Wilshire Grand Tower Topped Off March 2016 – Video Recap

March 15, 2016
, , , , , , , City of Los Angeles, Construction Industry, Environmental Construction, Environmental Engineering, Los Angeles Economy, Methane Mitigation Design Projects, Uncategorized, Waterproofing

Wilshire Grand Center is a 335-meter (1,099 ft) skyscraper under construction in the Financial District of Downtown Los Angeles, California. The tower will become the tallest building in Los Angeles, the tallest structure and the second tallest building west of the Mississippi River upon completion. The building will be part of a mixed-use hotel, retail, observation decks, shopping malls and office complex, expected to revitalize downtown Los Angeles and the area surrounding the building. The development of the complex is estimated to cost $1 billion. The plans currently include 67,000 square feet (6,225 m2) of retail, 677,000 square feet (62,895 m2) of Class A office space and 900 hotel rooms. InterContinental is the tower's hotel component, comprising 900 rooms and suites occupying the 38th to the 70th floors. Estimated date of completion March 8, 2017. Terra-Petra is proud to have been a part of this project during initial record concrete pour. 

Terra-Petra contributes to new projects transforming Downtown LA

January 26, 2016
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , City of Los Angeles, Environmental Construction, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Health, Los Angeles Economy, Methane Barrier Installation, Methane Mitigation Design Projects, Terra-Petra News, Uncategorized, Waterproofing

As one of the most well-known environmental engineering and building waterproofing companies in the Los Angeles basin, Terra-Petra is currently working on or has completed some very high-profile projects in the Downtown LA area. Some of the most notable projects, among many others, include:

The Wilshire Grand Tower – the Wilshire Grand skyscraper will one day be the tallest west of Chicago. (Terra-Petra photo of project start to the right.)

The Metropolis, a $1B development is one of the largest mixed-use projects under construction on the West Coast.

Oceanwide Plaza will break ground in spring 2015. This $1B project will have a total of three towers and an expansive above-ground outdoor space. A five star hotel and 200k SF of commercial space will be included. There will be 504 condos and 183 hotel rooms.

South Park Mega-Project (Chinese developer Shenzhen Hazens) is a three towers along Figueroa Street across from L.A. Live. A 30-story hotel tower would rise at the northwest corner of Flower and Eleventh streets. A 30-story condo tower would be at Figueroa and Eleventh streets, and a 42-story condo tower would be at Figueroa and Olympic.

According to the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS), the "flurry of activity" in the recent years is defiantly the biggest construction boom they have witnessed since the 1980s.

However, LADBS does say that it is yet to be seen if it's the biggest boom in history or not. 

Stay tuned.

4 DEVELOPMENTS THAT WILL TRANSFORM FIGUEROA
Los Angeles Mixed-Use Jan 14, 2016 Jerry Liu, Bisnow, LA

We already told you about some of the mega-projects that will reshape Sunset Boulevard, perhaps one of the most famous thoroughfares in the world. But if you're really following what's hot in LA, it's all about Downtown. So we decided to take a look at some of the developments that will reshape the future of one of Downtown's most notable streets:

1. Circa
Location: 1200 Figueroa Players: Hankey Investment, Jamison Services, Falcon California Investments, Highlands Capital, Harley Ellis Devereaux, LendLease. Completion date: Late 2017. The $500M project will build twin 35-story towers housing 648 luxury condos on top of a seven-story retail podium. There will also be 48k SF of retail and 1,770 parking spaces. This project broke ground in summer 2015 and features a curved glass look that offers a panoramic view of LA, and many other neighboring high-rises, including the Metropolis. Bisnow chatted with Hankey president Scott Dobbins this week to get the latest status update on the development.

2. Oceanwide Plaza
Location: Figueroa and 11th Players: Oceanwide Real Estate Group. Completion date: 2018, condos hit the market in 2017. Breaking ground in spring 2015, this $1B project will have a total of three towers and an expansive above-ground outdoor space. A five star hotel and 200k SF of commercial space will be included. There will be 504 condos and 183 hotel rooms total. Chinese firm Oceanwide had previously acquired the development from New York City-based Moinian Group. This will be the first real estate venture for Oceanwide outside China.

3. Shenzhen Hazens
Location: Entire block bounded by Figueroa, 11th Street, Flower Street and Olympic Boulevard Players: Shenzhen Hazens, Gensler Completion date: After 2020. It's no secret Chinese firms are transforming the LA landscape. Shenzhen Hazens will add to the mix with a $700M redevelopment in the Luxe Hotel area. The project plans to break ground in 2017 and will be split into two phases. Phase 1 would build two 30-story towers, one residential and one hotel. Phase 2 would completely replace the Luxe Hotel with a 42-story residential tower. Expect the finished mega-project to have 650 luxury condos, 250 hotel rooms and 80k SF of retail space. We caught up with Shenzhen Hazens Group executive project director Sonnet Hui recently to get more on the company's plans.

4. MyFigueroa
Location: Four miles of streets from Downtown LA to South LA. Players: LADOT, Troller Mayer Associates, Melendrez, GEHL Architects. Completion date: 2017. Promising to make it easier for transit and bicycle users, this project will start in late spring 2016 and complete in 2017 under a $20M budget. It will link USC and Exposition Park to Downtown LA with better signals, signage, crosswalks, transit platforms, bikeways and trees. There will be on-street, fully separated bike lanes on each side of Figueroa for 27 signalized intersections. There will also be a lot more accommodations for public transit, including for the Silver Line and the upcoming streetcar service.

Terra-Petra working on eleven of top fifty construction projects in Los Angeles

September 22, 2015
, , , , , , , , , , , , CA projects, Construction Industry, Enivronmental Engineering, Environmental Construction, Methane Mitigation Design Projects, Terra-Petra News, Uncategorized

Environmental engineering firm, Terra-Petra, is currently working with close to 42% of the top 50 construction projects in the Los Angeles area—as listed by the Los Angeles Business Journal in the publication’s new (2015) Book of Lists.

Los Angeles, CA (September 22, 2015) — Terra-Petra, a national environmental engineering headquartered in Downtown Los Angeles has announced that the firm is currenly working with 24% of the top 50 major construction projects currently underway in Los Angeles County—as listed on the Los Angeles Business Journal’s 2015 Book of Lists. This complete collection of data on industry leaders in a variety of industries was researched by the LABJ editorial team of the past year. The top construction projects have been ranked by construction cost and excludes infrastructure projects

According to Justin Conaway, Vice President of Terra-Petra. “Terra-Petra has been fortunate enough to have the diverse service offerings which have allowed us the opportunity to bid on a wide array of these developments. Our customer intimacy strategy allows us to offer a great value to our clients, I truly believe that our close customer/client relationships have differentiated us from our competition and has permitted us to secure many of these contracts.”

Terra-Petra’s involvement with most of the construction projects listed on LABJ’s Top 50 list ranges from methane testing, mitigation design and inspection to building envelope waterproofing consulting and inspection. “Hopefully our recent contributions will help to ensure that each project we work on is safe and successful,” says Kevin Buchanan, Terra-Petra President.

Working with 11 of the top 50 , Terra-Petra is currently supporting three of the top four ranked projects (number 1, 2 and 4) as well as with numbers 14, 16, 21, 25, 27, 41 and 47 and 50. Justin Conaway is also currently working on a bid with one other project on the LABJ list. Read the Top 50 Construction Projects in Los Angeles list here: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3.

“More realistically there are only 28 projects listed that are probably in a methane/methane buffer zone. So to be more accurate we are working on 42% of all potential projects on this list that we could bid on. That is a pretty impressive market share considering all of the local competition,” says Conaway.

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About Terra-Petra

Terra Petra’s expertise includes soil gas characterization, remediation, and in the design and inspection of gas mitigation systems for buildings of all types – including commercial, multiple family, single family, industrial, institutional and retail. We are methane experts and methane gas specialists. Our services include: Methane, Brownfield, Vapor Intrusion, Landfill, Oil Field, Site Closure, Geology/Hydrogeology and Radon as well as full service waterproofing consulting and services. Terra-Petra takes charge of every specific challenge from the very beginning of every project to engineer sustainable system and design cost-effective systems. For more information, visit: www.terra-petra.com.

Terra-Petra and the environmental engineering industry shows well at I.CON ’15

June 14, 2015
, , , , , , , , , , Construction Industry, Environmental Construction, Environmental Engineering, Methane Mitigation Design Projects, Terra-Petra News, Uncategorized

Terra-Pettra Silver Sponsor I.CON '15 NAIOPTerra-Petra was very excited to serve as a Silver Sponsor of I.CON '15: The Industrial Conference (for the commercial real estate industry) AS June 10th and 11th at the Westin in Long Beach California.

I.CON is produced and presented annually by the NAIOP – commercial real estate development association. 

Terra-Petra client representatives (Prologis, CBRE and the Sares Regis Group, among others) served as either panelists or moderators during many of the conference presentations which included "Can American Cities Accommodate Industrial Development?," "Regulatory Environment and Its Effect on Development," and "Industrial Investment Outlook."

Terra-Petra at NAIOP I.CON '15 CEO Power luncheon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each year, I.CON offers the most up-to-date trends and information available presented by the most notable names in industrial real estate including e-commerce trends, the logistics supply chain, demand for new industrial development and trends in current and future industrial facilities.

The event was NAIOP’s national conference for the industrial real estate sector. Overall, the Terra-Petra team had the opportunity to network with many of the company's current and new/potential clients as well as learn more about the commercial real estate industry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Terra-Petra Announces New Office and New Presence in New York City and on the East Coast

December 2, 2014
, , , , , , , , , , , East Coast Projects, Environmental Construction, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Health, Methane Mitigation Design Projects, Soil Gas, Terra-Petra Company News, Terra-Petra News, Uncategorized

northeast

For Immediate Release
Contact: Laurie Pehar Borsh
Laurie Pehar Borsh PR
800-915-2151 x706

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) December, 02 2014–Environmental Engineering firm Terra-Petra recently announced that it has continued to formalize its national expansion with the opening of its newest office in New York City. The environmental engineering firm, specializing in contaminated soil and groundwater conditions, has opened its newest office in One Penn Plaza, on the 36th Floor.

Terra-Petra’s expertise starts with soil gas characterization, remediation, and in the design and inspection of gas mitigation systems for buildings of all types – including commercial, multiple family, single family, industrial, institutional and retail. We are methane experts and methane gas specialists. With the NYC office officially in place, the firm has already taken projects in the surrounding areas.

“Our expansion out east allows for the opportunity to offer coast to coast coverage of Terra-Petra’s services. We have found that many of our clients that are based on the east coast have projects going on in the west coast, and visa-versa,” said Kevin Buchanan, CEO of Terra-Petra. “It’s a very unique situation with many of our clients, and for us to have a presence in New York simply strengthens our relationships with our larger clients. As we suspected, our clients on the east coast are faced with very similar environmental constraints that exist on the west coast.”

“Our national reach allows us to jump in with our expertise without missing a beat, when called on to perform our services,” Justin Conaway, Terra-Petra VP/General Manager added. “Terra-Petra is also looking at the possibility of opening up an office in the Midwest next year, in order to give us even better national coverage of our services. More to come on that as we move into 2015.”

Terra-Petra was founded, and is committed towards the purpose of creating a safe environment for building and structure occupants, free of toxic vapors and volatile organic compounds. Terra-Petra utilizes current expertise and state-of-the-art technology to engineer environmental solutions in concert with local and federal agencies to assure compliance with all code and regulations, and ultimately protecting people from unsafe building conditions.

More about Terra-Petra 
With its strong presence in the environmental engineering industry for over 20 years, Terra-Petra has many successful projects to lean on. The company started its operations focusing on the Los Angeles market to address the local "methane concerns" that quickly became a big issue in the early 1980s. Terra-Petra’s in-house experts were also a big part of the original team that developed the local Los Angeles Methane Code which has been mirrored by many other cities over the years. With more than 80 years of collective experience in the environmental and soil gas mitigation fields along with a staff of Construction Managers, Civil Engineers, Registered Environmental Assessors, and Registered Geologist/Certified Engineering Geologists, Terra-Petra has the ability to find compromise solutions for any environmental concern that may arise. .

New York Office:One Penn Plaza; 36th Fl, New York, NY. 10019 – (212) 786-7456 
Los Angeles Office: 700 S. Flower St; #2580, Los Angeles, Ca. 90017 – (213) 458-0494                         
San Francisco Office: One Sansome Street; Ste #3500, San Francisco, Ca. 94104 – (415) 590-4890

Family House Mission Bay, San Francisco breaks ground September 17th

September 15, 2014
, , , , , , Methane Barrier Installation, Methane Mitigation Design Projects, Northern California Projects, Uncategorized, Waterproofing

We are very excited to be a part of this fantastic project. Terra-Petra will handle the methane mitigation as well as below grade waterproofing design and inspection.

Click on the image to download the entire San Francisco Business Times supplement. 

san-francisco-business-times-supplement-september-2014_Page_1

New Home Co. Gears Up for Busy Year of Building feat. Westside Apartments

January 5, 2014
Methane Mitigation Design Projects, Terra-Petra Company News, Uncategorized

OC Business Journal – Saturday, January 4, 2014

photo

Westside Apartments

Early-stage work is under way for a trio of apartment complexes planned by the Irvine Co. for the Westside Los Angeles neighborhood of Playa Vista.

Terra-Petra, a Los Angeles-based environmental engineering firm, said it has begun work for a methane mitigation system installation at the three Irvine Co. apartment projects at Playa Vista, a sprawling development near the San Diego (405) and Marina (90) freeways.

The site is about a mile from the ocean and once held the headquarters of aviation pioneer Howard Hughes, one of the reasons Terra-Petra’s assistance is needed for the development.

Irvine Co. bought the land for the apartment portion of the developments in 2012 for an undisclosed price.

Business Journal estimates at the time put the 100-acre land deal at about $200 million.

The apartment complexes under way total 1,503 units and will be completed in 2017.

The first of the complexes is described by Terra-Petra as Mediterranean-style, four stories tall, and with underground parking.

McLarand Vasquez Emsiek & Partners of Irvine is the architect for the project, and Irvine-based Western National is the general contractor.

Irvine Co. currently owns just one rental property in Los Angeles County: Santa Monica’s high-end 1221 Ocean Ave., where monthly rents start at more than $6,000, and penthouses command prices in excess of $20,000.

 

 

Terra-Petra named methane design engineer and subterranean waterproofing consultant for Korean Air Wilshire Grand project

December 22, 2013
, , , , , , , , , , , , City of Los Angeles, Construction Industry, DMBI, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Health, Los Angeles Economy, Methane Barrier Installation, Methane Mitigation Design Projects, Terra-Petra Company News, Terra-Petra News, Uncategorized, Waterproofing

Wilshire Grand Hotel Los Angeles - AC MARTINTerra-Petra is proud to announce its role as the methane mitigation design engineer and subterranean waterproofing consultant for what will be the tallest building west of the Mississippi, the Korean Air Wilshire Grand project. Once completed, this 73 story skyscraper will top out at 1,100 feet tall and offer 5 levels of subterranean parking below grade. Earlier this year, Terra-Petra contracted with the prestigious architectural design firm of AC Martin Partners to prepare the methane mitigation and waterproofing system construction documents.

Terra-Petra had a very tight window in which to complete our design work, given the discovery of the methane mitigation design requirement only weeks before the foundation only permits were to be pulled. Fortunately, due to the strong capabilities of the Terra-Petra design team, we were able to deliver the necessary drawings on time in order to ennsure the project remained on schedule with no delays.

On November 21, 2013, Terra-Petra attended a pre-construction meeting, with Turner Construction, to discuss the installation of the methane mitigation/waterproofing system for the project (which is scheduled to start in December). Terra-Petra will also be performing the Deputy Methane Barrier Inspection (DMBI) work for the duration of this project.

“It's not every day that you get to say you had a hand in designing the tallest building west of the Mississippi. I am very appreciative of the opportunity that AC Martin has given Terra-Petra to be a part of this prestigious project. You never want to start behind the 8 ball and have to design to an extremely expedited schedule as we had on this project, but we did it! I feel that the work Terra-Petra has carried out is a testament to who we are as a company; knowledgeable, responsive, dedicated and really good at what we do. Needless to say I am very proud of my team," said Justin Conaway, Terra-Petra's Vice President and General Manager. 

According to the Wilshre Grand Center's website: “Starting in 2012, the property at the site of the former Wilshire Grand Hotel will be cleared to make way for a visionary new hotel and mixed-use building. Under the leadership of Korean Air, the developer of the project, the new building will revitalize the property and allow the site to continue being the indelible landmark it has always been. Doors will open to L.A. and the world in 2017, building upon the Wilshire Grand’s rich history." 

Additional highlights: 

  • This innovative project will be a completely new and unique experience in Los Angeles’ downtown. When the doors open in 2017, the project will be one of the most advanced, sophisticated, sustainable and unique buildings in Southern California.
  • With a unique “sky lobby” offering unparalleled views of the city and a breathtaking infinity pool, the building will rise 73 stories in the air as Los Angeles’ second tallest building.
  • 900 state-of-the-art hotel rooms, which will be operated by a flagship luxury hotel brand, will set a new standard for hospitality in Los Angeles.
  • 400,000 square feet of Class ‘A’ office space will attract high-end business leaders and make the building a global engine for business.
  • 45,100 square feet of new restaurant and retail space housing world-class restaurants will make this an epicurean delight and drive downtown’s food and cultural renaissance.
  • Pedestrian friendly access to downtown, as well as local and regional transit connections, will make the project a central and easily accessed location for visitors and Angelenos.
  • Innovative outdoor space and exterior plazas will invite guests and visitors to experience the true Los Angeles lifestyle and climate

For more information go to: www.wilshiregrandcenter.com. 

Related articles and websites:

http://www.wilshiregrandcenter.com/
​http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-property-report-20130808,0,976227.story#axzz2lJN2SaRf

Terra-Petera Methane begins mitigation system installation project for The Irvine Company in Playa Vista, California

December 6, 2013
, , , , , , , , , Enivronmental Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Methane Barrier Installation, Methane Gas Inspections, Methane Mitigation Design Projects, Terra-Petra News, Uncategorized

Terra-Petra is excited to announce that the methane mitigation system installation is in progress on three new apartment complexes in Playa Vista being developed by The Irvine Company.

The Irvine Company selected the architectural firm of McLarand Vasquez Emsiek & Partners (MVE) out of Irvine to realize their vision of bringing a premier apartment community to the west side of Los Angeles. MVE has designed three mediterranean style apartment complexes each having one level of subterranean parking with on grade parking and four levels of apartments above grade. The building footprints increase in size moving from west to east from 187,067 SQ.FT., 256,866 SQ.FT. and 333,827 SQ.FT. 

MVE’s design team for these three projects included the following prestigious firms:

Structural Engineer: Englekirk –  Los Angeles
Civil Engineer: Fuscoe – Irvine
Geotechnical Engineer: Group Delta – Torrance

The project are located in the City of Los Angeles Methane Zone, thus Terra-Petra was selected by The Irvine Company as the methane design engineer for these projects given our strong Terra-Petra personnel witnessing the installation of Treco Barrier Solutions Vapor Lock-M. Left to right Andrew Alvarran, Jesus Mora, Danile Valdez and Eduardo Rangelreputation as a high quality methane consulting firm as well as our ability to simultaneously design three large scale complex projects in an expedited fashion. We were brought on to the design team in February of this year. We completed the methane mitigation system design work along with all permitted systems by the beginning of October, and way ahead of schedule.

The construction phase of this development began under Western National, serving as the General Contractor on the project. All three buildings are being constructed concurrently and Terra-Petra will be responsible for carrying-out all Deputy Methane Barrier (DMBI) inspection work for each one. The arduous task associated with performing continuous inspections of the methane mitigation system for three projects being constructed simultaneously can only be achieved by Terra-Petra given that we maintain the largest and most experienced staff of DMBI Inspectors in the industry.  

We're looking forward to completing another successful methane mitigation project!

Related articles on the Playa Vista Development.   

http://www.ocbj.com/news/2012/oct/28/irvine-company-eyes-playa-vista/
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324784404578145572308360156
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/nov/26/business/la-fi-mo-playa-vista-sale-20121121

INSPECTION UPDATE: 4661 W. Wilshire Blvd. Methane Zone Property

November 21, 2013
, , , , City of Los Angeles, Methane Gas Inspections, Methane Mitigation Design Projects, Uncategorized

Terra-Petra is serving as the Deputy Methane Barrier (DMBI) and Waterproofing inspector for the Wilshire Condominium project at 4661 W. Wilshire Blvd. The condominium project was designed by Archeon Group Architects and is being constructed by Becker General Contractors, Inc. The methane barrier membrane installation is being performed by Ralph Ray Construction.

Terra-Petra’s DMBI Eduardo Rangel is serving as the projects inspector. Terra-Petra’s Daniel Valdez (Inspection Supervisor) is onsite today conducting a tutorial for the Terra-Petra office staff to bring them up to speed on the nuances of the Vapor Lock-M system, one of the many approved methane barrier membranes in the City of Los Angeles.

Terra-Petra is a big proponent of cross training our staff to provide them with an appreciation and understanding for each field of work that we can handle. This approach has proven to be invaluable in our success as a company as all staff members have a better grasp of each person’s roll with the company.

We've found that the guys are very supportive of one another and tend to “pull together" to finish projects and ensure a high quality work product for our clients.  

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