A subsidiary of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust has entered into an agreement to acquire an upscale hotel in Pennsylvania, US, for $89m. The details of the hotel were not disclosed. The company will fund the purchase price with proceeds from the company's previous equity offerings.
US-based hospitality management firm Access Hotel & Resorts is to manage the Distrikt Hotel in New York, US. The 155-room hotel is located in a 32-storey building near The New York Times Building and Times Square. The four-star hotel includes a 12ft living lobby wall r
Two hotels in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by collapsed firm South Canterbury Finance will be sold for NZ$70m ($52.9m). The Hyatt Regency Auckland is expected to fetch NZ$50m ($37.8m) and the Christchurch-based Hotel SO could be sold for up to NZ$20m ($15m). Lang LaSalle Hot
India-based Asian Hotel (North) has acquired a 53% stake in an international hospitality consulting firm, which is yet to be disclosed. Asian Hotel entered into a joint venture with an investment of Rs4bn ($90m) to acquire the controlling stake. Asian Hotel said the inv
Wyndham Hotel Group has signed management agreements for three new Wyndham Hotels & Resorts properties in Boao, China. The properties include the 300-room Wyndham Grand Boao Resort and Spa, the 106-room Wyndham Boao Resort and the 350-room Wyndham Boao Resort and Conference Center.
The new Hotel Spiwak, which is located in the city of Cali, Colombia, will open this week. The five-star hotel features 226 suites and five armoured rooms in line with international safety and security requirements. The ten-storey hotel's average room size is 50m² with
The Rezidor Hotel Group will open its new Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Downtown in the UAE next year. The 220-room hotel is Rezidor's fourth Radisson Hotel in the emirate. The hotel comprises 198 rooms and 22 suites all equipped with Radisson Blu signature services.
Three Brazilian hotel chains have unveiled plans to invest PEN8.39bn ($3bn) in the Peruvian hotel market by 2015. The country's favourable conditions, current choices of tourist routes to and from Lima and the stable economic environment are the reasons for the investment. T
Three luxury London hotels worth £1bn ($1.59bn), part of the Maybourne Hotel Group, are expected to be put up for sale after the company failed to refinance loans. The properties include the five-star Claridge's, Connaught and Berkeley hotels in the UK. The hotels have now c

Oceanwide Center is a mixed-use twin tower being constructed in the Transbay area of San Francisco, California, US. With a height of 850ft, one of the towers of the project will become the second tallest structures in the city.

Designed by Foster + Partners, the 219,885³¾Â² development will host a number of facilities, including office space, luxury apartments and retail and restaurant and public spaces.

The project is being developed by China Oceanwide Holdings Group for an estimated $1.67bn. The ground-breaking ceremony took place in December 2016.

Scheduled for completion in 2021, the project is expected to generate significant revenues for the development of transportation infrastructure in the Transbay area.

Oceanwide Center design details

Oceanwide Center is being developed as part of a rezoning plan of the First and Mission Streets, which is aimed at increasing density around the Transbay transit centre. The development efficiently combines places of work and residence with one of the most important transportation hubs in the city.

The 850ft 61-storey tower of the mixed-use development will include residential units and 1.35 million square feet of office space along First Street. The office space in the tower has been designed to offer high flexibility to tenants.

The architects took advantage of the irregularly shaped site to create an off-centre service core, freeing up a large amount of space at the ground level and creating uninterrupted floorplates.

The design complies with San Francisco’s planning code of reduced floorplates for higher floors. It features an orthogonal structural system to provide seismic stability and is 30% lighter than traditional buildings. The tower also incorporates innovative MEP and vertical transportation systems.

The ground levels of the tower have been lifted five storeys high to create an open and accessible 22,000ft² urban plaza comprising coffee shops, green spaces, viewing platforms and retail outlets. New pedestrian routes have been designed through the urban plaza to integrate the buildings with the adjacent urban development schemes.

The smaller 650ft, 54-storey tower on Mission Street will include a new 169-room hotel operated by Waldorf Astoria and 265 residential units on the top floors. The stone-clad building will be the tallest residential structure in the area and feature innovative glass vitrine windows.

The hotel, residences and offices of the towers will have different entrances but share a basement and parking garage.

Contractors involved with the mixed-use development

Heller Manus Architects collaborated with Foster + Partners to design the project. Swinerton Webcor, a joint venture of Swinerton Builders and Webcor, has been contracted to build the project, while Tishman is serving as the construction manager.

The structural engineer for the project is Magnusson Klemencic Associates, while Gustafson Guthrie Nichol is the landscape architect. Mechanical and electrical engineers include Foster + Partners, Taylor Engineering and Engineering Enterprise.

Other consultants on the project include Thornton Tomasetti (CADP LEED), Watry Design (parking consultant), Wilson Ihrig (acoustic consultant), Reuben Junius & Rose Civil Engineer (land use attorney) and BKF Fire Consultant (fire consultant).

Logistics/waste management consulting was provided by Lerch Bates Shadow Consultant, and façade consulting was provided by Heintges & Associates. The project’s historic preservation consultant was Page & Turnbull and RWDI provided wind engineering consultancy services.

Sustainability

The mixed-use development will incorporate a range of energy-efficient systems such as onsite stormwater/rainwater collection and reuse, as well as natural lighting and ventilation. The project will feature a zero-reheat, underfloor air distribution system, which will include low-energy fan coil units.

Heat and power for the buildings will be generated using microturbines. The project will also include a chilled water plant featuring efficient chillers and a waterside economiser.

The taller tower has been designed to achieve LEED Platinum rating, while the smaller tower has been designed to achieve LEED Gold rating.