In the heart of Central Texas, the Miller-Whitaker Fire Station No. 1 is designed to accommodate emergency response personnel serving the population and projected growth of the growing Kyle community. Photo: Harmon Shoots Photography Related Links: Best of 2010 Awards The 24,000-sq-ft fire station functions 24/7 with specialized emergency response notification systems and high tech design. The project team worked to meet the aggressive nine-month schedule—a shorter time frame than the 12- to 15-month construction schedules proposed by other bidders. To overcome the challenge, the team agreed to have weekly, onsite meetings to make critical project decisions. Another challenge tested
The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History is a showcase for some 175,000 historic objects and scientific specimens. Photo: Rhonda Hole Photography Related Links: Best of 2010 Awards The new building includes The Museum School, Dino Dig, Nobel Planetarium and an Omni IMAX Theater. Also included are new exhibits such as the 4D Energy Theater/Exhibit, a children’s gallery with outdoor water play, paleontology lab and display of Native American artifacts. The central educational feature of the museum is its highly visible Studio Learning Galleries, five glass-walled studios for learning and outreach education programs central to the museum’s mission. The
Preserving the terrain of the Texas Hill Country was a priority for the team building the 376-unit Preserve at Fredericksburg. Photo: Richard L. Muniz Photography Related Links: Best of 2010 Awards Crews surrounded more than 100 mature Live Oak trees with water barrels to protect them and lessen the impact of construction and the Texas drought. A rainwater catchment system will permanently irrigate the landscaped site, which features a nature preserve with walking trail, pet park, bilevel swimming pool with waterfalls, outdoor kitchen and fireplaces. The campus includes 34 buildings on 25 acres. The developer and contractor had a “green”
An increasing student poplation and an aging facility meant big changes for Giddings Independent School District. The project included a new 170,000-sq-ft high school, conversion of the existing 90,000-sq-ft high school into an intermediate facility and new parking and site infrastructure. Photo:Gaeke Construction Related Links: Best of 2010 Awards The new high school includes two, two-story classroom wings; two gymnasiums; computer and science labs; a performing arts and athletic training area; a library and student lounges. The contemporary architectural design incorporates glass, stone, brick and metal into a collage of colors and textures that creates a unique working and learning
A 19-story office tower in Dallas owned by Granite Properties joins with a 26-story residential tower owned by Gables Residential to form Park Seventeen. The two towers share 15,000 sq ft of residential space and a 1,500-space parking garage. Photo: Aerial Photography Inc. Related Links: Best of 2010 Awards Park Seventeen, a project larger than 1 million sq ft and more than $100 million in value, overcame several challenges. The project is bound by roadways on all sides, and its location yielded a zero lot line and little to zero laydown area for storage. The project team was further squeezed
The new Primary Health Clinic at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio will provide more than 123,000 sq ft of clinical space for delivering primary care to military service members and their dependents. The facility was built to achieve LEED-silver certification. Photo: Satterfield & Pontikes Related Links: Best of 2010 Awards A change to the steel rebar in the foundation by the owner early in the project’s construction resulted in a delay and formidable test for general contractor, Satterfield & Pontikes, because the completion date was not extended. The team overcame the 90-day setback with a massive overhaul of the
HomeAway is only the second company in Austin to achieve LEED gold for Commercial Interior Design from the U.S. Green Building Council, and is the first mixed-use project in Austin to achieve the recognition. Photo: Rosy Lea Photography Related Links: Best of 2010 Awards The office space for HomeAway, a vacation rental company, is located on the second, third and fourth floors of a mixed-use building at the corner of Fifth and Baylor streets in Austin. It encompasses approximately 51,000 sq ft of floor space. At the start of the interior construction phase, SpawMaxwell crews were working on the shell
The 30-year-old Houston office of Accenture, a global consulting, technology and outsourcing company with more than 190,000 employees worldwide, was planning to relocate and reduce its real estate while supporting a growing workforce. Photo: Structure Tone Related Links: Best of 2010 Awards Accenture’s strategy became to create a new type of office environment tailored to meet the needs of its mobile workers. The firm’s new location on the 19th floor of a Class A office building overlooking Houston occupies 22,400 sq ft. The move allowed Accenture to shed about 40,000 sq ft of space while increasing efficiency. The Houston Accenture
The Package 6 and Package 10 work for the San Antonio International Airport expansion adds an existing upper-level bridge departures from future terminals. Photo: Mark Langford Photography Related Links: Best of 2010 Awards The bridge includes a 700-ft-long cast-in-place section and a 1,200-ft-long precast beam section. Work included widening and reconstruction of the lower-level road, which serves as a passenger loading area. Underground utility improvements include data and communication line installation, earth excavation and embankment, retaining walls, concrete paving, curb and gutter installation, and placement of concrete flatwork. The general contractor, Archer Western Contractors, and specialty subcontractor Cardinal Mechanical used
Inclement weather and an occupied site complicated building Northeast Lakeview Campus for San Antonio’s Alamo Colleges. Photo: Patrick J. Morey Photography Related Links: Best of 2010 Awards The team had to deal with continuing construction without impacting an activite campus. During the latter phases, the campus would be occupied. With careful planning of staging and delivery of materials and day-to-day communication with the college, the team was able to successfully complete the project without hindering the faculty or student body. The GC/CM, Austin Commercial, was also faced with five weeks of almost continuous rainy weather during the first months of
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