To design the new Center for Weather & Climate Prediction for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, HOK turned its eyes to the sky.

Related Links: ENR People on the Move: See Who Else is Moving Up, or Moving On!   RhodesThe Truland Group Inc., a Reston, Va., electrical contractor, has named Bennett Rhodes chief administrative officer. He had been general manager of its subsidiaries BKTruland Electric and PelBern Electric. Matthew Gentile also joins the firm as chief financial officer. Most recently, he was chief of project controls for Alstom Ltd.Richard Boehne has joined engineering firm Merrick & Co., Aurora, Colo., as a principal and senior director of international programs in the firm's new Washington, D.C., office. He had been a business development executive

Related Links: Engineering News Record More Pulse Items PlanningMarylandAnne Arundel County Public Schools is planning to replace Lothian Elementary School in Lothian. The project entails building a two-story, 85,340-sq-ft building. The target bid date is March 1, 2013, with construction expected to begin no later than June 2013 and be completed by June 2015. The project's value has been set at $27.4 million. Anne Arundel County Public Schools, 2644 Riva Rd., Annapolis, 21401. DR#09-00607654.Contracts/Bids/ProposalsPennsylvania

A new nightspot in Washington, D.C., is attracting a diverse set of customers thanks to the application of soundproofing measures to facilitate two different businesses with widely varying interior noise levels—a high-end restaurant and a nightclub.

The project included 25,000 sq ft of historical restoration and renovation within a 10-story town home built in 1929.

Student housing projects have continued as one of the brighter spots for both the higher education and residential construction markets in recent years.

Based on this year's award-winning projects, top design and construction teams around the region certainly deserve to sing their own praises.

Overcoming the harsh effects of years of neglect and water damage to restore a historic property's original splendor was the core challenge facing contractors renovating the 1920s-era, 16-story Hotel John Marshall in Richmond, Va.

Throughout the 643,500 man-hours tallied during renovation and restoration of this historic site, the team had no OSHA recordable incidents or lost-time accidents.

The $62.7-million expansion doubled the Abingdon Water Treatment Plant capacity to 20 million gallons per day, which addressed increased demands on Harford County's water distribution system.