Delivered under a design-build contract, this project in an outer suburb of Washington, D.C., needed to be completed within 21 months after the contract award so that the Montgomery County Public Schools and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission could occupy the facilities. The project includes a fleet maintenance building, a horticulture services building, four storage buildings and 100,000 sq ft of covered parking.

The site had two elevations, which differ by roughly 25 ft. A single loop road constructed as part of the project provides access to both. The largest structure on the project contains shop and administrative office space in two stories. The second-floor shop spaces require drive-up access from the upper elevation. To achieve that, a mechanically stabilized earth retaining wall was designed with an elevated slab, spanning between the wall and the building’s concrete tilt panels.

The site’s only access road was routed directly adjacent to the retaining wall’s fabric.  Maintaining access to the upper elevations while constructing the retaining wall, concrete tilt panels, setting steel and elevated slab required extensive planning and integration. Additionally, the retaining wall, the building and associated earthwork all required independent permits, releasing work for construction at varying times.

The project had a zero Occupational Safety and Health Administration recordable incident rate and no lost-time accidents.  

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