DBI Projects

DBI is pleased to announce its involvement in the Raza Development Fund's (RDF) Green Energy Funds for Schools project! The opportunity is made possible by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and its 2024 Renew America’s Schools program grant, a competitive award to support energy improvements in K-12 schools across the country. This funding and partnership will help participating schools lower energy costs and emissions through facility improvements, ultimately making our schools cleaner, safer, healthier, and more supportive learning environments for our kids and teachers. RDF partnered with DBI to qualify the participating schools’ current energy performance metrics, and will continue its partnership by performing energy audits and developing scope for energy-saving improvements to modernize school facilities. DBI will stay onboard through the implementation process, overseeing renovations and capital improvements. With $3B in active education projects under management, DBI is the foremost leader in academic real estate and continues to excel at guiding mission-driven organizations through new regulatory challenges and opportunities. We are grateful for this partnership with RDF and look forward to working with them in implementing this ambitious, energy-efficient vision. Link to the official announcement: https://lnkd.in/ecA8irGz #GGRFMarketBuilders #climateresilience #educationequity #energyefficiency

Mariela Abreu to Speak at Turner Construction's Cada Comunidad: 8th Annual Construction Conexion Latinas In Leadership. DBI Partner and Senior Director Mariela Abreu will be one of the panelists at the #HispanicHeritageMonth event hosted by Turner Construction Company in partnership with the National Hispanic Business Group (NHBG). The theme of the event is “Pioneers of Change,” and no one is more qualified to speak than Mariela, who was recently honored with a Top Woman in Construction award by the New York Construction Report. Other distinguished panelists include Lisette Camilo of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Mayra Maisch of BGO (formerly Goldman Sachs), and Carol Escamilla of Turner, who will serve as the panel’s moderator. DBI Projects is both a proud sponsor of the event and proud to celebrate the rich history, culture, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino communities across New York City and the world. The event will be held tomorrow, Wednesday, September 25th, at Brickworks Design Studio. Additional details are included below: Link to RSVP: https://lnkd.in/eTHKwYy7

School is in session at the new DREAM Highbridge campus! Last week, DREAM held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its newest location in The Bronx’s Highbridge neighborhood. The new facility can accommodate up to 800 students, from Pre-K to 8th grade. DBI managed the project on behalf of DREAM from design, construction, and all the way through opening. It also conducted the site search for the new campus and helped secure the 87,000-sf space that is now DREAM Highbridge. From start to finish, the team was able to complete the project in only 21 months. The school will occupy the first two floors of a new 17-story development. The rest of the building is comprised of 500 residential units. DBI worked with Aufgang, who designed the base building, along with the project’s construction manager, Joy Construction Corp, and architect, Michael Graves to turn DREAM’s vision for the first two floors of the building into a reality, in addition to the facility’s double-height cellar space which the school has converted into a gymnasium. Some of the project’s unique features include a mural by Bronx-based muralist Tats Cru along the grand staircase, connecting the school’s first and second floors, as well as the new gymnasium – a true staple piece of the project. The gymnasium’s exposed crossbeams are branded with DREAM inspired decals, designed by design studio WeShouldDoItAll, and invites members of the community to get a glimpse of the DREAM mission by peeking into the space through the street level windows that look over the gym. This is the second project DBI has managed for DREAM, following the successful conversion of a former icehouse in Mott Haven into a new 200,000-sf, Pre-K–12 school serving over 1,300 students. Fast Company referred to DREAM Mott Haven as, “the most stunning school in America.” Our work with DREAM is just an example of the $3B in active education projects DBI currently has under management.

DBI has been hired to manage the renovation of a historic residence hall on MIT’s campus! Continuing its recent development success in historic properties, DBI has been hired to manage the planned upgrades to the Number Six Club building at MIT. Following visioning sessions with both alumni and current residents of the house, the scope of the project includes a re-envisioned dining experience for Number Six residents, a new elevator, sustainable heating and cooling systems free of fossil fuel usage, and upgrades to the building’s exterior spaces. Built in 1915, the Number Six building houses MIT’s Number Six Club, a Nationally-affiliated Co-ed Literary Society. The building is located on the university’s west campus, along Memorial Drive and Fowler Street, and overlooks the Charles River from picturesque Cambridge, Massachusetts. DBI is serving as owner’s representative on the project and is working with Brewster Thornton Group Architects, LLP, who is serving as the project’s design partner, to help the legendary social chapter realize its ambitious plans in time for its 110th Anniversary in 2026. 

Mariela Abreu has been named a Top Woman in Construction! (Hard) hats off to DBI Partner and Senior Director, Mariela Abreu for the prestigious honor, awarded by the New York Construction Report for her pioneering leadership and advocacy. The announcement, which was shared in the magazine’s Summer 2024 issue, profiles Mariela’s history of accomplishments, including global project management work that numbers in the millions of square feet, and billions of dollars in real estate transaction and capital projects experience. Over the course of her career, Mariela has established herself as a creative problem-solver who isn’t afraid of a challenge. Those challenges include the renovation of the historic Hotel Chelsea, the legendary 200,000-sf residence that artists like Bob Dylan and Patti Smith once called home, as well as the development of the 69 A Street project, a 46,000-sf, ground-up Mass Timber adaptive reuse development – the first of its kind in the United States. Asked by the magazine for advice she would give to other women in construction, Mariela said the following: • Be confident – confidence is key to gaining respect and recognition. • Finding the right mentor is key. • Build a strong network and new doors will open. • Advocate for inclusion and encourage more women to join the construction industry. • Understand that setbacks may occur, but resilience and perseverance are essential. • Learn from challenges and use them as an opportunity to learn and to grow. You can read the full article in New York Construction Report here: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://lnkd.in/eVJ4XAgj

We’re thrilled to share the latest updates on our ongoing construction projects at Pace University! This week, we’re spotlighting the progress at the future home of Pace's Sands College of Performing Arts.   Recent milestones include the completion of demolition on the lower floors of the building. Structural steel and foundation work are now underway, paving the way for new performance venues and creative arts spaces within the historic shell of the original 1960s building.   In the coming months, we’ll be removing additional sections of the existing structure to make room for future program spaces. Work will also begin on a new façade overlooking the courtyard. When complete, the renovated One Pace Plaza East will feature three performance venues, multiple rehearsal spaces, dance studios, production shops, and a suite of creative arts spaces for animation, film, and post-production.   For more information on the project, visit Pace University’s Campus Planning website and our project page linked below.   #PaceU #PaceIsBuilding #CampusDevelopment #PerformingArts https://lnkd.in/gHnvEA6K

DBI Continues its Student Housing Development Success! We are currently in the thick of construction in Annandale-on-Hudson at Bard College, where four new student housing facilities and a new student center are underway on the college’s North Campus. Each of the five buildings will be both LEED and passive house compliant, proof of Bard’s continued commitment to sustainable campus design. Altogether, the project will add 435 beds to Bard’s housing capacity and 135,000 square feet of new facilities across a 6-acre site. DBI is both the owner’s representative and developer on the project, working in tandem with KBE Building Corporation, who is serving as construction manager, and KPF, the project architect. As developer, DBI arranged for Bard’s securitization of over $100M in tax-exempt bond financing for the North Campus project. Our work with Bard is a representation of DBI’s reputation as a foremost leader in educational real estate development, and the North Campus residences are a segment of the over 5,000 beds DBI’s student housing team has delivered locally, nationally, and internationally. https://lnkd.in/gEN34rtt

And that’s a wrap on Summer 2024! Although we’re sad to see it go, the DBI team made the most of the warm weather and blue skies this Summer, including team outings at baseball games and seafaring voyages. Here are a few memories from those fun events to carry us into the Fall!

Cypress Hills Ascend Middle School is Officially Ready for Students! Last week, Cypress Hills Ascend Middle School (CHAMS), part of the Ascend Schools network, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its new facility in the redeveloped Empire State Dairy Company Building, a landmark-designated property on Atlantic Avenue in East New York. Designed by Dattner Architects and developed by The Moinian Group and Bushburg, the redevelopment of the century-old property involved the partial gutting of the existing historic building to support a 14-story tower with 320 residential units, 12,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space, and the new charter school for Ascend. DBI served as Ascend’s owner’s representative on the project and made sure all project partners were completing tasks on budget and on schedule to enable the school’s opening for the 2024-2025 school year. With a complex project of this kind, many challenges were present and DBI is proud to have led all stakeholders to a successful outcome. Some key highlights of the project include an impressive new library, the largest of any school in the Ascend network, and a hybrid architectural model that thoughtfully blends the building’s historic elements with the school’s more modern design, cultivated by MBB Architects, the school project’s design partner. With a total footprint of just over 50,000 square feet, Cypress Hill Ascend Middle will accommodate 480 students and serve grades 5-8. Since 2022, DBI has overseen the construction of two new facilities for Ascend, comprising nearly 100,000 square feet of new educational space for the growing charter school. DBI is considered the foremost leader in educational real estate in New York City, Cypress Hill Ascend Middle School is just one of the $3 Billion in active school projects the firm has under management. 

Congratulations CIVILIAN and Newlab on winning the 2024 Fast Company Innovation by Design Award for Interior Design! DBI led the project as Newlab’s owner’s representative and worked closely with the project’s designer, Nicko Elliott of CIVILIAN, to establish the project’s program, vision, and development strategy. The award is the result of years of planning and collaboration by all parties involved, including Newlab, CIVILIAN, DBI Projects, and Ford Motor Company.   In its profile of the project, Fast Company referred to Newlab at Michigan Central as, “a locus of technologies, investors, and the tools it takes to build stuff.” It credits CIVILIAN’s interior design with doing “a remarkable job of balancing those very different uses.” The article highlights the building’s industrial aesthetic, complimenting the signature reception area, and praises the mixture of both formal and casual workspaces, meant to inspire collaboration between tenants.   Since Newlab’s genesis, DBI has been involved at each step along the way­ – starting with Newlab at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. DBI led the development of the Navy Yard project from conceptual planning and financing through completion. DBI is honored to be a part of the transformation of an underutilized property in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood, building on the firm’s broad portfolio of work managing conversions of historic structures into spaces that inspire creativity and innovation.   We are immensely proud of this award-winning project and of our continued partnership with Newlab and CIVILIAN.