel of land is the brand new Galleria parking garage facility, which was designed with this type of devolopment in mind. It's a beautiful parking structure, at least by OKC standards. Immediately north of there is the Maps-funded $20+ million Ron Norick Downtown Library.

I'm not sure what you mean by "looks like skid row." It looks like a landscaped, modern parking area, and is adjacent to the Colcord Hotel (http://www.colcordhotel.com/). :confused:

There are areas west of there that look a little derelict, however.

[BigRedJed]

Subject area, with the Galleria Garage in the background:

http://www.dougloudenback.com/downtown/03.jpg

[BigRedJed]

Other shot of Galleria Garage:

http://www.acecok.org/entrance-1.jpg

[BigRedJed]

Another Galleria shot. The area from which this photo is taken is roughly where the tower will be located.

http://www.acecok.org/Night-Shot-1.jpg

[Jimminy Crimson]

Devon, FTW!!! :D

"Big ups" to Larry Nichols. This has been rumored for quite a while.

Looks like OKC will once again regain the 'tallest building in the state' crown.

[Taxman71]

Interesting they would do this while Downtown OKC office space is among the cheapest in the land...oh well, maybe they'll quit hogging the elevators in every other building downtown:D

[Sooner Born Sooner Bred]

Then I wonder who will move into their old MidAmerica building? OG&E maybe? Their peeps are scattered all over too.

[BudSooner]

Devon, FTW!!! :D

"Big ups" to Larry Nichols. This has been rumored for quite a while.

Looks like OKC will once again regain the 'tallest building in the state' crown.

Well if it does reach 50 floors, then nice try--


One Williams Center Tulsa
Height: 203m (667 ft)
52 floors
Architect: Minoru Yamasaki
Completed: 1976
It's ok, OKC still has Frontier City. :D

[yermom]

Devon, FTW!!! :D

"Big ups" to Larry Nichols. This has been rumored for quite a while.

Looks like OKC will once again regain the 'tallest building in the state' crown.

the BOK tower in Tulsa is ~50 stories, it's supposedly a 1/2 scale version of the WTC towers...

[sooneron]

I figured this would happen. Mary N. has been nagging Larry N. to build a nice building and to get out of the present ugly digs.

[Boomer.....]

Well if it does reach 50 floors, then nice try--

It's ok, OKC still has Frontier City. :D

:D

:pop:

[sooneron]

"To have 1 million square feet, it will probably be the tallest building downtown,” Nichols said. "That's not the goal — I don't care about having the tallest building or not. I do care that it be an iconic building, that it be distinctive building. It will change the skyline downtown, and we want to build a building that everyone will be proud to have in Oklahoma City.”

This is always nice to hear from the party involved in deciding upon the blueprints.

[JohnnyMack]

Oral Roberts is not impressed.

[BigRedJed]

Larry Nichols and Devon are EXTREMELY altruistic, and deeply committed to downtown. This has been in the works for years, but once Kerr-McGee left, they held off on this project, waiting to see if someone would fill that giant space before putting Mid-America tower, the space they have in Chase Tower and whatnot back into the market. It would have had pretty devastating consequences for the downtown real estate market.

The Chesapeake/Sand Ridge property deal, which brought Sand Ridge to the Kerr McGee complex, stabilized the market and made this possible.

Larry Nichols is famous for being a very conservative businessman. If you read OKC: Second Time Around by Steve Lackmeyer (coincidentally the writer of these articles) and Jack Money, you will find out how Devon survived the oil bust thanks to Nichols' resistance to go into a trendy basin in Texas where everyone else ultimately lost their shirt. He took a beating from his board over it, but ultimately was lauded as a hero. He can do no wrong with his BOD at this point.

The reason I bring this up is to say that he is also known to be an underpromise/overdeliver type. Privately this building has been discussed as being as tall as the mid-fifties as far as stories. They are still trying to determine future staff needs and other add-ons. I think he is not wrapped up around how tall it is, but instead how much impact it will make. Of course, that can involve how tall it is. Who knows where it ends up, but I'll say this: if Larry Nichols says it will be built it will be built. And be more impressive than he lets on publicly.

[BigRedJed]

Regarding the value of downtown properties, there is actually an extreme shortage of class A office space in downtown. Mid-America tower will lease extremely fast. Chase Tower also will lease quickly, depending on the comittment from its new Texas owner. There has been some recent tenant dissatisfaction in that building, unfortunately.

The glut of space in downtown has been mostly in the class C space. Most people move downtown to make a statement, and you're not going to make a statement in class C space. Remodel is often cost-prohibitive, as you could probably make more building new class A from the ground up than remodeling class C to A (where you still wouldn't end up with modern A). What is helping take the C space off the market recently is residential conversion. That will continue to happen, especially as Sand Ridge gets their staff fully relocated and as Devon grows and builds this new project. The demand for downtown high-rise living is exploding.

The downtown real estate market is actually QUITE robust, and is getting ready to get pretty crazy, IMO. Thanks, high oil prices!

[Mjcpr]

I wish George Kaiser owned an oil/natural gas company. :mad:

[BigRedJed]

Well, the good news is that he can do lots of energy sector lending. That made a lot of fortunes in the history of this state. Of course, it devasted some portfolios, too. Gots to be smart, and I'm pretty sure Kaiser is smart. :D

[BigRedJed]

Oh, he's also got a little energy company in his portfolio, too, in case you didn't know.

[sooneron]

Can I dream?

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1004/760350845_5241414046.jpg

[bri]

Well if it does reach 50 floors, then nice try

On the plus side, it probably will knock First Place Tower out of third place and might end up giving CityPlex a run for it's money in the #2 slot.

[sooneron]

http://www.chicagoarchitecture.info/Images/TheLoop/181WestMadison-003.jpg
Mmmmm, Pelli

[BigRedJed]

On the plus side, it probably will knock First Place Tower out of third place and might end up giving CityPlex a run for it's money in the #2 slot.
Or, it might be closer to 60 stories. I guess time will tell.

[sooneron]

Or, it might be closer to 60 stories. I guess time will tell.

That suckaz gonna sway in the wind.:eek:

[bri]

Or, it might be closer to 60 stories. I guess time will tell.

Heh, 40 to 60 is a lot of wiggle room. At what point does the line between "what is needed" and "topping BOK/Williams" get crossed? ;)

Regardless, whichever building ends up being tallest will still be the tallest skyscraper in the Plains Region, so either way we win.

[BigRedJed]

I think the great news that might get lost in all of the building speculation will be that Devon plans to "adopt" the Myriad Gardens. The Gardens are beautiful and impressive, but have never lived up to their full potential by all accounts. I see some amazing things in the future for the MBG.

[BigRedJed]

There's no question the "man, it sure would be nice to be the tallest in OK" talk has taken place, but based on what I am hearing that's honestly not a driving thought for Nichols. I think the biggest X factors are what type of ancilliary development they want to introduce, and what they think their staff needs will be in the foreseeable future.

The square footage numbers that have been tossed around are mostly based on the number of people who CURRENTLY work for Devon. Over the past decade, they have constantly outgrown every space they've been in, and their staff is scattered all over downtown. I think they want to stop that cycle, and the way to do it is to plan for growth.

[bri]

Well, whatever they do, I'm rooting for them. The energy industry just makes me naturally skittish. ;)

[BigRedJed]

Well, whatever they do, I'm rooting for them. The energy industry just makes me naturally skittish. ;)
Yeah. Me too. The thing that scares me the most, actually, is if Chesapeake merged with or sold to an out-of-state comapany who moved everyone out of that campus in NW OKC. All of that class A space on the market in the 'burbs might kill downtown. But I think all of the property they're acquiring elsewhere diversifies them so much that another energy company would be reticent to take that on. I believe that's part of the plan to make them non-takeover-friendly. But it gives me the heebie jeebies.

Fortunately for all of us, I don't see the energy market dropping off any time soon.

[bri]

Yeah, if the energy industry could not skull-f*ck another Oklahoma downtown and trigger another round of suburban flight that takes decades to begin to undo, that'd be great.

I'm just projecting now, aren't I? :D

[silverwheels]

I thought we'd be shooting for the Burj Dubai's height. :( :D

[BigRedJed]

Here's the reason for the "37 story" number mentioned in the story, just to clarify: Devon's downtown employee base is expected to require 1 million square feet within the next four years, maybe sooner. 1 million square feet on the floor plate they are anticipating using would translate to 37 floors. In other words, that is the minimum they could build in order to accomodate the staff level they expect around the time they move in.

Of course, any additonal growth would require them to have to start looking for addional outside office space the moment they move into the proposed building. They don't want to be in that position, a position they have been in for most of the past decade. Therefore, look for them to plan for some growth. They could also choose to develop additional office space to lease to other tenants. Further, it is anticipated that there will be retail and other mixed use space on the first few floors, which is not factored into the 37 story figure.

In other words, the number they used was actually an impossibly small number for their plans/needs, but reinforces what I said about Nichols being conservative and preferring to underpromise/overdeliver. He also has made a point to mention that he doesn't want to get into any discussions regarding "tallest building." Size will be driven strictly by need and future plans.

It's good to know that he's putting such a high priority on making the building iconic, though. Placing the dominant structure on a city's skyline carries significant responsibility with it.

Incidentally, the articles don't talk about this fact: the building will be LEED certified (http://www.usgbc.org/LEED), which is a significant statement for an energy company to make.

[Chuck Bao]

Incidentally, the articles don't talk about this fact: the building will be LEED certified (http://www.usgbc.org/LEED), which is a significant statement for an energy company to make.

I like that.

I’m no architect. But, I do know that all of the glass towers that I’ve worked in over the last 15 years seem to be very poor in energy conservation and it has been very difficult to maintain even temperatures in the office from the sunny side to the shadow side.

Since the VIPs have the window offices and essentially control the thermostat, everyone else freezes and that’s not energy efficient.

Even after nightfall and the building air con is cut off, the temperature quickly rises for those with window offices. I often waste more energy and money by ordering another couple of hours of air con for my quarter of the floor.

Mirror glass may help those in east-west sides of the building, but I hate that. My apartment gets a late morning full on blinding light reflection from the next door Citibank Building and a late evening reflection from a Japanese Bank building on the other side.

So I hate glass towers, but are they building high rises with anything else these days?

With that being said, I wonder if air con for a glass 50-story building could still be cheaper than an equivalent space of brick and cement 4-story buildings. I'm just curious whether this makes sense or not.

[Whet]

:pop::confused: :pop:
http://www.adrhi.com/357099.jpghttp://www.adrhi.com/357100.jpg



Poised along the Chicago River at the juncture with Michigan Avenue, Trump International Hotel & Tower will soar 92 stories, one of the tallest buildings in Chicago. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the 92-story structure will feature a striking curvilinear fa�e with a shimmering stainless steel and glass curtain wall and elegant setbacks. Situated from floors 14 through 89, residences and hotel guestrooms will offer stunning panoramic vistas of the surrounding city, Lake Michigan and Chicago River.

[bri]

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm, Pizzeria Uno....

[bluedogok]

I am not a fan of glass boxes and there are many different materials that can be used on the exterior. You can easily have a window system that reduces the freeze/thaw effect of windows, you just have to be willing to spend the money to get a better glazing system. Down here there are still some developers that want us to do single glazed systems because we don't get the cold down here and they want to save the money but you can definitely tell the difference between them if you "live" with the building.

Many of the SOM and the Phillip Johnson building in Dallas were done in the 80's with stone/glass. In fact I think most being built now have materials in addition to the glass.

[dw17]

Incidentally, the articles don't talk about this fact: the building will be LEED certified (http://www.usgbc.org/LEED), which is a significant statement for an energy company to make.

That's awesome of them to do that.

there are several ways they can make glass buildings LEED certified. here's one:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/09/hearst_tower_le.php

They use low-E glass and it has sensors that limit the amount of light that comes in during the day. Among other things.