Anchorage skyline transformation: new projects from artsy to army dot the skyline.

• Author: West, Gail
• Position: BUILDING ALASKA

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Like popcorn over a hot fire, buildings have been popping up around Anchorage over the past year. From midtown north to Elmendorf and Fort Richardson, construction has changed the look of the city. Midtown has developed into the financial district of Anchorage over the years with office space, restaurants and retail stores following the bankers' lead. Most recent on the scene are two new office towers--188 West Northern Lights and JL Tower.

Between the two buildings, more than 400,000 square feet of Class A office space has been added to midtown. In addition, Derrick Chang, owner's representative for Ruby Investments Inc., (owner of 188 Northern Lights), said his building also houses approximately 12,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor and 350 parking spaces from the first floor through the fourth floors.

SMALL LOT AND BIG PLANS

Chang said the biggest challenge in building 188--on the corner of Northern Lights and Benson boulevards and C Street--was the size of the lot.

"The only way to offer tenants onsite parking and office space was to build on top of the other," Chang said.

Architects for the building, ruff-corn mott hinthorne stine of Seattle, and Bettisworth North of Anchorage, had experience in building urban projects, Chang said, and took on the challenge of the small site and Ruby Investments' vision for creating a pedestrian-friendly midtown.

"Our whole goal is to make midtown more of a destination rather than a throughway from downtown to South Anchorage," Chang said. "We're trying to create a network of buildings that people can reach on foot."

Under Ruby's instructions, the architects and general contractor, Neeser Construction Inc., took the Anchorage 2020 comprehensive plan seriously. The building has heated sidewalks and a covered concourse "to be more welcoming," Chang said. And it's a high-density workplace, with floor-to-ceiling perimeter windows that take advantage of natural light and views of the Chugach Mountains.

"We've also added landscape buffers to make the building more attractive and to protect pedestrians from splashes produced by the motorists," he said.

Denali--The Alaska Gas Pipeline recently signed a lease for the top three floors at 188, and has become an anchor tenant in the building. Chang said he's currently negotiating with additional tenants and hopes to have the building full by early spring.

LIGHTING UP THE SKYLINE

In the Centerpoint Business Park, JL Properties has built a 300,000-square-foot, $60 million office building targeted for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. RIM Architects designed the building and Davis Constructors was the general contractor.

"We had looked at the rental market," said Leonard Hyde, a partner with John Rubini in JL Properties and president of the firm. "Anchorage had the lowest Class A vacancy rate of any significant market...