Best Commercial Renovation - 3rd Place
Philadelphia Business Journal
November 10, 2009

BRIDGE BUSINESS CENTER

Renovation of 50,000 square feet and approval of a 60,000 square -foot reconstruction of 360 George Patterson Blvd. in Bristol.

DEVELOPER:  Robert Loughery, Keystone Redevelopment Group, Doylestown
ARCHITECT:  Bernie Elias, the Elias Organization, Huntingdon Valley
MECHANICAL ENGINEER:  Mark Wachter, Wachter and Associates, West Depford, NJ
LAW FIRM:  Tom Profy, Begley Carlin and Mandio, Langhorne
FINANCIER:  William Maeglin, Univest, Souderton

HIGHLIGHTS:  The Bridge Business Center is a 300,00 complex of office, laboratory, manufacturing and warehouse and administrative space acquired from Rohm and Haas in 2006. The complex is in a Keystone Innovation Zone and Enterprise Zone.

SIGNIFICANCE OF DEAL:  This was an adaptive reuse project incorporating alternative energy and retrofitting of older labs. The first phase, to renovate a 50,000 square foot chemistry lab into a multitenant R & D facility, is expected to create more than 200 jobs. The building's energy-generation system makes its own electricity and sells excess back to the grid. By-products of the energy generation — hot water — are used to heat the buildings, while electric chillers cool the building. The system is about 85% green and will in the first year reduce local carbon dioxide emissions by 2,522 tons while also passing energy saving on to tenants. The site also has municipal approval for new construction.

GETTING THE DEAL DONE:  Bridge Business Center received a federal stimulus grant of $1 million to install its efficient-energy system.

Return to In the News