Katerra, the Menlo Park. Calif.-based technology company that specializes in prefabricated construction services, is expanding that portfolio through its acquisition of UEB Builders and Fortune-Johnson General Contractors (F-J).
UEB is a GC that specializes in commercial and residential projects such as multifamily, student housing, mixed use, and institutional. UEB can now tap into Katerra’s sales network that includes 11 offices in the U.S. (three of which are in Arizona) and one in Guadalajara, Mexico.
“Katerra reflects what we both believe in,” says Michael Hurst, a Principal at UEB Builders. “A shared desire to find a better way to build for our partners and their communities.” Prior to this merger, UEB had worked with Katerra on a number of projects, including Union South Bay, a 357-unit midrise apartment development under-construction in Carson, Calif.
F-J, founded in 1991, focuses primarily on multifamily construction, but also engages a variety of building types including high-density mixed-use communities, garden-style apartments, senior living, and student housing.
F-J was awarded the 2018 Multi-Family Builder of the Year by the National Association of Home Builders.
Katerra did not disclose the terms of these acquisitions, nor provide specifics about how the businesses would be integrated into its operations, expect to note that through these partnerships, Katerra would gain further construction expertise that will allow the company to expand its geographical footprint across the United States.
“Both companies share Katerra’s commitment to delivering increased value to customers by embracing technology and innovative methods,” says Michael Marks, CEO and co-founder of Katerra.
And given that Katerra owns four architecture firms, it can now present itself to clients as a full-service provider of manufacturing, design, engineering, and construction.
Katerra is focused on speed-to-market construction through such tools as digital technology, offsite manufacturing, and fully integrated building teams. For example, a garden-style multifamily building might take 140 days to complete via conventional construction. In Las Vegas, Katerra initiated K90, an R&D project where it built a 24-unit garden apartment in 90 days, from framing to delivery, leaning heavily on modular and prefabrication for such repetitive areas as bathrooms.
To see a video about K90, click here.
UEB and F-J fall under the oversight of Paal Kibsgaard, who last month joined Katerra as its COO, a new position for the company. Kibsgaard had been chairman and CEO of Schlumberger Ltd., an oilfield services company. He has also served on Katerra’s board for three year.
Kibsgaard is now responsible for Katerra’s U.S. operations, including architecture, engineering, manufacturing, and construction. Kibsgaard is also responsible for international expansion, and the development of new construction technologies.
Related Stories
| Jan 25, 2011
Top 10 rules of green project finance
Since the bottom fell out of the economy, finding investors and financial institutions willing to fund building projects—sustainable or otherwise—has been close to impossible. Real estate finance prognosticators, however, indicate that 2011 will be a year to buy back into the real estate market.
| Jan 25, 2011
Construction firms planning to hire, not fire in 2011, reports AGC
More construction firms are planning to hire workers this year than are planning to make layoffs, according to the results of an industry-wide survey by the Associated General Contractors of America and Navigant. The survey, conducted as part of the Construction Industry Hiring and Business Outlook, shows the industry may finally be emerging from a severe downturn that has left millions of skilled workers unemployed.
| Jan 25, 2011
AIA reports: Hotels, retail to lead U.S. construction recovery
U.S. nonresidential construction activity will decline this year but recover in 2012, led by hotel and retail sectors, according to a twice-yearly forecast by the American Institute of Architects. Overall nonresidential construction spending is expected to fall by 2% this year before rising by 5% in 2012, adjusted for inflation. The projected decline marks a deteriorating outlook compared to the prior survey in July 2010, when a 2011 recovery was expected.
| Jan 21, 2011
Combination credit union and USO center earns LEED Silver
After the Army announced plans to expand Fort Bliss, in Texas, by up to 30,000 troops, FirstLight Federal Credit Union contracted NewGround (as CM) to build a new 16,000-sf facility, allocating 6,000 sf for a USO center with an Internet café, gaming stations, and theater.
| Jan 21, 2011
Manufacturing plant transformed into LEED Platinum Clif Bar headquarters
Clif Bar & Co.’s new 115,000-sf headquarters in Emeryville, Calif., is one of the first buildings in the state to meet the 2008 California Building Energy Efficiency Standards. The structure has the largest smart solar array in North America, which will provide nearly all of its electrical energy needs.
| Jan 21, 2011
Primate research facility at Duke improves life for lemurs
Dozens of lemurs have new homes in two new facilities at the Duke Lemur Center in Raleigh, N.C. The Releasable Building connects to a 69-acre fenced forest for free-ranging lemurs, while the Semi-Releasable Building is for lemurs with limited-range privileges.
| Jan 21, 2011
Harlem facility combines social services with retail, office space
Harlem is one of the first neighborhoods in New York City to combine retail with assisted living. The six-story, 50,000-sf building provides assisted living for residents with disabilities and a nonprofit group offering services to minority groups, plus retail and office space.
| Jan 21, 2011
Nothing dinky about these residences for Golden Gophers
The Sydney Hall Student Apartments combines 125 student residences with 15,000 sf of retail space in the University of Minnesota’s historic Dinkytown neighborhood, in Minneapolis.
| Jan 21, 2011
Revamped hotel-turned-condominium building holds on to historic style
The historic 89,000-sf Hotel Stowell in Los Angeles was reincarnated as the El Dorado, a 65-unit loft condominium building with retail and restaurant space. Rockefeller Partners Architects, El Segundo, Calif., aimed to preserve the building’s Gothic-Art Nouveau combination style while updating it for modern living.
| Jan 21, 2011
Sustainable history center exhibits Fort Ticonderoga’s storied past
Fort Ticonderoga, in Ticonderoga, N.Y., along Lake Champlain, dates to 1755 and was the site of battles in the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. The new $20.8 million, 15,000-sf Deborah Clarke Mars Education Center pays homage to the French magasin du Roi (the King’s warehouse) at the fort.
