Recent decisions in a Chinese drywall case in Virginia highlight the challenges builders and contractors face in acting responsibly while preserving potential insurance coverage. The case points out that contractors need to know the terms of their policies. div id="articleExtrasA" div id="articleExtrasB" div id="articleExtras" The Case: Builder’s Mutual v. Dragas Management Dragas Management of Virginia Beach, Va., had multiple liability and umbrella policies with Builders Mutual Insurance Co. and Firemen’s Insurance Co. of Washington, D.C. The underlying liability policies all contained language which required the insurers to pay damages, which the builder “became legally obligated to pay” because of bodily
The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., nbj Architecture, and WDG Architecture were selected as the design-build team for the West Grace Street Student Housing and Laurel Parking Deck projects at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. The West Grace Student Housing community will have 122 dwelling units with 459 beds, totaling 162,000 sq ft. The 212-space, 98,675-sq-ft parking deck will feature 6,360 sq ft of retail space. The project will be designed to meet LEED-NC Silver standards.
The Baltimore district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded Forrester Construction Co. of Rockville, Md., a $25-million contract to build the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command Headquarters and Dental Clinic at Fort Belvoir. Construction will include the administrative building, standby generator, and building information systems. The architect is HDR Architecture of Alexandria, Va. Completion is scheduled for September 2011.
Cianbro Construction’s Baltimore office has been awarded a $17.2-million contract to repair a 1.5-mi. section of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal near Hagerstown, Md., that is now used primarily for hiking and biking within the C&O Canal National Historic Park. The project—funded via ARRA funds—includes tree removal, jet grouting, drilled pier installation, caisson drilling, and placement of precast deck and face panels. A large portion of the work must take place from barges anchored offshore on the Potomac River.
The Naval Facilities Engineering Command has awarded a $40.5-million design-build contract to the joint venture Walbridge-Brasfield & Gorrie for construction of the Main Exchange replacement at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda. The project entails design and construction of a two-story main exchange and an elevated parking deck. The project is expected to be completed by June 2012.
Nason Construction, with offices in Salisbury, Md., was awarded a design-build contract by the Maryland Dept. of General Services for the renovation and expansion of the National Guard Readiness Center in Salisbury.
The Virginia Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors celebrated the completion of its new headquarters and training facility in Dulles in mid-July. Photo courtesy ABC Virginia Officials with the Virginia Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors took part in a ribboncutting ceremony, unveiling the association�s new headquarters and training facility in Dulles. BE&K Building Group was the general contractor for the 30,000-sq-ft training facility, which was designed by Morgan Gick McBeath & Associates.
Turner Construction Co. was awarded a $69-million contract by North Bethesda Center Office One to provide pre-construction and general contracting services for a 14-story office building in North Bethesda to accommodate 1,300 federal government employees.
The Virginia Dept. of Transportation is taking the “if at first you don’t succeed” approach to luring private-sector interest in its $2-billion U.S. Route 460 Improvements Project. Unsatisfied with the response to its 2006 request for proposals to develop, construct and operate a 55-mi, four-lane toll road between Petersburg and Suffolk, the agency has issued a new solicitation that it says reflects “dramatically” changed market conditions, such as the absence of any federal or state funding contribution, and significant reductions in the agency’s staffing. VDOT Chief Engineer Malcolm Kerley says the goal of the new solicitation is, “to get more
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