Skanska USA Building of Atlanta is overseeing a massive undertaking to replace all of the windows in the tornado-damaged Westin Peachtree Plaza of Atlanta. All 6,350 windows in the 73-story hotel will be replaced over a period of approximately 15 months. Hotel operations will continue throughout the replacement. Related Links: Value of Georgia’s New Contracts Fell 16% in August Evergreen Starts Work on $16-Million Cherokee Co. School Damage to the hotel occurred in March 2008 when a tornado hit downtown Atlanta and struck the Westin. The storm initially disabled 320 of the hotel’s 1,068 rooms. Skanska is working with architect
In building its own $3-million, LEED gold-certified headquarters in Sarasota, Fla., general contractor Willis A. Smith Construction sought to make a statement, both to its employees and prospective clients. Slide Show Photo: Willis A. Smith Construction Willis A. Smith Construction of Sarasota, Fla., recently obtained LEED Gold certification for its new headquarters building. The contractor is focusing more on opportunities in the green building market. “Sustainability is sweeping the country,” says David E. Sessions, the firm’s president. “We wanted, as a firm, to become a leader in sustainability and be recognized for that. Importantly, we wanted to educate ourselves and
Related Links: Top Green Design Firms Seeking More Green from Green Gold Honors LEED to Become More Stringent Green Building Standards Being Written into Building Codes Construction�s Legal Risks in the New Green Paradigm There’s no doubt about it. The movement to build “green” is becoming mainstream. Private owners are calling for green buildings with greater frequency, and some public entities are beginning to mandate it. In this collection of features dealing with green building and design–and elsewhere in this issue–Southeast Construction provides a look at a couple of recent green projects, one at the University of South Carolina, and
The University of South Carolina’s $40-million Honors Residence Hall in Columbia extends the school’s commitment to the environment and sustainability, while integrating classrooms and study areas into students’ living quarters. Photo: Garvin Design Group Large overhangs block direct sunlight from heating the upper-floor interiors. Photo: Garvin Design Group The new facility was designed by Garvin Design Group of Columbia, S.C. China Construction, also of Columbia, was the general contractor. “‘Living and learning’ has emerged in the last few years as a national trend,” says project architect Mark L. Timbes, a principal with Garvin Design Group of Columbia. “We did everything
Though green-building experts and construction lawyers laud the good intentions of the U.S. Green Building Council about its popular Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design green-building rating system, many have serious concerns about at least one new requirement in the latest version of LEED, which went into effect on July 1. The requirement, a “precondition” of certification for all buildings under LEED Version 3, says owners must commit to sharing building energy and water-usage data for at least five years after a new building is occupied or an existing building is certified. Another change sending shudders down the spine of
In South Florida, Memorial Health System is moving forward with a new children’s hospital, while in Central Florida, the long-discussed Nemours Children’s Hospital project is finally getting started. Image: Memorial Health Systems. A rendering of the new Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital facility, now under construction in Hollywood, Fla. Photo: Skanska USA Building. Skanska USA Building holds a $220-million construction contract for the Nemours Children’s Hospital project in Orlando, which is targeting a 2012 completion. Related Links: Healthy Additions Despite the national recession, and the Sunshine State’s own dismal downturn—including, of all things, population—two health systems have found there’s no time
Health-care providers have been making significant investments in their Florida facilities over the past several years. From medical office buildings to children’s hospitals, new patient towers, completely new hospitals and, more recently, research facilities, numerous communities have received significant additions to their health-care network. Photo: Moss & Associates. The University of Miami Biomedical Research Facility was built by Moss & Associates of Fort Lauderdale, and designed by Karlsberger & Associates. Photo: Robins & Morton An aerial view of the Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Fla. Robins & Morton of Birmingham, Ala., was the contractor for the $173-million
Concessionaire I-595 Express has begun working on the largest project in the history of the Florida Dept. of Transportation, the $1.796-billion Interstate-595 Corridor Improvement Project in Broward County. Photo: FDOT From left: James Wolfe, district secretary for the Florida Dept. of Transportation, and Joe Borello, project manager with FDOT. Photo: RS&H Early work on the project. The entire project is scheduled for completion in 2014. “This is such an important corridor in Florida, because I-595 connects the port, the airport, Florida’s Turnpike, I-95, I-75 and the Sawgrass Expressway,” says Joe Borello, FDOT project manager. “It has a huge economic impact
A former employee of engineer-architect Reynolds, Smith & Hills Inc. entered the company's downtown Orlando office shortly before lunch on Friday and shot and killed one employee and wounded five other people. The alleged shooter, Jason Rodriguez, 40, then fled the building and was apprehended without resistance about four hours later by Orlando police. “Clearly, this has been a sad day for the close family at RS&H,” said Mike Bernos, spokesman at the company’s Jacksonville headquarters. “We’re saddened by the event. Our greatest concern is for our associates in the Orlando office.” Reached by cell phone, RS&H CEO Leerie Jenkins,
Raleigh-Durham Roadbuilders, a joint venture between Archer Western Contractors and Granite Construction, won the largest contract in this massive project. Image: The LPA Group Inc. This conceptual rendering shows some of the aesthetic features that will be incorporated into bridges along the project corridor. Construction has begun on the Triangle Parkway of the North Carolina’s Triangle Expressway, an 18.8-mi toll road that will create a regional loop around Raleigh. “The Triangle Expressway represents a new paradigm for financing transportation infrastructure in North Carolina,” David Joyner, executive director of the North Carolina Turnpike Authority, says in an e-mail. He adds that
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