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Drone footage has captured some nice aerial views of the new Republic Spine & Pain and Spicewood Surgery Center building in Northwest Austin. Sabre recently completed the ground up pain management clinic and surgery, located at 13617 Caldwell Drive.

Designed by Polkinghorn Group Architects, the single-story building features multiple façades, including TPO roofing, standing seam roof canopies, limestone, EIFS and Nichiha (pre-finished fiber cement board). Site work included the creation of a biofiltration water quality retention pond with 12-foot concrete retaining walls, dry and wet utility infrastructures, concrete paving and right of way sidewalks. Interior finishes included various types of flooring, architectural millwork, steel and wood doors, controlled-access doors and acoustical ceilings.

“Despite early weather challenges Republic Spine was completed on time, and the clients are very pleased with the finished product,” said Project Manager Dan Bradley. “Superintendents Art Bergmann and Brad Hatton and Project Engineer Carter Cole did a great job on the project.”

Congratulations to our third quarter 2019 Sabre Igniters, Todd Evans and Dru Parks!

Sabre igniters are voted on every quarter by Sabre employees. The igniter award is given to one field and one office employee that is recognized as a “Sabre difference maker”.

Todd Evans, who has been with Sabre Commercial since 2012, has worked on a multitude of projects spanning from small tenant finish-outs to ground-up medical office buildings. He is currently working out of our Sabre South office, finishing up Central Texas Eye Center, a 19,800-square-foot ground-up optometry center in San Marcos, Texas.

Dru Parks, Project Engineer, is currently working on Fierce Whiskers Distillery, an 8,000-square-foot ground-up whiskey distillery in South Austin. His past work includes CHiP Semiconductor and their later expansion.

Igniters were awarded at our third quarterly meeting of 2019, an all-hands meeting held at Mi Madre’s.

We are excited to announce that Sabre Commercial has been selected as the winner of two Outstanding Construction Awards as presented by the Texas Building Branch of the Associated General Contractors (AGC). Projects are judged on the difficulty of construction; unusual construction techniques involved; final appearance and quality of the finished product; as well as timeliness of completion.

Vida Capital + Ovation Partners, located in the Class A Shoal Creek Walk, received the Interior Finish Out Award for projects valued between $500,000 and $2 Million.

This first generation interior finish out was completed on the fourteenth floor of Shoal Creek Walk building in downtown Austin. The completed space includes two separate offices of sister companies as well as the common elevator lobby and corridor between. Both offices were uniquely designed with each featuring high-end finishes, lighting packages, and design elements throughout. Each tenant had its own distinctive reception area, break room and conference room as well as a mixture of executive style individual offices and open office space.

This project was completed while the base building was still under construction and our team was able to complete work with minimal disruption despite extremely limited elevator access. Both offices have received an AEGB 2-Star rating.

Power Home Remodeling Group received the Industrial/Warehouse project Award for projects valued up to $5 Million.

This 28,000 square foot tenant finish out for Power Homes Remodeling Group (PHRG) is located at the Met Center, Office 12. The first generation finish out included both office space and their warehouse. With a heavy emphasis on having a flexible space, over half of the office floor plan is allocated to training rooms, break areas, and open office. The remainder of the office includes glass-enclosed private offices and conference rooms.

The reception area includes a custom 16-foot curved wood-slat wall enveloped in steel. Full height custom graphic walls were affixed throughout the space to further PHRG’s team branding and values.

This gorgeous office/warehouse finish out was delivered on time and within budget. The finished product is visually arresting and highly user-friendly, with plenty of wide-open spaces.

Sabre Commercial recently completed Saint Vincent, a new three-story retail-office building and renovation of an existing building in Austin’s iconic SoCo district. The ground floor features high-end retailers Marine Layer, Tecovas, Madewell and others, with the second and third floors reserved for Class A office space.

Sitting on the former site of St. Vincent de Paul thrift store, the mixed-use project is a chic addition to the neighborhood. Designed by Lake Flato Architects, its modern, textured brick and dark, elegant lines give the corner ultimate curb appeal.

To preserve the historic brick building’s character after the renovation, some materials of the old thrift store were integrated into the design. Salvaged doors and wood framing were used to create beautiful skylights within the reworked rooftop of the renovated building.

The project was not without its challenges. Because of their location in downtown Austin, the team worked around the construction and right of way restrictions required during SXSW. Due to the steep grade on South Congress, the team had to use three different pads for the three different elevations, and the engineer, the architect, and Sabre had to problem solve in the field.

Along with grade issues, the site also had old utilities and key changes had to be made to the final exterior brick mix. “The Sabre team had planned to connect to an existing sanitary line,” explained Matt, “but when dug up, it turned out to be an old clay pipe! So we had to readjust there.”

Despite the long hours required, Matt said he really enjoyed being on one project for a long period of time, working closely with the Sabre team and the contractors to stay on target. He was impressed that Lake Flato and the subcontractors were 100% willing to do whatever it took to finish the beautiful retail-office center, generously collaborating to solve issues in the field.

“It was a satisfying project,” said Matt. “And it’s a building our team will be able to point to with pride for the rest of our lives, a piece of downtown Austin that we are connected to.”

See details about the project.

Every summer, Sabre Commercial transforms into a training ground for young adults with an interest in the construction industry. Currently, our five 2019 interns are avidly shadowing project managers, estimators, project engineers and superintendents to experience what a commercial GC is all about.

The experience is designed to give participants real-world experience and practical insight into their chosen field. Gregory Kimpler, a Mechanical Engineering major at UT Austin, has been interning on the site of our HVAC renewal project at The University of Texas Music Recital Hall (MRH). Two things he’s learned already—safety is paramount on an occupied campus and without careful consideration, unexpected surprises can compromise a schedule.

“It was interesting being in coordination meetings to carefully plan power outages, large equipment deliveries, and crane lift plans to ensure safety and minimal impact to daily activities on the UT campus,” he said. “Something surprising was seeing the difficulties associated with performing a renovation on a building originally built in the 1960s. There were a lot of unknowns that appeared during the course of construction that were not specified in the original building plans. These unknowns were carefully analyzed and required creative solutions to stay on schedule.”

Part of Gregory’s time has been spent with Sabre’s Allyssa Taylor, who is helping to lead the UT MRH project. Allyssa is a testament to the possibilities of the internship since she joined Sabre in 2015 after completing a summer internship while earning her Architectural Engineering degree at UT. Initially excelling as Project Engineer on a wide range of tenant improvement and ground-up projects, Allyssa is now transitioning into project management. A number of Sabre team members were first introduced to the company via the summer program, including Sabre Superintendent Trey Batey, Project Engineer Brandon Klotz, and Project Engineer Carter Cole.

According to Director of Human Resources Suzanne Simpson, we plan to recruit our 2020 group of Sabre summer interns through a combination of spring and fall college job fairs and personal referrals. “We take these paid internships very seriously, both in terms of providing an authentic experience and having real work expectations,” she said. “Each intern is assigned to a project and is assigned daily tasks. They sit in on important meetings with subcontractors, owners and architects, and get a real feel for the day-to-day rhythm and responsibilities of a construction worksite.”

This year’s group of four college students and one high school graduate are getting some cross-disciplinary exposure as we partner with the internship programs of Pape-Dawson Engineers and CTA Architects. Interns from each of the programs will visit the other two companies to attend joint Lunch and Learns on relevant topics. This provides the 17 participants with additional information and opportunities to network with like-minded peers.

“The impetus for this ‘series’ was a conversation at a ULI Breakfast between Todd Reimers, Sheri Blattel – Principal of CTA Group, and myself,” said Su Kosub of Pape-Dawson Engineers. “We were discussing our Summer Interns and how our respective programs were going. Sheri mentioned that she ‘wished they were more familiar with the whole process, not just the architectural side.’ So, seeing as we had the Architect, the Engineer, and the Contractor, in the conversation, we decided to give this a try. Todd sent an email out the next day with dates, and here we are!

And as I mentioned, I think we’re on to something. The 30 minutes prior to the LnL was great – lots of conversations, talk about school, work, etc. And I overheard one saying it was ‘nice to be around young people!'”

“We thought we’d try to take some of the mystery out the process,” said Todd Reimers, Principal and Chief Business Development Officer. “This way Sabre interns gain exposure to three different industry disciplines, and can get a sense of how they work together.”

Sabre Commercial’s 2019 interns include:

• Grayson Dippel studying at Montana State University
• Gabriella Kackley studying at The University of Texas at Austin
• Greg Kimpler studying at The University of Texas at Austin
• Keller Kosub recent graduate of Austin High School
• Jackson Reimers studying at Blinn College

Congratulations to our second quarter 2019 Sabre Igniters, Brad Hatton and Dan Bradley!

Sabre igniters are voted on every quarter by Sabre employees. The igniter award is given to one field and one office employee that is recognized as a “Sabre difference maker”.

Superintendent, Brad Hatton, and Project Manager, Dan Bradley, both recently finished up work at on the fourth floor finish out for Dell Seton Medical Center at UT project, a project that was delivered early and under budget.

Igniters were awarded at our second quarterly meeting of 2019, an all-hands meeting held at Mi Madre’s.

Sabre recently donated a little time and labor to spruce up Lynda’s Library, a whimsical children’s reading sanctuary in the Luci and Ian Family Garden at The University of Texas Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Tony Guzman, Project Manager at UT Project Management and Construction Services (PMCS), came up with a creative design for the new garden structure. When open, the gazebo doors fold outwards and feature seats made of local wood that look out on the garden. The doors include built-in cabinets filled with children’s books. UT-PMCS shop workers worked with other suppliers and volunteers to put it all together. When Tony reached out to Sabre Project Manager Matt Sitterle and Project Engineer Brandon Klotz to upgrade the concrete floor of library they were excited to pitch in.

“I knew that the staining would make a huge improvement in the appearance of what was really an ordinary driveway-looking floor slab, but I underestimated how dramatically it would change the character of the interior space itself,” said Guzman in a note to Matt Sitterle.

“WOW! Sincere thanks to you and Brandon for so generously giving your free time and decorative concrete expertise, and to Sabre for supporting you in this effort. So grateful!”

“We were happy to help,” said Matt. “Now is a perfect time to visit the garden and check it out while everything is still in bloom!”

Lynda’s Library was financed by the Lynda’s Library Endowed Excellence Fund, a gift from Luci Baines Johnson to honor her sister, Lynda Bird Johnson Robb.

A strong Sabre contingent was on hand to celebrate the completion of the Transplant ICU Wing at the Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas (DSMCUT). The teaching hospital held an open house on Friday, May 3rd to commemorate the opening of the new high-profile unit.

Sweets provided at the Dell Seton Medical Center at UT Open House, a project with Seton Healthcare Family, Ascension, and Sabre Commercial.

Sabre’s finish out of the occupied Transplant ICU Wing added 15 much-needed beds for patients recovering from transplant operations. It was our most recent project for the DSMCUT, which serves as an anchor for the newest healthcare zone in downtown Austin.

“Our team hit our milestones, finished early, and were under budget,” said Project Manager Dan Bradley proudly. “I know the hospital administration is really happy with Superintendent Brad Hatton, Assistant Superintendent Lance Hipps, and Project Engineer Allyssa Taylor. They did a fantastic job keeping administrators and department heads apprised of what was on schedule so conflicts could be avoided.”

Because transplant patients are particularly vulnerable, special protocols were implemented. Since the new patient beds sit in quasi-isolation rooms, constant positive air pressure had to be maintained in each room relative to the corridor area pressure. Part of the mechanical design of the project ensures that air flows out of the room but does not enter it, helping to further protect patients from infections.

Standard Infection control, dust control, and the logistics of getting materials to the floor were also key in the occupied unit, according to Dan, who noted it was critical to work with subcontractors with hospital experience. The experienced trades understood that vigilance in these areas was paramount, and that whatever came into the space had to be covered, keeping contagions from outside the hospital from getting inside. Other challenges were more typical of a hospital job.

“Everything’s hard to get to in a hospital because of everything that happens above ceiling,” explains Dan. “You’re putting a number of key components in a small space, so it’s all got to be coordinated in a systematic way. Brad and Lance did an excellent job of administrating that in the field.”

The team conducted weekly Owner-Architect-Contractor meetings that included a plethora of hospital stakeholders, each involved in coordinating their own particular aspects of the project.

“Ultimately, although we held the largest share of the pie in terms of manpower and materials, there were others that work for the hospital, such as medical or IT equipment vendors, who also needed to integrate their parts into the active hospital system,” said Dan.

“Coordination often comes down to product delivery timing—if delivered too early we have to stage materials and work around them and if delivered too late then the project’s late. Brad and Lance did a fantastic job maintaining the schedule on a weekly basis so we could adjust to changes in environment that could affect delivery dates.

“It was an honor to complete this critical project for the teaching hospital. The Seton leadership team were very pleased about how we organized the work, and how we coordinated and worked with their other vendors. Ownership even said ‘I want this exact team again.’ It was an important project that worked out well, very well.”

View more about the project here.

The team at Sabre South recently attended the Grand Opening of The Village Main in San Marcos, home to four nonprofit agencies that will serve more than 30,000 residents in Hays and surrounding rural counties. The completion of the $4 million, 22,000-square-foot Village Main building is the realization of a long-held vision to create a centralized social services campus that serves the region’s working poor, seniors, victims of violence, and the disabled.

“The Sabre construction team accepted the challenge and worked diligently to build this magnificent space,” said Kathy Morris, former San Marcos mayor and social worker, who was the lead fundraiser for this project for The Village of San Marcos. “Thanks to superintendent Jason Lawder, who every day, at every hour, in sickness and in health, has a penchant for detail and completion. He worked along with Jon Barton, Greg Dorman, Kenneth Dominguez, the subs, and the rest of us who came in and interfered. You all kept us moving forward to get to this point, a timely completion and an excellent product.”

The Village of San Marcos, the owner and developing arm of the project, first conceived of a non-profit campus in 2004 after receiving 19 donated acres at the site, a gift from Morris and her husband. Years later, the developer acquired 10 more acres through a Block Grant. The plans for The Village Main campus were drawn up in 2010 with fundraising started in 2015, envisioning this as a home to four well-established social service agencies:

• Community Action of Central Texas  promotes self-sufficiency and wellness to end poverty in our region, with four areas of operation: Health Services; Early Childhood Education; Adult Literacy; and their Community Services division, which offers fiscal assistance and runs the San Marcos Senior Citizens Center.
• Hays County ECI/Homespun is part of a statewide program for families with children, birth to age three, with disabilities and developmental delays.
• The Family Justice Center provides coordinated services in one location to victims of domestic violence and violent crime, partnering with a multidisciplinary team of local police officers, prosecutors, legal service providers and community advocates.
• Women, Infants & Children (WIC) provides a special supplemental nutrition program for to improve the diet of infants, children, and pregnant women who are at risk for nutrition-related illness.

The ultimate purpose of the entire 29-acre Village Campus is to serve as a central location for social service organizations and government entities in Hays County, enabling coordination between agencies and providing more easily accessible, comprehensive services to the people who need them most. The Village Main is the culmination of the second phase of the project. The first phase, already completed, is home to the CFPO-PALS Youth Sports field. Phase Three of the campus is slated for the future construction of a new Hays County Food Bank and regional distribution center.

The Village Main, along with the campus itself, is an attractive addition to the neighborhood and designed with the comfort of employees and potential clients in mind. It was rewarding and exciting for the Sabre team to complete this essential piece of the social services campus, helping to make this long-awaited dream a reality for San Marcos and Hays County.

We are excited to announce that Sabre Commercial has been selected as the winner of three Outstanding Construction Awards as presented by the Austin Chapter of the Associated General Contractors (AGC). Projects are judged on the difficulty of construction; unusual construction techniques involved; final appearance and quality of the finished product; as well as timeliness of completion.

Vida Capital + Ovation Partners, located in the Class A Shoal Creek Walk, received the Interior Finish Out Award for projects valued between $500,000 and $2 Million.

This first generation interior finish out was completed on the fourteenth floor of Shoal Creek Walk building in downtown Austin. The completed space includes two separate offices of sister companies as well as the common elevator lobby and corridor between. Both offices were uniquely designed with each featuring high end finishes, lighting packages, and design elements throughout. Each tenant had its own distinctive reception area, break room and conference room as well as a mixture of executive style individual offices and open office space.

This project was completed while the base building was still under construction and our team was able to complete work with minimal disruption despite extremely limited elevator access. Both offices were suited to comply with the AEGB 2-Star rated building.

The University of Texas at Austin, School of Architecture 5th + 6th Floor renovation, located in Austin, Texas, received the Education Award for projects valued up to $10 Million. 

This project included the complete remodel of the fifth and sixth floors at the UT School of Architecture. The fifth floor included the creation of three classrooms and common area. Each classroom featured state of the art presentation equipment as well as fully programmable and multi-functional light fixtures. In the common area, sliding pivot panels serve as a pin-up gallery for the architecture and design students. The sixth floor was renovated to create functional open office space for staff.

As with most University projects, construction was within an occupied building and scheduling occurred around class schedules and quiet times.

Power Home Remodeling Group received the Industrial/Warehouse project Award for projects valued up to $5 Million.

This 28,000 square foot tenant finish out for Power Homes Remodeling Group (PHRG) is located at the Met Center, Office 12. The first generation finish out included both office space and their warehouse. With a heavy emphasis on having a flexible space, over half of the office floor plan is allocated to training rooms, break areas, and open office. The remainder of the office includes glass enclosed private offices and conference rooms.

The reception area includes a custom 16 foot curved wood-slat wall enveloped in steel. Full height custom graphic walls were affixed throughout the space to further PHRG’s team branding and values.

This gorgeous office/warehouse finish out was delivered on time and within budget. The finished product is visually arresting and highly user friendly, with plenty of wide open spaces.