Devon Plans Downtown Skyscraper

[Pete]

Regarding the timing, they said they want to start as soon as they can work out a deal with the city and get their architectural and engineering plans squared away. Nichols said they were hoping to occupy no later than 2012.

[Swake2]

How do you feel about the prospect of BOK vacating that building? Is there anyone to fill that space in BOK Tower if they build a new one? That's a lot of space. While Tulsa overall is doing pretty well (better than 5 year ago), I personally don't see a draw to downtown per se. Even OKC, with all that's going on downtown, has a hard time drawing companies downtown as opposed to the suburban office parks.

BOK is not the major tenant in the building, Williams is. BOK has a number of floors but most of the building is Williams, and other companies.

BOK also has at least two other major offices in Tulsa, one is at 61st and Yale in a rather shabby office center and then the other is the former Telex headquarters at 41st and Sheridan. I would guess that less than a third of BOK’s non-branch employees are in the tower now, and BOK Financial is growing all the time, they own a lot more than just Bank of Oklahoma, there’s Bank Of Arizona, Bank of Texas, Bank of Arkansas etc.

If BOK were to build a new building it would have a much smaller impact on downtown vacancy rates than Devon’s will. Devon building a new building would be like Williams building one, which is just what they did do in 2002. The addition of a new 14 floor 750,000 square foot building in 2002 for Williams Communications had a big impact on downtown and that was made even bigger when Williams Communications went belly up not long after and almost took Williams overall with it. The result now is that the Williams Communications “Borg Cube” is Tulsa’s new city hall.

[jbrown84]

They also have Bank of Albuquerque.

So why is it the BOK Center if Williams still occupies the majority of the building?

[AFCM]

Regarding the timing, they said they want to start as soon as they can work out a deal with the city and get their architectural and engineering plans squared away. Nichols said they were hoping to occupy no later than 2012.

Man, 2012 is going to be a great year. The tower and crosstown will be completed, and by then we'll have the Native American Cultural Center, some more projects finished in Midtown, the NBA will be a huge success, on and on! The momentum is incredible!

[OU Adonis]

Thats assuming the world doesn't end in 2012.

Will the world end in 2012? The Mayan Calendar says yes

[Platemaker]

Thats assuming the world doesn't end in 2012.

Will the world end in 2012? The Mayan Calendar says yes

Took the words right out of my mouth!

[Doug Loudenback]

I've got my blog post started ... thanks, Pete, for permission to use one of your aerials. Before it's all done, I intend to get into a bit of history of Okc's other "tall" buildings, but that part is yet to come.

Here are some pics I took this morning and their doctored version this afternoon. Of course these aren't true renderings ... they have not been done yet ... just me playing around and not all that well. But, perhaps they give an idea of how the skyline might change, viewed from Myriad Gardens.

Click a link for a larger image ...

The Front Page today

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49...3oklahoman.jpg



Looking north from Reno

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49...devonview1.jpg



http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49...evonview1a.jpg



http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49...devonview2.jpg



http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49...evonview2a.jpg



From inside Myriad Gardens

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49...devonview3.jpg



http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49...evonview3a.jpg



Near Sheridan

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49...devonview4.jpg



http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49...evonview4a.jpg



Like you know, I ain't no architect! So there you are!

[metro]

Thats assuming the world doesn't end in 2012.

Will the world end in 2012? The Mayan Calendar says yes

Hehe, it's possible something big could happen. A lot of the major religions have predicted for centuries something big will happen in 2012. Some Christians, Muslims, Nostradamus, some pagans, fortune tellers/psychics have all predicted something major for this year. I think it's the only time the universe is entirely in line with the sun or something is perfectly in alignment in the cosmos. I guess we'll find out. Either way, I'd still insert the word HOPEFULLY these things will happen in or by 2012. With the history of ODOT and other projected projects and setbacks in construction, many of these projects might not happen or get delayed a few years, just look at how many times the I-40 realignment got pushed back.

[okclee]

I will say that ODOT is moving along nicely with the I-235 expansion, so I have high hopes with the I-40 as I see them working on 235 everyday and it is moving along nicely too.

But like you said anything is possible.

[Shake2005]

The son of Cesar Pelli has designed some great buildings in New York.

This is a LEED certified condo tower by Rafael Pelli

[BG918]

Cesar Pelli would be an excellent choice, and it would give him two signature projects in Oklahoma with the BOk Center in Tulsa finishing up this year. I did this quick Photoshop showing the scale of the tower in relation to the rest of downtown, and needless to say, it will make quite an impact if it ends up being 38+ stories...

[glennp]

I have not read every post in this thread, so I apologize if this question was already asked.

Does Devon plan on making this building more eco-friendly (examples: grass roof-top, geo-thermal heating and air, etc)?

I am very excited to see it going up. At the same time I would be even more ecstatic if they were planning some major eco-friendly technologies that would help set a footprint for future eco growth.

Please don't take this as I am green crazy, cause I am no were close. However, I think Oklahoma City needs to start tax incentives to help prevent long-term effects that we have been able to watch other major cities face. It is just my opinion but having a energy company looking at cost-effective building implements would help us progress even further.

[Steve]

Glennn, check out today's Oklahoman (NewsOK) and you can read a story by Richard Mize about how this building will be designed to meet one of the highest rankings for a "green building."

[SouthsideSooner]

Questions and Answers with Kim Kimker Devon Energy aims for LEED certification in new plans | NewsOK.com

Q: Devon Energy's new headquarters will be constructed to attain LEED certification — Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design — by the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED certification is costly. Why add that to an already costly project?

A: We do not believe the certification is costly considering the energy cost savings we will achieve. When you consider the contributions we will be making to the environment, the measures are well worth the investment. The building will operate more efficiently, will allow us to substantially reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, reduce our water consumption and reduce the volume of waste we send to the landfill.

Q: What specific kinds of things will Devon do to make its new headquarters "green”?

A: We will use state-of-the-art heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems to create a cleaner, healthier environment for our employees. Our plans also include use of the latest technology in curtain wall glass that will save energy while allowing more natural light into the building's core area for our employees. The building's design will include water conservation systems as well.

Q: Devon is in the energy business. Why build a building that is energy-efficient? You have energy to burn, so to speak.

A: Even energy producers have a responsibility to conserve energy. It also is our responsibility as a corporate citizen to reduce our emissions and conserve natural resources such as water and landfill space. It is in our best interest as a company to promote a healthy environment because that in turn is good for our community.

Q: How might Devon's adherence to green building principals enhance the idea of green building in the public eye?

A: As Oklahoma's largest company, we recognize the leadership role we play in Oklahoma City. It is our responsibility to make decisions that are in the best interest of our community. By building an office tower that is certified under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design system, we can establish a positive standard within our community.

Q: Do you have anything to add?

A: There are financial benefits in construction of a LEED-certified tower. Even if there were no financial benefits, however, it would still be worth it because of the benefits to our employees. The building's natural light will create a more pleasant work environment, air within the building will be cleaner and easier to breath and the overall work environment will make our employees more comfortable and happier. We work hard to recruit the best and brightest people in order to accomplish our objectives as an energy company. We owe it to them to provide the best work environment possible.

[Karried]

SWEET!!!!!!!! Very exciting for OKC! It will be exciting to watch the construction.

[Doug Loudenback]

I've updated my blog post, Doug Dawgz Blog: March Madness , to reflect the following calculations. I've assumed an average floor height of 13 feet, taking a number similar to the Oklahoma Tower's average. The calculations reflect 1,000,000 (Steve reported this to be "the minimum"), 1,100,000, and 1,200,000 (which Swake said was the Tulsa BOK main building size) total square feet, with the "footprints" which vary beginning with the Oklahoma Tower floor size. I think that Swake or someone said that the Tulsa BOK average floor was 22,000 square feet. Of course, this assumes a "box" structure which an "iconic" structure may well not be.

Anyway, here's the calculated data ... please let me know if I've got anything wrong ... Steve reported he'd figured a minimum of 37 floors ... which would require an average square ft. per floor greater than 25,000, which I wouldn't suppose to be likely. How did you do your math, Steve?

[On edit having received Steve's reply, below, I've added average square feet floors of 26,000 and 27,000, which does indeed reflect 37 floors at the 1,000,000 square feet building size.]

[Steve]

Things to keep in mind: this will be a longer footprint than most of the current highrises. The floorplans currently are looking to be about 27,000 square feet. We also don't know floor to ceiling heights, though in this day and age they are likely to be higher than construction called for 20-30 years ago due to telecommunications needs. We also do not know how the atrium and public space will effect the height. Also keep in mind the 1 million square feet represents what Devon will need for the workforce they expect to move into the tower when it opens. My understanding is it does not include space to grow, and Larry Nichols was clear that we're talking about a minimum of 1 million feet, and likely it will significantly more than that.
Final note - keep in mind Nichols seems pretty genuine when he says he's not interested in building the tallest building, but rather one that will be icononic. The fact it will almost certainly be the tallest in Oklahoma City, for Nichols, is simply just how it ends up space wise.

[metro]

Steve, good points to reiterate. I think Nichols would be foolish not to have extra floors for anticipated growth. If he's expecting to use 1 million sq. feet by the time of move-in, it wouldn't make sense to have a sizeable chunk of extra space.

I really wish he'd add several additional floors for mixed-use, say for leasing office space, hotel, condos, etc. As everyone has mentioned, we really are in a shortage of downtown Class A space. I think if someone built some spec Class A space, it would get filled up quickly. I was just in Dallas and TONS of high rise Class A space is being built, much of it on speculation. I know we're not Dallas, but I'm sure they'll have no problem getting tenants for the spec space. I'm not saying we build many multiple towers, but one built on spec (perhaps make it multi-use and get a contract from a hotel first), I think would be a realistic goal for OKC.


BG, nice rendering. Any chance you could put the "red bar builiding" in the picture where the tower will actually be. From that south angle, the building will be blocking part or all of Leadership Square and part of the SandRidge building.

[Doug Loudenback]

Thanks, Steve, I've updated my chart to reflect average square feet sizes of 26,000 and 27,000, and there's you're 37 floors in the largest average floor size and I guess we're both assuming a "box" structure for purposes of the computations. You may need to press your "refresh" (F5) key for the updated chart to appear, above.

[Swake2]

They also have Bank of Albuquerque.

So why is it the BOK Center if Williams still occupies the majority of the building?

The building was originally called “One Williams Center”, I don’t know how the name came to be changed, but the tower is just one part of The Williams Center.

The Williams Center is a multi-use complex that includes five high rise buildings (52, 21, 17, 15 and 14 floors) including the new (2001) 750,000 square foot, 15 floor Williams Communications Building which the city has purchased and will soon be Tulsa’s City Hall. The complex has 2.9 million square feet of class “A” office space, a 450 room hotel, the Tulsa Performing Arts Center and includes the former Williams Center Forum Mall which is now office space called the Williams Resource Center. In terms of square footage The Williams Center is equal to more than half the total space in downtown Oklahoma City in twelve city blocks. As for the name of the tower, maybe with BOK moving in Williams didn’t feel the need to keep the “Williams” name on absolutely everything.

Here’s Williams’ real estate brochure on the part they own

http://www.twc.com/who_we_are/real_e...s/brochure.pdf

[flintysooner]

I recently read somewhere that Tulsa's total downtown office space was on the order of 9.5 million square feet. I was surprised at how much greater that was than in Oklahoma City.

[metro]

Here's one of Steve's articles today. And he mentions OKCTalk. Thanks for putting us in your articles Steve and trying to bring some credibility to this website. I know some city officials scoff at it, but that's just because they are ignorant and clueless on internet matters.

Devon plans have many abuzz in city
By Steve Lackmeyer
Business Writer
At 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, Kevin Walker, 21, was surfing the headlines at NewsOK when he saw a just-posted story about Devon Energy's new downtown tower.



His reaction? One word: "Amazing.”

The prospect of a new downtown skyscraper — the tallest in the city at more than 37 stories — kept people talking Thursday whether they were at their keyboards like Walker or at The Buzz coffee shop in the heart of the central business district.

Alison and Tim Sisson started the day trying to grasp two big downtown announcements — the new Devon Tower and the previous night's unveiling of renovations planned for First National, where they've operated The Buzz for 11 years.

Tim Sisson said both projects were discussed at his shop — but he and his customers were most shocked by the Devon Tower announcement.

"This was one tight-lipped secret,” Sisson said. "I don't think anyone really knew this was going to happen.(Maybe he would have it he read OKCTalk every now and then) Everyone this morning was really positive — and there really are a lot of positive things going on downtown.”

Craig Brooks, who works at First National Tower, was himself shocked as he heard about the Devon Tower while ordering a drink at The Buzz.

"It's surprising — I didn't know they were experiencing that kind of growth,” Brooks said. "I thought we were through with this sort of thing for downtown ... but downtown Oklahoma City is really having some life come back to it.”

Jason Sanger, enjoying spring temperatures outside Chase Tower, admitted he had spent his entire morning doing anything but work.

"I can't stop reading the message boards (online),” Sanger said. "I want to know more — I want to see what it will look like, I want to see the construction cranes out tomorrow.”

Sanger even took a detour on his way to work to survey the proposed site of the tower on Sheridan Avenue, across from the Myriad Gardens.

"I never thought about what a cool block that really is,” Sanger said. "Having an office with a view like that — why isn't there a building there now?”

Walker, a geography major at the University of Oklahoma, was the first person to post a response to the story at NewsOK and at the popular city online forum www.okctalk.com. Within 12 hours his post drew more than 1,500 views and more than 70 responses.

"There has always been talk about Devon maybe in the future having a skyscraper downtown, but I've always had my doubts,” Walker said. "It was a shock, but I wasn't totally surprised either.”


What do citizens think?
Walker, who is studying city planning, said the project was discussed in his class Thursday. He also heard from friends who e-mailed and called him asking if he had seen the announcement.
"It's a big topic for people my age,” Walker said. "Without a doubt, I'm sticking around. We're going up and up, with the tax for the Ford Center, Core to Shore, and really, what I'm looking forward to the most is the river development. I think it may end up being one of the best moves made with MAPS.”

The city's 1993 Metropolitan Area Projects initiative was also on the mind of Devon Energy Chief Executive Larry Nichols as he fielded questions at a news conference Thursday.

He recalled how downtown was in decline prior to passage of the five-year sales tax, which paid for construction of several improvements including Ford Center, the Bricktown Canal and the AT&T Bricktown Ballpark.

"Without all the activity in Oklahoma City that has happened since MAPS I, we wouldn't even be in Oklahoma City,” Nichols said. "We wouldn't have been able to attract the people we have here ... this is a pretty different place, and the entire MAPS I process, MAPS for Kids and the Ford Center vote helps companies like Devon stay in Oklahoma City and have employees move here and live here.”

[CuatrodeMayo]

Doug,

Bump that floor-to-floor height to 15 ft. That is about the minimum for new contruction office buildings.

[jbrown84]

BG, nice rendering. Any chance you could put the "red bar builiding" in the picture where the tower will actually be. From that south angle, the building will be blocking part or all of Leadership Square and part of the SandRidge building.

No, it should be just to the right of Oklahoma Tower and blocking most of Chase Tower. That's from the west, not the south.

[Doug Loudenback]

Doug,

Bump that floor-to-floor height to 15 ft. That is about the minimum for new contruction office buildings.

Thanks! I've added a 2nd version of the same chart, with credit to you, using 15' ...