Page 3 - Boca Club News - May '22

Boca Club News, Page 3

New “Boca Raton Innovation Campus” from page 1

BRiC is pursuing plans to reimagine the 123-acre
office park property into a sought-after planned mobility
destination where today’s employers can recruit and retain
a quality workforce while elevating and benefiting the
greater community.
A Look Back and Forward
According to CP Group Managing Director Angelo
Bianco, “These aspirations pay homage to the campus’s
early beginnings and the property’s long and storied 76,000 square feet of additional commercial space; 50,000 “With updated zoning,
history.” square feet of retail, and a 40,000-square-foot grocery BRiC will be on course to
The property was initially built as a closed campus store, among other use options. be more than one of the most
for IBM’s Research and Development headquarters in It merges office with community, a guiding principle successful office properties
the 1960s and designed by renowned Brutalist architect behind Amazon’s second headquarters in Arlington, in the country, but a true ecosystem for innovation, and an
Marcel Breuer. Both the architecture of the building and Virginia, demonstrating a deliberate shift from a “closed attractive destination for tourists, visitors and big business,”
the accomplishments made within its walls are truly iconic. campus to community mentality.” Its HQ2 includes three notes Bianco.
During IBM’s tenure, the campus was home to the midrise office towers, retail space, community center, While CP Group works in tandem with city staff on these
development of significant technological advances, childcare facility and parkland and spiraling “mountain” plans, CP Group is moving ahead with programming that
including the first IBM personal computer, its smartphone, accessible to the public. will help bring to life their vision for the campus.
and its industry-defining Most recently, it has developed a walking art museum
robotics technology. But this called “Art on BRiC Walls,” including an NFT Museum
period of groundbreaking that exhibits the emerging digital art displays (also called
innovation ended after IBM “non-fungible tokens”) that Lynn University curated. The
vacated the property in 1996 campus’s lakeside courtyard is also home to a 30-foot,
due to a new ill-fated state polished steel sculpture called Rocket, designed by Hubert
law that taxed all exports Phipps, and installed in partnership with the Boca Raton
made, sold, and shipped Museum of Art as part of the museum’s “Art in Public
from within Florida. IBM Places” initiative.
exited the state and moved These new exhibition spaces are emblematic of CP
to less restrictive locations Group’s vision for the next stage of BRiC’s evolution. The
in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Austin, Texas, destroying John Schoettler, Amazon’s vice-president of global real office park’s rich history and legacy as an economic engine
the once Boca tech hub. estate and facilities, validates this strategy. “We believe for this area, coupled with the novel concept of reimagining
After IBM’s departure, the property became a multi- this [Amazon] headquarters should be integrated into the the office space as a public forum, have cemented it as a
tenant office building, primarily attracting back-office neighborhood, not closed off, not a place for Amazon project to follow in the coming months.
tenants and data centers. Soon it became a “forgotten” employees only.” If Boca Raton wants to attract technology Boca residents interested in seeing the campus can join
building that was hardly noticeable among the 5,000 companies, it would be advantageous for them to follow a group tour (each month on the second Thursday at 8:30
parking spots surrounding the single office building. the trends of companies like Amazon. Since IBM left, a.m. and the fourth Monday at 4 p.m.) or look up upcoming
It was dilapidated, with 804,000 square feet of vacant Boca Raton has lost competitive momentum in attracting programming on BRiC’s website at www.workatbric.com,
space and sparse amenities, and intentionally closed to technology and innovation to its neighbors in West Palm where readers can also sign up to receive BRiC’s newsletter.
the community. Beach and Miami. For an overview of BRiC’s concept and to show support for
The Best Is Yet to Be What’s Next the needed rezoning, residents can visit www.workatbric.
The property remained this way until CP Group acquired To turn BRiC’s vision for a vibrant, walkable, com/support. To reserve a group tour spot, contact Giana
the property over 20 years later. Over the past five years, sustainable live-work-play environment into reality, the Pacinelli at gpacinelli@cpgcre.com.
CP Group has transformed a neglected office park into a Boca Raton City Council would have to vote to change
modern business campus humming with activity. BRiC is its current zoning laws. The existing zoning has not been Fun Facts About Boca Raton
now one of the most attractive workspaces in the state–a updated since the 1960s, when IBM was using the campus Innovation Campus (BRiC)
destination first and an office second, with the addition as a single-tenant office facility. While adequate for the
of two coffee shops, art galleries, a conference center, an restrictive single-office building property needs at that • 1.7 million square feet across 123 acres.
outdoor lakeside event space, daycare, and afterschool time, the laws are now antiquated for the burgeoning and • Designed by the father of Brutalism architecture,
childcare facility; an expansive outdoor courtyard; running evolving tech hub BRiC is today. Marcel Breuer.
and hiking trails; autonomous grab-and-go, and more. Under the current zoning laws, BRiC is restricted to • Largest single office facility in the state of Florida.
CP Group’s plans to reimagine the now 90% leased solely a single-facility commercial office park providing • Key IBM Accomplishments at BRiC:
property into a community-focused planned mobility services exclusively to its tenants. No one other than Birthplace of the first personal computer.
destination—the only one in Boca Raton aptly created BRiC office tenants can enjoy the food hall, presentation Bill Gates made the game-changing Microsoft and
and driven under a single ownership and management and conference spaces, coffee shops, and events without IBM “MS-DOS” software deal here.
group—is a rare opportunity for the city. The current rezoning. Thus, no benefit at all to the greater community The invention of the first smartphone, “Simon.”
vision includes 1,000 residential units; 130-room hotel, at large. Invention of the CTRL-ALT-DLT computer
combination.
Created Maritime Navigation System.
• Strengths of BRiC
○ 10MW generator can keep building operating for
General Dentistry up to 13 days without refueling.
○ Infrastructure built to withstand a Category 5

hurricane.
○ Triple-redundant, high speed fiber ring with seven
Cosmetic & Laser service providers–including Google fiber.
○ Conveniently located between two I-95 exits.
○ Adjacent to Tri-Rail station with 10 shuttle stops
on campus.
• Home to:
○ 18 national tenants.
○ 19 regional tenants.
○ 7 of the top 100 employers in Palm Beach County.
○ Approx. 6,000 employees have offices at BRiC
daily.
○ 5,000 surface level parking spots.
○ Miles of common area corridors upgraded into
walking art museum.
Dr. Rosenbusch has been • Community Guidance:
practicing dentistry for 34 years ○ Programming Board to curate unique community
and has extensive experience in events.
○ Art, History & Architecture Board to pay homage

many aspects of dentistry. His to BRiC’s history.
○ Community Outreach Board to plan BRiC’s
main focus is on Cosmetic community give-back strategy.
visit us at:
Dentistry, Laser Dentistry and cliverosenbuschdds.com • Campus-Wide Art Museum:
○ Exhibits along common area hallways to
Implant Prosthetics email: bring awareness to local and young artists through

bocadentist12@gmail.com partnerships with:

■ Boca Raton Museum

Broken Sound Resident General Dentistry ■ Lynn University
25 Years Cosmetic and Laser ■ Palm Beach Color Watercolor Society.
■ Zero Empty Spaces.