Following its successful streak of building projects in the Eastern United States, BDB Construction Enterprise has executed a high-profile residential renovation project in Berkeley, California, to reinvent an existing student housing complex. This success marks the first foray by the New York City-based contractor into construction work on the West Coast.
Led by Tallal Bhutta, founder and CEO, BDB Construction was engaged by their repeat client, owner and operator FOUND Study, a national provider of affordable, community-centered student and intern housing, for a fast-paced overhaul of the former Varsity Berkeley apartment building. The move-in date for occupants, almost all students at the University of California, Berkeley, is August 1st, a short two months after BDB Construction began the transformation.
Featuring private and shared suites with in-home appliances and ensuite bathrooms as well as new plank flooring, casework and countertops, among other upgrades and strategic installations, the 79-unit project offers attractively reimagined student residences and amenities. The project allows the area’s university students to “live off-campus with FOUND Study Downtown Berkeley — social spaces, fully furnished and flexible,” according to the owner, adding that the new residents “join thousands of students in enjoying comfortable single and co-living rooms around the United States.”
Images Courtesy of: BDB Construction
“We are pleased to expand our student housing portfolio in a prime area close to the University of California, Berkeley, offering affordable and modern living with excellent amenities and flexible leasing options,” says Andrew Olsen, Managing Director at Hawkins Way Capital, the fully vertically integrated real estate company behind the successful FOUND Study brand. “This builds on our strategic goal to deliver the best possible student housing solutions across the United States in urban markets where they are needed most.”
Located just off Shattuck Avenue, Downtown Berkeley’s main thoroughfare, the six-story student community stands a few minutes’ walk from the campus of UC Berkeley. With views of scenic San Francisco Bay, the renovated structure builds on a robust concrete podium and underground parking originally constructed in 2015.
Known for short-fused project timelines and speed-to-market advantages, BDB Construction Enterprise was selected to lead the West Coast construction project for their ability to turn around 76 apartment renovations in only six weeks. Fully completed in just 60 days, the renovation process highlights the firm’s track record of innovation and lightning-fast success in an often slow-moving industry.
“Experience and occupant reviews show that high-quality finishes and fixtures make a huge difference in demonstrating value for student residents, translating into expedited leasing and occupancy,” says BDB’s Bhutta, who holds advanced degrees in construction management and structural and civil engineering. “We made this the focus of our construction plan, and we commit to involvement in the earliest planning phases so that all stakeholders and trades are aligned on goals, process, and schedule.”
While working on FOUND Study Downtown Berkeley, across the country BDB Construction Enterprise is also reinventing a former 492-key hotel at 99 Washington Street in New York City’s Financial District to become a highly innovative, 650-bed student housing complex that will stand as the world’s tallest. Other projects underway for the same owner and developer include a dormitory-style redevelopment of University Centre in Newark, N.J. In addition, BDB Construction has also recently completed major conversion projects in Midtown Manhattan and in Providence, R.I.
“We are very pleased to be working in California for the first time, and we hope to find more opportunities here in the coming years,” adds Bhutta.
About Tallal Bhutta
With academic degrees in construction management, structural and civil engineering and valuable experience with all aspects of building construction and redevelopment, Tallal Bhutta is founder and CEO of BDB Construction Enterprise LLC, a construction provider based in New York City and operating nationally. Steeped in his uncle’s waterproofing and construction business in the late 1990s, Bhutta launched BDB in 2011 as a masonry and roofing contractor, and the company has progressively grown into a general contracting (GC) enterprise handling complex, multimillion-dollar renovation works. Recent projects by BDB include a high-rise conversion in New York’s Financial District, the transformation of a factory and warehouse building into a mixed-use church in the South Bronx, the 150-unit Brooklyn Watchtower housing development, renovations of a Manhattan building for Baruch College and New York University, the exterior restoration of the Renwick Hotel, as well as a 53-unit commercial conversion creating residences leased by Hunter College as student housing.
About BDB Construction Enterprise
BDB Construction Enterprise Inc. is an innovative building construction and renovation company known for meeting clients’ goals and rising to each project’s unique challenges — always on schedule, and always on budget. Offering a wide range of services from preconstruction through operations and maintenance, BDB Construction is recognized by leading developers, real estate companies, institutions, and commercial end-users as a highly qualified and successful construction provider. Acclaimed for its diverse project portfolio and consistently elevated professional capabilities, BDB Construction offers a proven track record meeting varied challenges in building projects, including effectively handling unforeseen conditions. The company’s longstanding relationships with many clients reflects BDB Construction’s unmatched commitment to excellence — and delivering on every promise. BDB Construction is an equal opportunity employer and committed to the highest standards of craftsmanship, quality and safety. See BDBenterprise.com for more.
Feature Image Courtesy of: BDB Enterprise
