Build Teams Bank on BRAC

Despite uncertain market conditions, many area firms are keeping busy with the steady stream of big projects doled out under the Base Realignment and Closure program.

BRAC Program in High Gear

With the slumping economy casting doubt on the prospects of private work, several area architects and contractors continue to bank on contracts garnered through the Base Realignment and Closure program and other Department of Defense-related projects.

Nearly $1 billion in BRAC-related work is planned at Fort Lee, Va., to accommodate large-scale expansion of the base. As of September 2007, Fort Lee’s population was more than 14,000 students and personnel. Once the BRAC program is completed in 2011, Fort Lee’s population is expected to exceed 22,000.

Hankins and Anderson of Richmond, Va., recently joined the design-build team for the new TA5 Central Campus at Fort Lee. The firm will provide engineering design services for Balfour Beatty Construction of Fairfax, Va., under a Multiple Award Task Order contract awarded by the US Army Corps of Engineers in Norfolk. HNTB is the designer.

The $219 million training facilities complex, which was awarded in February, will encompass approximately 774,000-sq-ft. The development includes four Central Campus buildings. This is the first of two construction phases for the TA5 Central Campus at Fort Lee with both expected to complete by May 2010. Six contracts have been let for the TA5 project, totaling $513 million.

Hankins and Anderson is also working with Balfour Beatty on the $110 million 397,000-sq-ft Logisitics University facilities at Fort Lee. HOK is the designer.

W. M. Jordan of Newport News, Va., was awarded a $95.9 million design-build contract for a Special Operations Forces Operations Facility and Operational Training Facility at Naval Air Station Oceana, Dam Neck Annex in Virginia Beach, Va. The contract calls for the design and construction of a two-story facility, single-story additions to two buildings, and a one-story SOF operational training facility. Work is expected to be completed by July 2010.

Ground was broken on the new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., in July. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command awarded the $641.4 million design and construction contract to a joint venture of Bethesda-based Clark Construction and Balfour Beatty. Current plans call for 690,000 sq ft of new construction, including inpatient and outpatient facilities, as well 260,000 sq ft of renovations. The center is planned to house approximately 345 beds. The facility is required to be completed by Sept. 15, 2011.

Also at the Navy’s Bethesda campus, ground was broken on the $70 million National Intrepid Center of Excellence in June. The 72,000-sq-ft facility is envisioned as a global center of excellence in the specialized field of traumatic brain injury. SmithGroup of Washington is the designer. Turner Construction of Arlington is the construction manager. The project is scheduled to complete in September 2009.

Tompkins Builders of Washington and developer Hunt Companies of Arlington are currently building new living quarters for U.S. Navy personnel in the Hampton Roads area as part of the Navy’s Quality of Life Initiative. The firms are working under the new Public/Private Venture program through the Department of Defense to improve military housing options for enlisted personnel. Lessard Group of Vienna is the architect.

One of two pilot projects underway, the HomePort Hampton Roads project includes the construction of a six-story naval enlisted housing structure with 755 units. Construction began earlier this year and will complete in 26 months. The facilities will include indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a community center, a softball field, two tennis courts, a volleyball court and two half basketball courts.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Fort George G. Meade, Md., and the Trammell Crow Company have reached a tentative agreement to develop 1.7 million sq-ft of Class A suburban office space under the Enhanced Use Lease at Fort Meade.

Trammell Crow and the Corps of Engineers signed the negotiated term sheet for the Fort Meade EUL project in June, which allows the parties involved to finalize the necessary documents for Department of the Army review and approval.

The project, to be known as the Fort Meade Technology Center, will contain offices, park areas, and supporting retail amenities on 173 acres just outside Fort Meade’s Visitor Control Center.

Pending Army approval, work is scheduled to start in late 2008, with building construction to follow in early 2009. The first building is scheduled to be available for occupancy in 2010.

Vornado/Charles E. Smith Goes for Platinum

WASHINGTON – As the District continues to go green, a joint venture of the PNC Financial Services Group and Vornado/Charles E. Smith are aiming for platinum. The team announced plans in June to develop one of Washington, D.C.'s first office buildings designed to achieve U.S. Green Building Council LEED Platinum certification.

LEED Platinum reflects the highest level of environmentally sustainable building design recognized by the council. USGBC headquarters in Washington is currently the only LEED Platinum-certified building in the city.

Dubbed 800 17th Street/PNC Place, the new 365,000-sq-ft building, designed by Gensler with green consultant Paladino & Company, will be built at the corner of 17th & H Streets, NW. Completion of the new 12-story building is expected in the 2nd quarter of 2010.

The design calls for an “Eco Lobby,” featuring a three-story climate wall that radiantly cools the lobby with flowing water. The climate wall parallels a glass walking bridge over the open portion of the concourse below. The building will be capped with a green roof.

PNC's regional headquarters and offices will occupy a portion of the building and a PNC branch bank will be located on the retail level. PNC claims to have more LEED-certified buildings than any other company in the world.

Gov. Rendell Approves Bridge Repair Plan

HARRISBURG, PA – Pennsylvania is looking to erode its reputation for having the most structurally-deficient bridges in the country with a $350 million plan to repair 411 of the state’s worst bridges. Gov. Ed Rendell signed legislation in July that would allow work to begin on the bridges this year.

Although the plan addresses overdue needs, Gov. Rendell says it falls short of solving the problem. The state has more than 6,000structurally-deficient bridges, which the governor estimated would cost more than $11 billion to repair.

In May, Gov. Rendell released a list of 1,145 state bridges he proposed to fix under his Rebuild Pennsylvania plan. Gov. Rendell has also pushed for leasing the Pennsylvania Turnpike to help meet transportation needs. The state has received a $12.8 billion bid for a lease of the turnpike, which the governor’s office estimates could generate more than $1 billion a year in additional funding to help meet transportation needs.

Nason Starts $60 Million Courthouse Project

DOVER, DEL – Nason Construction of Wilmington, Del., is moving forward with work on the $60 million Kent County Courthouse in Dover, which was recently released by the state. The 140,000-sq-ft project includes the demolition of the Robert O’Brien building and the construction of a connecting annex and renovations to the existing courthouse. The project also includes the construction of a new parking garage. Completion is scheduled for July 2011.

Skanska Inks $53 Million Carilion Contract

ROANOKE, VA – Skanska USA Building expanded its portfolio of work with Carilion Health System, landing a $53 million construction management contract for a 211,000-sq-ft clinic building in Roanoke, Va. Hayes, Seay, Mattern & Mattern is the architect.

The clinic building is the cornerstone of the new 25-acre Carilion Clinic Medical Park. Features of the building include an imaging department with MRI's and CT scanners, diagnostics, nuclear medicine and 208 patient/exam rooms. Completion is expected in October 2009.

Grunley to Add Another Wing at Interior HQ

WASHINGTON – Grunley Construction of Rockville, Md., is staying on at the U.S. Department of the Interior Headquarters modernization project in Washington, D.C. The U.S. General Services Administration awarded Grunley the $29 million 250,000-sq-ft renovation of the facility’s Wing 3. In prior phases, Grunley modernized Wings 4, 5 and 6, totaling 600,000 sq ft within the1.29 million sq-ft structure.

Crews will replace the telecommunication, electrical and HVAC mechanical systems. The central plant will be modernized as well as the cafeteria, including installation of eight large skylights.

Alexandria Chooses Design-Build for Transit Facility

ALEXANDRIA, VA – The City of Alexandria is making its first foray into design-build procurement, awarding a $34 million contract to Hensel Phelps to build the DASH Bus Operations and Maintenance Facility in May. The facility will house approximately 98 buses while providing maintenance facilities for 10 buses simultaneously and administrative functions for the City of Alexandria DASH bus service. The project is required to obtain a LEED Silver certification at completion. Substantial completion is scheduled for September 2009.

Forrester Lands Three School Jobs

ROCKVILLE, MD – Forrester Construction Company’s Education Group broke ground on $62 million in projects in recent months. In March, the company began construction of the $36 million Walker Jones School in Washington, D.C. The project is scheduled to be the fastest new public school built in the history of the District of Columbia. The 100,000-sq-ft school portion will be occupied in August 2009. A 5,000-sq-ft public library and 20,000-sq-ft public recreation center portions will open later. The Architect is Hord Coplan Macht, Inc of Baltimore, Md.

The project includes the demolition of two existing schools – Terrell Junior High School and Walker Jones Elementary School. The three new components will be housed in one four-story U-shaped building built for LEED certification.

The facility is the first major project implemented as part of the District’s Northwest One Master Plan.

Forrester broke ground on the $25 million Loudoun Country Day School in Leesburg, Va., in April. The project includes a new 70,000-sq-ft academic classroom building, 10,000-sq-ft gymnasium and athletic fields on a new 69-acre campus. CSD of Baltimore is the architect. Construction will last approximately 15 months.

In April, Forrester started the $6 million Addison Elementary School located in Washington, D.C.’s Georgetown neighborhood. The project is a joint venture with Washington-based Columbia Enterprises – a minority-owned and managed design-build, general contracting, and construction management firm. This project involves a 16,000-sq-ft historic renovation of a school that was originally built in the 1890s, as well as extensive site work. Construction is scheduled to finish in January 2009.

Clark Commences $118 Million Clarendon Center

ARLINGTON, VA – Clark Residential of Bethesda, Md., began construction on Saul Centers, Inc.’s Clarendon Center project recently. The $118 million, mixed-use complex will cover nearly two city blocks in Arlington’s Clarendon neighborhood. Torti Gallas and Partners, Inc., Silver Spring, Md., is the architect. Pile installation began in May 2008 and substantial completion is scheduled for fall 2010.

The south block of Clarendon Center will consist of a 12-story, 240,000-sq-ft, 244-unit apartment building and a nine-story, 85,000-sq-ft office building. The south block also will feature 34,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space and four levels of below-grade parking. The project’s north block will include a six-story, 98,000-sq-ft office building with an additional 14,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space and three levels of below-grade parking.

Excavation of the project’s below-grade components is taking place on either side of Metro’s Orange Line, which follows Clarendon Boulevard and separates the project’s south and north blocks. A cast-in-place concrete frame will support the structure’s decorative exterior skin, which will blend brick, architectural precast panels, cast stone trim, granite, metal canopies and panels, aluminum windows, and storefront glass. Two existing buildings adjacent to the site will remain operational during construction. Clark’s scope of work at the north block of the project also will include the removal, restoration, and reinstallation of existing facades on both Clarendon and Wilson Boulevards.

W.M. Jordan Breaks Ground at Forest Medical Plaza

RICHMOND – W.M. Jordan Company, Inc., of Newport News, Va., broke ground on the 95,000-sq-ft Forest Medical Plaza in Richmond, Va., in June. The four-story medical office building is being developed by Trammell Crow Company in collaboration with Henrico Doctors’ Hospital. Baskervill, of Richmond, Va., is the architect. Completion is slated for April 2009.

Foulger-Pratt to Build $91 Million Transit Center

SILVER SPRING, MD – Foulger-Pratt Contracting has been selected by Montgomery County for the construction of the $91 million Silver Spring Transit Center project. The transit center will be a new three-story, 244,000-sq-ft multi-level, pedestrian-friendly complex supporting rail, bus and automobile traffic. Construction is scheduled to start in September.

The center will feature twice the current number of bus bays, a 4,500-sq-ft inter-city bus building, provisions to ensure safety for pedestrians and vehicles, hiker/biker trail enhancements and the TRiPS Montgomery County Commuter Store. Designed by PB Americas, the center will be constructed adjacent to the existing Silver Spring Metro Station.

SIGAL Starts Ward 3 Aquatic Center

WASHINGTON – SIGAL Construction of Arlington broke ground on the Ward 3 Aquatic Center for the District of Columbia Office of Public Education Facilities Modernization. SIGAL is working with Hughes Group Architects on the fast-track design-build project. The 54,000-sq-ft facility is expected to complete in summer of 2009.

Reynolds Launches Energy Services Division

HARRISBURG, PA – Reynolds Construction Management of Harrisburg, Pa., has added a new division to provide energy efficiency consulting services throughout eastern and central Pennsylvania. Reynolds Energy Services focuses on providing cost effective design and implementation of energy savings measures that allow owners to upgrade their facilities and infrastructure and save money on their utility bills.

“We feel that this is the perfect time for a company like this,” said Rick Reynolds, CEO of Reynolds Construction Management. “With the price of energy resources rising to record highs seemingly every day and everyone focusing on getting the most out of their energy budget, there is a need for a company such as this in central Pennsylvania.”

Warfel Returns to Phoebe Berks for $30 Million Update

WERNERSVILLE, PA – Warfel Construction Company of East Petersburg, Pa., recently began construction on $30 million of work for the Phoebe Berks Village Continuing Care Retirement Community in Wernersville, Pa. The project consists of four main phases of new construction and renovation work totaling nearly 180,000 sq ft of space. The project includes a four-story expansion of the independent living apartment building, the newly constructed Dementia Care wing, a new Adult Day Center, 29 new cottage units, and the renovation of the Personal Care wing and Skilled Care building.

Warfel built the original campus for Phoebe Berks Village in 1994 for almost $30 million. Noelker & Hull Architects of Chambersburg is the architect.

Atlantic Builders Earns $15 Million Library Job

COLUMBIA, MD – Atlantic Builders Group of Baltimore has been awarded a construction-manager-at-risk contract by Howard County College for renovation of the James Clark Jr. Library Building. The $15 million project will update many of the 36-year-old facility’s building systems and equipment including HVAC, electrical, lighting, telecommunications, ADA accessibility, security, restrooms and elevators.

The multi-phased project started immediately upon the June 2008 approval of the Board of Public Works and the last phase of the work will be ready for the start of the spring semester, 2010.