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Inside AGC May/June 2008 2008 Aon Build America Awards The Highest Honor Construction professionals recognized at prestigious awards programs The Aon Build America Awards are the highest and most sought-after awards in the construction industry. This year, 17 projects were selected as winners and seven were selected for merit awards at AGC’s 89th Annual Convention in Las Vegas. AGC also recognized the nation’s top project with the Aon Build America Grand Award. The Build America Awards contribute directly to the AGC Education and Research Foundation. Since 1993, the Build America Scholarship Program has awarded $279,250 in scholarships to 87 construction-management and civil engineering students.
GRAND AWARD WINNER C.C. Myers’ work to replace a 165-ft connector section on the I-580 overpass was a high-profile project from the beginning. After a tanker truck crashed and exploded on April 29, 2007, a fire melted the connector and caused it to collapse onto the lower deck of the I-80 to I-880 connector. The connector was part of the MacArthur Maze, through which an average of 80,000 vehicles pass every day. C.C. Myers completed the project in 17 days, eight days ahead of schedule.
WALBRIDGE ALDINGER This 14,050-sq-ft, $4-million project is the new sales office and model center for the upcoming $1-billion multistory residential development at Turnberry Harbour in Destin, Fla. The Sales Center displayed many of the features found in Turnberry properties, including Italian marble and door hardware, Brazilian walnut wood flooring, handmade wall coverings and Venetian plaster ceiling features.
TARLTON CORP. After Moosylvania Marketing purchased an 80-year-old Baptist church and its adjoining school building, Tarlton Corp. was tasked with converting the architecturally significant structure into an environment that would foster creativity and generate inspiration among its 75 employees. Tarlton Corp. successfully applied state-of-the-art technology and modern amenities while maintaining the building’s historic significance. GRANGER CONSTRUCTION CO. The six-level parking garage at Michigan State University was designed to hold 730 cars while also blending seamlessly into the collegiate gothic architecture and pristine setting of the surrounding buildings. Working with design team Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr and Huber/Carl Walker Inc., Granger Construction delivered the project on time and with minimal interference in day-to-day campus operations. HENSEL PHELPS CONSTRUCTION CO. Praised as one of the “Top 10 deals of 2006” by Site Selection magazine, the Samsung Fab A2 project has been hailed as a “next-generation center” for the semiconductor business—one of only five in the United States. The new $3.5-billion, cutting-edge fab plant is one of the largest and most advanced chip-making factories in the country. The facility is the largest in Texas and represents one of the biggest-ever foreign investments in the United States. The $800-million project was finished in 12 months with 110,000 cu yd of concrete work, 10,000 tons of rebar, 7,200 tons of structural steel and 28 cranes in place at one time. HENSEL PHELPS CONSTRUCTION CO. The restoration of this building, the third-oldest federal building in Washington, D.C., was a monumental undertaking that required stripping the building down to the core of the original structure without disturbing the neoclassical architecture at the heart of the building. Hensel Phelps used 19th century construction methods implemented with 21st century tools to restore plaster, bring stained glass back to its original condition, devise molds to restore the decorative plaster to its original elegance and completely re-create the cast-iron ceilings, doors and windows destroyed by previous restorations. SHAWMUT DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION Harvard University’s stunning New College Theatre involved the renovation and expansion of the original 1880s historic shell of the Hasty Pudding Theatre into a state-of-the-art performance facility. The project took place on a congested site located within a residential neighborhood in the heart of Harvard Square. Construction involved a complete renovation of the front portion of the theater building while maintaining the existing historic facade. The rear portion of the building was completely demolished and replaced with a new 30,000-sq-ft wing consisting of a theater and teaching spaces. The project was completed on budget and one week ahead of schedule. HENSEL PHELPS CONSTRUCTION CO. This project consisted of a new three-story, 462,000-sq-ft masonry and precast building accompanied by a two-story, 143,000-sq-ft parking structure. Striving for LEED Silver certification and on track for receiving it, sustainable features are abundant in this construction. Despite delays, Hensel Phelps finished construction before the start of the school year. The project team worked with the community to minimize impacts while building and still maintained the budget and schedule. The school will be the first LEED-accredited high school in Virginia. WESTON SOLUTIONS INC. Located in a densely populated residential area adjacent to Buzzards Bay in Fairhaven, Mass., this was one of the largest Superfund cleanup projects performed in 2006-2007 in the Northeast by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ New England District. The scope of work included excavation and offsite disposal of 73,000 cu yd of contaminated soil and debris, marsh soil and creek bed sediment; soil stabilization of 4,500 tons of material; construction and reconstruction of five acres of saltwater marsh, five acres of freshwater wetland, and 2,500 ft of tidal creek; and restoration of the entire site. The remedial action met all the considerable challenges of this project safely, efficiently, under budget and on schedule. BOH BROTHERS CONSTRUCTION CO. LLC The purpose of this project was to construct an interim closure structure on the 17th Street Canal near its outfall into Lake Pontchartrain. During Hurricane Katrina, the storm surge in the lake caused an influx of water into the 17th Street drainage canal. This inundation of water led to the collapse of floodwall sections, resulting in major flooding in New Orleans. The original contract called for a 60-ft-wide, 8-ft-thick tremie concrete gate slab across the width of the 145-ft canal. Boh Brothers devised an alternative design that required longer sheeting and dividing the slab into two dry placements contained within two cofferdams. This project demonstrated Boh’s ability to rapidly mobilize resources and safely construct a technologically complex project under demanding conditions and tight schedule constraints. Boh crews worked over 200,000 man hours with no recordable accidents.
GILBANE BUILDING CO. The Virginia State Capitol was the first monumental public building to be built in the United States and has served as the model for all statehouses. Originally designed by Thomas Jefferson, the Virginia capitol is the oldest continually used capitol in the country. The Gilbane team worked to accommodate all of the modern utilities that Jefferson had not designed in 1785. Project team members and end-users alike have classified the capitol as “the project of a lifetime.”
SOLPAC INC. dba SOLTEK PACIFIC CONSTRUCTION CO.
The site, originally constructed in 1877 by the Union Pacific Railroad and designed as a hotel, was acquired by the U.S. Navy for use as a pre-flight training school and then converted to the Naval Postgraduate School after World War II. It is still open today. Soltek Pacific received a best-value contract award for the renovation of the structure’s east and west wings, which required extensive seismic repairs of the foundation and superstructure to bring it into compliance with current requirements. The work also included period-correct interior and exterior renovations, as well as upgrades to modern living standards and conveniences. The building currently accommodates the living and administrative needs of 140 graduate-student officers involved in advanced language studies. GRUNLEY CONSTRUCTION CO. INC. Grunley Construction renovated the basement and seven upper-level floors of the historic IRS Headquarters Building located in the Federal Triangle in Washington, D.C. The work included structural improvements, upgrades to the major building systems, life safety and other enhancements necessary to bring the building into compliance with requirements of the American with Disabilities Act. When torrential rains filled the entire subbasement with 20 ft of water as well as the entire 186,00-sq-ft basement level with an additional four ft of water, the vast majority of Grunley’s substantially completed basement level work was destroyed. The owner, the U.S. General Services Administration, subsequently awarded Grunley a $25-million contract to repair or replace all damaged systems, equipment and finishes. Through extensive coordination, teamwork, partnering and dedication, the team completed all critical work necessary to reopen the seven upper floors just five months after the flood destroyed it all. AUSTIN BRIDGE & ROAD The State Highway 45, Section 8 project is the cornerstone of the east-west corridor of the Central Texas Turnpike System. The project included a five-level interchange and replaced a 2.5-mile section of RM 620. The project team was faced with several obstacles, including relocating utilities for several utility companies, maintaining traffic flow for the public and businesses and meeting a fast-track schedule. Unusual construction elements included a toll plaza/operations building, state-of-the-art electronic tolling gantry and a 500-ft personnel and communications tunnel under the toll plazas. The project was completed safely and ahead of schedule. CADDELL CONSTRUCTION CO. INC. This project’s success came through extraordinary challenges, including 13 ft of annual rainfall; poor civil infrastructure; lack of labor and material resources; epidemic levels of malaria; and extreme heat and humidity. The project was completed with zero nonconformance quality citations, zero claims and high praise from the U.S. State Dept.’s on-site team, embassy personnel, subcontractors, architect/engineer and the local community. Caddell completed the project with zero lost-time accidents in more than 3.2-million man-hours. Caddell worked a seven-day-a-week/16-hour-a-day schedule for much of the project to achieve on-time delivery. BOWEN ENGINEERING CORP. This project provided an interconnect of thermal and electrical utilities from the existing central energy plant to the new Indianapolis International Airport midfield terminal. This set of utilities provides all water to heat, cool and power the terminal. Bowen Engineering applied innovative construction techniques, including the use of an earth-pressure-balance tunnel-boring machine in combination with steel-liner plates to complete the tunnel portion of the project. This approach had never been accomplished before and allowed the tunnel to be completed on time and well below budget. Through excellent project management, teamwork, production management, and attention to detail, an additional project target price savings of $4 million was realized by the end of construction. THE NATT MCDOUGALL CO. The $14-million River Mill Dam–Fish Ladder and Spillway Modifications project is located on the Clackamas River on one of Portland General Electric’s oldest and most reliable generating facilities. Natt McDougall Co. was responsible for placement of mass concrete; design, installation, and removal of two upstream and two downstream cofferdams; demolition of a section of the existing concrete crest and gates; construction of a new concrete spillway crest and fish chute; and installation of a new chute and spillway gates.
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