Article toolbar A$400-million wet flue gas desulfurization (FGD) project now under way at the Fayette Power Project near La Grange, Texas, will remove about 97% of sulfur dioxide emissions from the plant's two units and allow the 1,200-MW facility to meet permitting obligations. Photos courtesy of LCRA Above: Moving Into Place Contractors move a duct section made of carbon steel into position for final placement. Separate sections of this type of ductwork tie into existing chimneys. Top: Power to the people Lower Colorado River Authority and Austin Power Energy are spending $400 million to add scrubbers at the Fayette Power
Article toolbar While public projects dominate Texas and Louisiana's more than $10 billion in Top Starts for 2010, a smattering of private jobs also were able to secure enough backing to move forward. Rendering courtesy of Parkland New Parkland hospital The 862-bed facility in Dallas will replace the existing hospital and is set to be the largest public hospital in the U.S. constructed in a single phase. Projects associated with transportation, health care and the rebuilding of New Orleans infused billions into the region's construction market. Owners have embraced innovative approaches in financing, construction techniques and design to deliver needed
Article toolbar The construction manager for the $3.5-million partial rehabilitation of the 122-year-old Texas State Capitol in Austin was under a strict deadline—the job had to be completed in seven months. Despite a longer-than-expected lead paint removal process and outdoor temperatures that reached triple digits, crews managed to complete the work on time and 2% under budget. And there were no lost-time injuries. Photo Courtesy Of Flintco House DividedThe construction manager broke the repainting work into 190 grids, to align with the room’s elaborate ceiling design. The team used original chips of paint to match colors. A meticulously drawn yet
Louisiana Superdome, Phase Three�Re-Skin | New Orleans Holy Cross School Campus | New Orleans Related Links: The 2010 Best of the Best: ENR 21 Winners The Austonian | Austin Louisiana Superdome, Phase Three—Re-Skin | New Orleans Region: Texas and Louisiana Submitted by: Gibbs Construction While ensuring that waterproofing, vapor, wind loads and other Superdome repair needs were met, a metal-wall panel system with a structural sub-framing clip-attachment system was developed so a single wall panel can be removed from any location without disturbing the adjacent wall panels. The result employs an adjustable-clip system. New anodized panels match the original facade
The tight, compact site on which the new Vandegrift High School was constructed caused scheduling issues during the layout of the geothermal loop wells. Coordination among the mechanical contractor and subcontractors kept work moving and allowed the project to remain on schedule. Photo: Jim Lincoln Related Links: Best of 2010 Awards The entire project included the 5,000-seat Monroe Memorial Stadium, a 7,400-sq-ft sports complex, a 175,000-sq-ft building shared by fine arts and athletics and a 225,000-sq-ft academic and career building. The layout of the wells required utilizing areas that would be covered with concrete paving. The geothermal loop wells would
From the outset, the renovation and addition project at the Sid W. Richardson Visual Arts Center on the Fort Worth Country Day School campus offered many challenging obstacles. The project included a major renovation of the old 5,000-sq-ft Walsh Cafeteria and a 5,000-sq-ft addition to the visual arts building. Photo: Sedalco Related Links: Best of 2010 Awards Crews knew the basement of the existing building served as a hub for many of the campus’ utilities, but the extent of service—particularly once services left the building and went underground—was largely unknown and undocumented prior to the project. Through surveys and marking
The city of Austin’s 51st Street Elevated Reclaimed Water Storage Tank is the industry’s first “green” elevated water storage tank. Photo: Bphoto Paul Bardagjy Related Links: Best of 2010 Awards In addition to its primary function of providing pressure and peak demand regulation for the water system, the 2-million-gallon tank features a unique aesthetic design that integrates with the surrounding community while incorporating solar power generation and rainwater collection to further contribute to overall sustainability. The project broke new ground with a unique design solution, and it was delivered within budget and timeline requirements with community support and cost-effective construction
The Western Heritage Parking Garage is a unique, seven-story, 416,080-sq-ft parking structure designed to blend into the nearby landscape and architecture and reflect the cowboy heritage of Fort Worth. Related Links: Best of 2010 Awards Unique aspects include large mosaic-tile murals, atriums that take advantage of daylighting and architectural elements that echo the design of nearby buildings. The city’s strict guidelines regulated some of garage’s design and required consideration to be given to the parking garage concept. The city of Fort Worth had defined from the beginning that it did not want to mechanically ventilate the garage. Therefore, the fa�ade
The Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, the “jewel” in Dallas’ newly named AT&T Performing Arts Center, seats 2,200 and is designed to accommodate opera, musical theater, ballet and other dance forms. Photo: John W. Davis, DVD Design Group Inc, Related Links: Best of 2010 Awards Located on a five-acre site with landscaped plazas and a reflecting pool, the 220,000-sq-ft building is located in the heart of the Dallas arts district and is a monument to innovative and challenging construction. Delivered on time and on budget, the aesthetically dramatic and acoustically precise space fully serves its complex function while making
One of the first challenges encountered in the construction of Pearland’s first public recreation center and swimming facility was dealing with extremely wet subsoil conditions, primarily due to the area’s low elevation. Related Links: Best of 2010 Awards Pearland, which lies within the Houston/Sugar Land/Baytown metropolitan area, is located in the northern portion of the Gulf coastal plain, a 40- to 50-mi swath along the Texas Gulf Coast. With a great deal of meetings and cooperative planning among general contractor, EMJ Corp., the structural and soil engineers, and others on the project team, a solution was found that fit the
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