“These awards are designed to set a new minimum standard of excellence for the construction industry,” said Tom Brown, AGC’s Vice President and President of Sierra Pacific West, Inc. in San Diego. “Considering what went into building these projects, that minimum standard is extremely high.”
For 41 years, the Build America Awards have recognized excellence in projects ranging across the building, highway and transportation, utility infrastructure, and federal and heavy industries. The projects are selected by a panel of judges comprised of contractors that look for projects excelling in: state-of-the-art advancement, project management, innovation in construction or use of materials, contribution to the community, client service, overcoming jobsite challenges, environmental sensitivity, and partnering excellence.
In the Dixie Contractor area, the following projects were awarded with 2023 Build America Awards.
Batson-Cook Construction was presented with an award in the Building New ($20 Million to $75 Million) category for the Northside Hospital Forsyth Vertical Expansion in Cumming, Georgia. The expansion, which added a ninth and tenth floor directly above an occupied patient floor, required an aggressive schedule and close coordination during various project phases.
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| Brandeis Machinery |
Since the ninth and tenth floor were constructed at height, the Batson-Cook team established a fall protection and falling object prevention program to increase safety on the jobsite. Construction included 64 patient rooms and associated support spaces across 45,000 square feet; vertical jumps of seven elevators and three stairwells; a “lantern” light box at the top of the facility; and the curtainwall, storefront windows, masonry, EIFS, and metal panels.
Batson-Cook placed more than six million pounds of concrete without incident, using the team’s custom formwork system. The system also allowed the construction team to build a roof parapet, saving an estimated four months and more than $100,000. The project was completed on time.
The Carroll Daniel team carefully planned and communicated with school officials when construction was taking place directly next to in-use buildings. The entire project included demolishing and replacing nearly half the existing buildings on campus and renovating the rest; construction of a four-story instructional wing; and construction of a state-of-the-art gymnasium.
One of the challenges that Carroll Daniel had to overcome included the discovery of large granite rocks in two areas, where a new four-story building and the gymnasium were supposed to go. A blasting plan was devised for the rock removal, allowing the team to complete the project without impacting school activities and with no lost-time accidents.
In partnership with TK Elevator, the project team was able to complete the concrete work on the 216,292-square-foot tower in just 56 days using an innovative self-performance technique, slip-form construction system. The LEED Gold project was also built to exact standards in order to meet TK Elevator’s requirements for uniform wall thickness and to embed sensors and testing instruments.
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| Brandeis Machinery |
Other challenges Brasfield & Gorrie encountered were: a crowded project site surrounded by a hotel, high-voltage sub-station, Interstate 285, and another construction project; design adjustments and limited subcontractor access for an LED marquee sign within two feet of the building structure; and the installation of “air bridges” over nearby gas pipelines to prevent construction traffic from damaging the infrastructure.
Hensel Phelps was presented with an award in the Federal & Heavy New category for the Fred D. Thompson U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building in Nashville, Tennessee. The six-story, 293,606-square-foot facility houses eight courtrooms, 11 judge’s chambers, underground structured parking, and various government offices. The courthouse is the largest photocatalytic concrete structure in the U.S., which means that it self-cleans and reduces smog.
Design and construction of the project blended classical and contemporary styles and featured a blast-rated curtainwall system facade, a mosaic made up of millions of pieces of glass in the entry rotunda, and developments to improve noise insulation and efficiency. The Hensel Phelps team met the fast-tracked requirements for the project while also offering full-scale mock-ups and incorporating an additional floor due to several tenant changes.
The expanded track allows the Wildcats to host track meets on campus, and the new synthetic surfacing on the track can endure higher wear and enhances force reduction for athletes. The artificial turf field uses the AstroTurf RootZone 3D3 Blend system, which combines different fibers for optimum durability. Sports Turf Company also utilized shock pad technology that features large drainage channels and thicker padding to improve player safety.
