Pete Jefferson
M.E. Group has started a new division within the firm that will help its clients drive innovation and create solutions to building challenges. Called Forte Building Science, the division will provide the firm’s building physics, commissioning, occupant experience, and certification services.
Led by local team members and long-time principals and owners Nate Maniktala and Pete Jefferson, the group consists of a diversity of expertise, including architects, professional engineers, social scientists, TAB and controls professionals and sustainability consultants. Together, they hope to overcome challenges related to energy performance, health and wellness, resiliency, and sustainability.
“Building science is an evidence-based approach to understanding the physical behavior of the building as a system,” Jefferson said. “We work side by side with project teams to use this understanding to inform decision-making throughout conceptual design, construction or occupancy. We believe that implementing a scientific approach brings greater certainty and therefore greater sustainability.”
Nate Maniktala
Forte Building Science has already landed a handful of clients including HKS, Perkins Eastman, Kansas State University, Prologis, University of Nebraska, and CHI Health.
“At Forte Building Science, our goal is to make delivering innovative buildings easier for designers, builders and owners,” Maniktala said. “Whether by facilitating design with our analysis, preventing building failures through commissioning, or validating goals with industry certifications. We are able to leverage our unique skills to help our clients achieve the results they seek with greater ease.”
For more information on the new division, click here.
Metcalf Village Apartments will soon be underway in Overland Park.
A local development group is ready to bring 270 new upscale apartments to Johnson County. On May 12, JA Murphy Group and Barsto Construction will break ground on Metcalf Village Apartments. Located at 162nd Street and Metcalf Avenue, the $32 million project will consist of nine three-story apartment buildings with garages, a clubhouse, and maintenance building. The units will include a mix of unit sizes from one- to three-bedrooms.
The project amenities will include walking trails, an outdoor exercise area, grill and outdoor fireplace. A luxury clubhouse will include a cafe, fitness room and meeting areas, with an attached saltwater pool and outdoor patio and kitchen area.
Apartments are scheduled to be available to lease in spring 2017. Project partners include Mutual of Omaha Bank, BGO Architects, and Barsto Construction. The public is invited to take part in the groundbreaking ceremony on May 12 at 10 a.m.
Legacy Development is kicking off a $16 million phase to add five new restaurants to the Ward Parkway Shopping Center, including Charleston's, a casual American restaurant; MidiCi, a Neapolitan Pizzeria; Ted's Escondido Cafe, a Tex-Mex restaurant; and The Garage, a hamburger joint with a full bar, games, and TVs.
