After lying dormant for five years, a project that will dramatically improve a Birmingham federal building’s energy efficiency was re-energized by American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding. The Robert Vance Federal Building, built in 1921, will receive new mechanical and electrical systems, as well as other enhancements, when construction is completed in 2012.
The General Services Administration project was a long time coming. A design contract awarded in 2004 to Quinn Evans Architects, Washington, D.C., was later shelved. The project was selected to receive $45 million of ARRA money because of its energy-efficiency goal. In August, a construction-management contract was awarded to Hoar-Christman LLC Joint Venture, Birmingham.