Skender

Take a walk inside Relativity's stunning new 100,000-square-foot office.   The modern, high-tech workspace was meticulously constructed inside the iconic, 100-year-old Central Standard Building at 231 S LaSalle.   From a stadium staircase to a dedicated outdoor terrace, the software developer’s new HQ was a labor of love for everyone on the team.    CBRE | Skender | Partners by Design | Syska Hennessy Group | TM Technology Partners

This morning, we were honored to be a part of the re-grand opening of Irene McCoy Gaines Apartments in East Garfield Park! This 17-story, 150-unit senior living building was originally built in 1964. Now, all units have been renovated, including new HVAC, electrical and plumbing systems, and new amenity spaces for the community. We’re humbled to have been a part of this project with our partners from Blackwood Group LLC, Chicago Housing Authority, Michaels Development Company, Canopy / architecture + design, and all of our trade partners. Congratulations to everyone involved!

Skender is the proud builder behind the UL Research Institutes’ (ULRI) cutting-edge Materials Discovery Laboratory in Skokie, IL. This state-of-the-art facility, built to accelerate materials science innovation, was designed with sustainability and collaboration at its core. Skender led the construction, working closely with partners HED (architecture), Affiliated Engineers, Inc. (engineering), and Project Management Advisors, Inc. (project management). The flexible design allows researchers to explore new materials, with an emphasis on AI-driven discovery and sustainability. According to Lab Design News, the laboratory enables researchers to accelerate discovery in emerging fields such as clean energy and environmental sustainability through its advanced, adaptable design. Flexible workspaces, automation, and green building principles underscore the facility’s forward-thinking mission. Read more from Lab Design News here: https://lnkd.in/gbbg3ier

Making a difference! Skender is proud to announce the start of construction on United Yards, an affordable housing development in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood. This three-building project will bring vital housing, business opportunities, and youth programs to the area. We’re excited to collaborate with Celadon Partners, LLC, Blackwood Group LLC, DESIGNBRIDGE, LTD., Tandem Ventures LLC and our trade partners on this transformative project.   https://lnkd.in/giRJJE3z

Big moves for Skender in Indiana! Featured in today’s Indianapolis Business Journal: Skender sees major growth and relocates to a larger office. In under five years, we’ve built a construction portfolio of over 5 million square feet across central Indiana and earned multiple industry accolades.   Our Indy team is leading the way with a fresh approach to construction—driven by efficiency, innovation, meaningful collaboration, and a relentless focus on being a great partner to our clients.   Thank you to our Indy team for your hard work and passion in building something extraordinary. Here’s to making the most of the new space—until we outgrow it again!   IBJ article: https://lnkd.in/epmiChev Full release: https://lnkd.in/e9jYZQRi

BIG NEWS: Five industry veterans join Skender’s growing commercial and residential building construction team, instantly injecting 1,200 stories and 13,000 units of additional high-rise experience. Brian Bezanis, Don Koehler, Ricardo Lopez, Ryan Pieper, Terez Sturrup – welcome to #TeamSkender!   Read the full announcement: https://lnkd.in/g4AFgikG

Another year, another successful Women Build Day for Habitat for Humanity Chicago! #TeamSkender raised money to support the mission and spent the day helping to build homes that will empower families to achieve strength and stability long-term in our community. Great work, and congratulations!

Skender Project Executive Lauren Torres recently participated in a panel discussion at Bisnow's 'Art of Tenant Attraction and Retention' event, which took place at the new amenities-packed Fulton Market residential property, Arthur on Aberdeen. The panel, moderated by Joseph X Cushing, featured Torres alongside Stream Realty Partners' Jordan Decker, Matt Pistorio of Madison Rose, Tony Coglianese of CBRE and Jonathan Metzl of Cushman & Wakefield. The discussion centered around the ways in which both office and multifamily tenants are continuing to define the leasing cycle, and what can be done to understand their evolving needs in a market driven by low demand and high turnover. The panelists noted that while Fulton Market has, in recent years, been a hotspot for new office development, there's an emerging opportunity for companies to find quality space in Class B buildings in the Chicago Loop. Torres cited an example of a recent office buildout client who moved from a Class C property to a Class B space downtown. "In this situation, moving into a Class B building was an upgrade for them," Torres said. "We are seeing a lot of older buildings investing funds in refining and updating their common and amenity spaces to be more appealing to tenants long term." As more companies solidify their return-to-office policies, the Loop is becoming more enticing to office tenants due to its proximity to public transit and access to suburban commuter trains. With Google's remodel of the Thompson Center underway, panelists agreed that the Loop is likely going to become a hot commodity for office space in the near future. Pistorio noted that when running commute optimizers for his clients, the central Loop is hard to beat in terms of speed and efficiency. Torres also explained that the recent push from companies across all sectors for a return to at least a few days in person is going to be good for the office market in Chicago. "Companies today have a much better sense of what working from home means," she said. "They have been able to work out the bugs in the structure and solidify their hybrid policies, and with that, office stability is coming into view." Read Bisnow's full event recap: https://lnkd.in/gHiH87N3

27 buildings, 272 units, 27 phases! How do you seamlessly pull off a large-scale rehab of an occupied property? Skender’s Erik Amos shares his insights on the lean, people-centric approach used to successfully complete the rehab construction of the Barbara Jean Wright Court Apartments on Chicago’s West Side. Read Erik's article in Multifamily & Affordable Housing Business magazine: https://lnkd.in/gYtNmwHm 

Huddle up! We had a blast last night at the ASA Chicago Meet the GCs event. Our team met and built connections with amazing people and companies all across our industry. Thank you, ASA, for hosting and having us!