Aragon Construction readying 47,000 s/f office space for Shorenstein

San Francisco based Shorenstein Properties has tapped Aragon Construction, to assemble nine pre-built suites totaling 47,000 rentable s/f between two of their mid-town office buildings. The majority of the work is taking place at the 21-story 850 Third Ave., where three floors (10, 16 and 21) are in various stages of completion. In April, Aragon delivered three pre-built suites on floors 10 and 21. The five remaining units on the 16th floor will total 23,400 s/f and vary in size from 3,300 s/f to 6,900 s/f. Completion is scheduled for July. Each suite will have its own features such as a reception area, an open area for workstations, at least one conference room and a minimum of four private offices. The average unit can accommodate between 15-20 employees and comes complete with an IT room, mail room and pantry. Contemporary fixtures are being installed throughout; all of the floors are receiving newly designed core bathrooms and elevator lobbies featuring coffered ceilings and carpet inlay with stone borders. "The importance here is placed on not customizing any space to the point where a prospective tenant might be excluded," said project architect Mike Biszkowiecki at MKDA. When leases are signed, Shorenstein will order modifications for the tenants' individual needs. Earlier this year, Shorenstein used Aragon's services, along with Gertler & Wente Architects, for a 3,000 s/f pre-build at their 25-story, 125 Park Ave. building. The design task was the same: "We kept things simple and straightforward, with a clean and modern design," said Lisbeth Mendizabal, lead architect on the project from Gertler & Wente, "the task was to keep the space appealing to a wide array of tenants." Charged with bringing a functionally obsolete office up to modern standards, Aragon built and installed glass office fronts throughout, stone flooring in the reception area, cove lighting in the conference room, and contemporary kitchen cabinetry. The glass office fronts were used to help enhance the interior office areas with natural lighting. "In the current Manhattan marketplace, there is a need for more flexible space and smaller offices that are ready to move into, state-of-the-art professional environments," said Aragon executive VP, Richard Hartz. Hartz noted how Shorenstein's unparalleled reputation in the industry for operating high-quality commercial properties will make these units even more attractive to prospective tenants. "Shorenstein is delivering the pre-built suites to meet market demand," said Kevin Kuzemchak, a Senior Vice President and Asset Manager with Shorenstein. "Pre-built suites are a driving factor in Manhattan's leasing market at this point in the cycle. Tenants are delaying occupancy decisions as long as possible in an effort to project their space requirements going forward in this turbulent economy, and pre-built suites give them that ability." He added, "Shorenstein is taking a strategic look at our vacancies in Manhattan and if we have space that makes sense to pre-build, we're moving forward with that plan. Aragon is the ideal partner to help us achieve these goals, given their experience in Manhattan with office suite build-out and their high level of professionalism."