Work on the fourth and final $260.3-million package for the new Orlando Veterans Administration Medical Center will start in mid-October, as Brasfield & Gorrie begins building out the 1.1 million-sq-ft hospital and landscaping on the $665 million, 65-acre medical campus. The contractor was awarded the project in early September. “The schedule is very aggressive, 720 calendar days, which is a little quicker than normal for that size hospital,” says George Paulson, project executive of Brasfield & Gorrie of Lake Mary, Fla., who expects a notice to proceed on October 13, 2010. Becky Guogus, a biomedical engineer with the Orlando VA,
‘Hotlanta’ has cooled off, but government and industrial work has picked up in other parts of the state. “The driver (in Georgia) has always been Atlanta, and that is not the case now, with the private sector down and out,” says Jeff George, vice president of the Atlanta Commercial Group at Balfour Beatty Construction. Balfour Beatty has turned to opportunities in other parts of the state, including Columbus, where it and Freeman & Associates of Columbus are building the $35-million G.W. Carver High School and a $42-million barracks project at Fort Benning. “Georgia is doing pretty well, given the economic
Photo courtesy NoliWhite NoliWhite Group field staff carry drawings, change orders and other �paperwork� into the field on an iPad and access files remotely. Related Links: A Health-Care Comeback? NoliWhite Group has found a convenient and inexpensive method of bringing information technology into the field. The Brentwood, Tenn., company has added a WiFi system to the John D. Archbold Memorial Hospital jobsite in Thomasville, Ga., and provided staff with iPads to access project information and specific drawings kept on a website maintained by Lellyett & Rodgers PDM document storage system. “The ability to see all the design information and have
Simulator technology has enabled Rex Healthcare physicians and administrators to virtually “walk through” the Raleigh, N.C., health system’s $200-million campus regeneration project—while it remains in schematic drawings. Photo Courtesy FullCon Solutions FullCon Solutions 1:2:1 Analysis technology allows owners to experience the feel of their new buildings in a full-scale virtual environment. Related Links: The Southeast�s Top Design Firms “It allows physicians and other key stakeholders to experience what the space might feel like and give real-time feedback to the design team,” says Chad T. Lefteris, vice president of support services of Rex Healthcare, a member of UNC Health Care. “We
Health care remains one of the region’s stronger markets, with new projects starting up now that some of the uncertainty surrounding national health-care reform has abated. “The Southeast has more work in the health-care sector than other parts of the country,” says Mike Noli, president of NoliWhite Group of Brentwood, Tenn. “And it’s stronger than commercial or residential.” NoliWhite is building the $109-million, 245,000-sq-ft John D. Archbold Memorial Hospital’s new North Tower in Thomasville, Ga. The 112-bed, eight-story project is the last component of a multiphased modernization initiative. “We have a lot of health-care work,” adds Dave Johnson of Perkins+Will
A commitment to energy efficiency and sustainability drove Wachovia Bank in Charlotte, N.C., to build the Southeast’s first LEED-Platinum Core and Shell building. The building is the 51-story Duke Energy Center, and it’s part of a $1.3-billion cultural campus developed by Wachovia’s parent, Wells Fargo Co. “We developed some pretty high-level, triple-bottom-line goals on people, profit and the planet, hanging on energy efficiency and how we could do things to stretch and reach,” says Curt Radkin, development director for the Corporate Properties Group at Wells Fargo. The $390-million, 1.5-million-sq-ft, 51-story Duke Energy Center is the first building to receive LEED-Platinum
Long before most people thought of green as anything other than a color, New York City began building sustainable buildings. Now the city is aiming to reduce its overall carbon footprint 30% by 2030 and for municipal operations by 2017. “That is a pretty tall order,” says Tom Paino, director of the sustainability unit at the Department of Design and Construction (DDC) of New York City. “We are looking at a broad spectrum of the city’s buildings to see where we can meet that executive order.” Mayor Michael Bloomberg has committed $100 million annually in capital funds to reduce energy
New York is a center of commerce, a hubbub of construction activity, even in difficult economic times, but it’s also home to millions of people. Mindful of residents and the city’s visitors, the New York Building Congress/New York Building Foundation’s “Construction for a Livable City” initiative aims to enhance the industry’s image and improve bystanders’ quality of life by making worksites more attractive and enhancing community relations. Photo courtesy Skanska USA Building Skanska USA Building has completed the first two phases of the Brooklyn Bridge Park project following livable city principles. Photo courtesy Bovis Lend Lease Bovis Lend Lease installed
In today’s competitive construction economy, improving on-site management of project equipment, supplies and process is now critical. With help from Fluor Corp., Clemson University has developed the first online graduate degree program in capital project supply- chain management for construction professionals. The Clemson, S.C.-based program borrows heavily from proven industrial engineering approaches. Photo: Courtesy of Clemson University Supply-chain management in industrial settings and in construction “are quite similar,” says William Ferrell, Clemson’s industrial engineering department head. Photo: Courtesy of Fluor Better management of materials and equipment can save money. Related Links: Borderless Learning Mole Resurfaces As a Teaching Tool Separate
Many school districts, with money from bond programs approved before the economy soured, are still letting projects, but fewer districts are asking voters to approve bond issues. “Clearly the need for facilities is still there,” says Charles E. DeVoe III, president of Charter Builders in Dallas. Charter Builders began work in the winter on a $98-million high school and stadium for Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District in Fort Worth, and Lewisville ISD selected Charter Builders to complete a $40-million 131,000-sq-ft addition and renovation at its 1897-era high school. Cameron C. Curtis, manager for business development at Turner Construction Co. in