OAK (formerly Penn Central)

[jn1780]

They can lift 20 tons. How much do these panels weigh!?

That 20 ton max is toward the center of the crane. Anyway, apologies for taking the conversation off topic.

[Pete]

They are really cooking now:

[Pete]

[OKCRealtor]

I drove by yesterday and you can really tell its coming along for sure now.

[Pete]

It already feels much different with the start of massing close to both Penn and NW Expressway.

No matter how many renderings you see, it's always surprising when something of a decent scale actually starts to take shape.

[Pete]

BTW, no building permit applications have been filed for RH Gallery, Capital Grille or Arhaus.

It seems they want to get the apartments and hotel pretty much up before they start on the rest. All those should go pretty quickly because the infrastructure is already in place and they are on a much smaller scale.

[G.Walker]

After OKANA, Oak has to be the biggest commercial development going on right now. Then you have Convergence, The Half, Chisholm Creek. Don't think I have seen this much commercial development going on at once in OKC. Great to follow, and even greater to anticipate what's next!

[Pete]

Moving so fast:

[Bellaboo]

Damn they are getting with it !

[gjl]

I wonder how many construction workers are on site every day for it to be going so fast and are they just working M-F.

[Pete]

I wonder how many construction workers are on site every day for it to be going so fast and are they just working M-F.

I took those photos this (Saturday) morning and there were tons of workers out there.

[gjl]

Is it typically one construction company that builds something this massive or multiple companies each with specific specialties? Kudos to whoever organizes a project like this and to get it put it up so fast. Just the logistics of getting all the materials there when needed and the number of workers with the right skills to get it done so fast is hard to fathom.

[Canoe]

Damn they are getting with it !

Just shows what can be done when there is the funding and the will to develop.

[bucktalk]

Many times a major hold up on projects is getting inspectors on site to sign off on various construction phases. Congrats to those who seem to have inspections passing fairly quickly.

[Rover]

Just shows what can be done when there is the funding and the will to develop.

Mostly funding.

[Urbanized]

Is it typically one construction company that builds something this massive or multiple companies each with specific specialties? Kudos to whoever organizes a project like this and to get it put it up so fast. Just the logistics of getting all the materials there when needed and the number of workers with the right skills to get it done so fast is hard to fathom.

There are a few construction companies with a significant number of in-house trades, but more often it’s a general contractor who specializes in large builds, coordinating multiple sub-contractors. It’s next-level project management.

[catch22]

There are a few construction companies with a significant number of in-house trades, but more often it’s a general contractor who specializes in large builds, coordinating multiple sub-contractors. It’s next-level project management.

Fairly amazing to think of the dance involved. Looking at the building plan, blueprints, and keeping it all in motion. Knowing who to call and when to call them, when to apply some pressure to one contractor to speed it up and back off another when you know you’ll need some time cushion. Pretty fascinating even for smaller projects, and mind blowing for large projects. You have several different trades in a tight dance: framers, plumbing, hvac, electricians, drywall. Scheduling one just a day too early will have them sitting on their thumbs waiting for the other to get out of the way. Schedule one too late and you’ve got a dead day on the construction site which is a waste of money on the construction loan. Fascinating to watch up close if one has the opportunity.

[Rover]

Fairly amazing to think of the dance involved. Looking at the building plan, blueprints, and keeping it all in motion. Knowing who to call and when to call them, when to apply some pressure to one contractor to speed it up and back off another when you know you’ll need some time cushion. Pretty fascinating even for smaller projects, and mind blowing for large projects. You have several different trades in a tight dance: framers, plumbing, hvac, electricians, drywall. Scheduling one just a day too early will have them sitting on their thumbs waiting for the other to get out of the way. Schedule one too late and you’ve got a dead day on the construction site which is a waste of money on the construction loan. Fascinating to watch up close if one has the opportunity.

Add in supplier’s lead times, occasional disruptions in supply chain partners, weather issues, etc., most people have no idea how complex these projects can be and why planning, financing, etc. is such a long process.

[Pete]

All these projects use elaborate construction management software which helps a lot. The trades usually have a login where they can see exactly when they are needed and when because it often changes every day.

Somebody was moaning about tearing down all of the Registry office building instead of just the eastern third. But that building is full of construction offices and I'm sure it will eventually shift to leasing offices for the hotel and apartments (probably mock-up rooms for both) and the commercial space before it eventually gives way to Phase III.

They have the luxury of a large site built in phases, so they can use big areas for staging and a completely closed section line road. This and OKANA are impressive and require a bunch of people just to manage the construction, but it boggles the mind even further when you are talking about a very tall building on a very small parcel like we have been seeing in New York, which only does not allow for any staging at all, but they have to go down very deep in the soil and contend with a spiderweb of utilities and even subway lines. It's worse in Europe when they are frequently dealing with the same sort of density but also infrastructure that is hundreds of years old.

When I lived in L.A., I worked for a wealth management company and one of my responsibilities was to build out offices in downtown San Francisco, among other places on the West Coast. That was only one floor of office space and the complexity was mind-numbing. A new issue popped up several times a day. Let's just say I have a huge appreciation for these big construction projects.

[gjl]

If you think about all the construction going on at any given time in a city this large from new houses to new commercial properties to commercial remodels (Caseys) its pretty amazing the sheer number of skilled trades workers that are needed on any given day and the fact that they seem to be available. Then there is road construction too. I hope there continues to be all these skilled trades people available. I always hear about the younger generation not wanting to get into those occupations. Don't know if that's true or not.

[Pete]

If you think about all the construction going on at any given time in a city this large from new houses to new commercial properties to commercial remodels (Caseys) its pretty amazing the sheer number of skilled trades workers that are needed on any given day and the fact that they seem to be available. Then there is road construction too. I hope there continues to be all these skilled trades people available. I always hear about the younger generation not wanting to get into those occupations. Don't know if that's true or not.

A very large percentage of construction workers of all kinds are immigrants.

Same with restaurants, hospitality, and agriculture.

They are rarely the owners or even managers but they represent the large majority of people actually doing the work in almost every aspect of American industry.

[OkiePoke]

What's the ETA for the apartments to be done?

[Pete]

What's the ETA for the apartments to be done?

I believe in about a year -- sometime in 2024.

[Pete]

What's the ETA for the apartments to be done?

I believe in about a year -- sometime in 2024.

[fortpatches]

I hope there continues to be all these skilled trades people available. I always hear about the younger generation not wanting to get into those occupations. Don't know if that's true or not.

Looking at Registered Apprentice programs from the US Department of Labor, for FY2021, about 38% of Active Apprentices are <24yo, 40% are 25-34, and 20% are 35+. The percent of New Apprentices are about the same. Percent of Completers shifts to the increased age categories by a few percentage points. (Which could be somewhat expected for people who start in one category and complete in a second category).

2021 saw the second greatest number of "New Apprentices" since 2008, greatest number of "Completers" since 2008, and the third greatest number of "Active Apprentices" since 2008. It is expected that some of the decreases in numbers from 2020 and 2021 were due to the impact of Covid.

FY 2021 Data and Statistics | U.S. Department of Labor (dol.gov)

Data from Minnesota, Oregon, Vermont, Washington state, and the District of Columbia are missing.