Concept Companies and Gateway Development Services Break Ground for 55,000 Sq. Ft. Class A Mixed-use Building to Support Rapid Growth Ventures at UF's Innovation Square

GAINESVILLE, Fla., Oct. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Concept Companies, a comprehensive real estate development and construction organization, Atlanta-based Gateway Development Services and Harvest Capital Group, today announced the groundbreaking for 800 Second at Innovation Square, offering four floors and 55,000 sq. ft. of Class A office and retail space strategically located adjacent to UF in the heart of Gainesville. The new building is scheduled for completion in Q3 of 2018.

"Gainesville is becoming a leading center for technology, research and innovative ventures of all kinds," said Brian Crawford, Founder and CEO, Concept Companies. "These companies require modern, well-planned space for productive, creative work environments and to meet rapid growth needs that accompany success. This announcement reflects the coordinated, comprehensive commitment of Concept Companies, our partner Gateway Development Services, the City of Gainesville and University of Florida."

The 800 Second location will provide a continuum of the established design aesthetic for the district, evolving as a forward-looking addition to the Second Avenue streetscape and punctuated by a signature corner curtainwall entry component at the Ninth Avenue intersection. The modern design, unique to Gainesville, will feature aluminum panels in varying textures, energy efficient glazing, and aluminum sunshades. Contributing to a more productive work environment, floor to ceiling glazing will be utilized throughout to maximize views and access natural daylight.

The building's first floor will have an urban bistro, a coffee shop and a shared work studio to contain furnished, individual office suites, co-working and shared office options and conference/meeting space. Floors two, three and four will have state-of-the art office space.

Whether for long- or short-term needs, the flexible space will provide entrepreneurial ventures with square footage appropriate for a range of working, meeting and training requirements. This includes state-of-the art architecture and systems, ample parking, retail and a strategic location across 2nd Avenue from UF's Innovation Hub technology and commercialization center.

Innovation Square is a 25-acre urban, mixed-use project designed to leverage the technology, healthcare and intellectual capital of the University of Florida into new companies and new jobs for Gainesville. Innovation Square aligns the goals of the City of Gainesville and the University of Florida to create a livable, walkable, adaptable and sustainable urban research district that gives Gainesville a competitive edge in attracting and retaining the best minds and companies in research. Partnerships between public and private stakeholders contribute to a sustainable development approach that creates a more compact, higher density district, establishes better connectivity with neighboring communities, creates a safe and connected pedestrian-friendly environment, and mixes uses such as retail, research, housing, and hospitability.

"The Concept/Gateway development team offers the right blend of local market knowledge and national expertise to deliver this unique, innovative building that will help the University collaborate with private industry to commercialize our discoveries and recruit national and global companies who want to locate by campus to hire our graduates," said Lee Nelson, Director of University of Florida Office of Real Estate.

Gateway Development Services focuses on the development of office, research and mixed-use projects on and around university campuses. The company has developed 1.5 million sq. ft. of space around Georgia Tech's campus in Atlanta, including Centergy at Technology Square, with 15 corporate innovation centers, the nation's highest density such facilities around a university campus.

A Perkins+Will team focused on the development of urban spaces designed the Master Plan and Landscaping that establishes the framework for Innovation Square. The team also designed the first privatized development within Innovation Square, Infinity Hall, a private student housing project recognized with a 2016 City of Gainesville Beautification Award. Perkins+Will is an interdisciplinary, research-based architecture and design firm with more than 2,000 professionals across 24 offices, including some of the brightest minds in architecture, interior design, branded environments, urban design, and landscape architecture. It has worked with more than 300 colleges and universities across the country and around the globe over the past three decades.

Construction company BL Harbert International specializes in design-build, construction management and general contracting for national and international clients, representing construction markets of every kind. The company is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, with offices across the southeast and in several regions of the globe.

Based in Atlanta, Harvest Capital Group is a real estate investment firm providing development services and capital solutions to commercial real estate projects throughout the Southeast.   Harvest is an affiliate of BL Harbert International and draws on BL Harbert's vast experience and construction expertise for the benefit of its developer partners. 

SOURCE Concept Companies