In 2015, CT ABC recognized the following companies as Excellence in Construction Award recipients:
Best in Show
Kent School - Music & Mattison Auditorium
S/L/A/M Construction Services
S/L/A/M Construction Services was hired by Kent School to renovate the aging 25,000-sf Music & Mattison Auditorium. The renovation included an expansion of the stage area, opening of the existing ceiling to the trusswork of the roof, upgrades to the walls, floors and seating in the house. New lighting, sound and acoustical treatments were also included. Additionally, a new gallery space and lobby create an interior link between the dining hall and auditorium.
The entire existing auditorium was gutted to the exterior walls and roof trusses. A new stage, parterre seating areas, acoustic wood wall treatments, windows and tension grid structure (catwalk for lighting and sound) were constructed. State-of-the-art theatrical lighting, curtains, control/projection rooms and sound systems were added. The stage was expanded and new seating was installed and rearranged to accommodate current ADA requirements. The final space which seats 350 people is a multi- functional auditorium used for music, theater, lectures and movies. In order to create the music space, the entire third floor and attic were gutted out. New structure was then added beneath the existing roof over one entire wing and two smaller areas. Large portions of the attic floor were removed to create cathedral ceilings; vaulted spaces for rehearsal, performance and recording. Classrooms were also accommodated, as were individual sound-proof practice rooms, music teaching studios, faculty offices and a recording engineering studio. Finally, an elevator tower was constructed to connect the lower level of the theater space, the main floor art gallery, theater and dining hall, and the third floor music department.
This project presented many challenges, from a construction and sequencing standpoint. SLAM took on the task of managing an extremely invasive project for a facility that needed to provide uninterruptible service to the school. Challenges included:
- Accessibility, safety, stage sequencing and scheduling of the auditorium renovations
- Installation of a new 18 foot deep elevator shaft between two buildings
- The removal of a floor from a 1950s building, while maintaining structural integrity
- The existing heating plant and electrical services remain operational for the dining hall and campus buildings
- Update the entire HCVA and electrical system in both buildings
- Mail, food service and music areas remain accessible
- Safe student access to the dining hall and adjacent dorms
S/L/A/M had to navigate around these challenges, while minimizing the downtime of the auditorium and working with very limited parking/staging areas. With SLAM’s unique delivery approach, our design-build team was able to anticipate these challenges and incorporate design solutions, where applicable, in the bid documents. SLAM developed a phasing and sequencing plan that would address the project constraints. It was most important to detail the sequencing within the bid documents to allow the contractors a full understanding of the project expectations.
Commercial
Digital Center 2
Associated Construction Co.
DC 2 is, quite simply, the most technologically advanced television broadcast production facility in the world. Home to the ESPN network’s 9,700 SF flagship “SportsCenter” broadcast studio, as well as four other studios (including the recently completed 9,000 SF NFL studio), six production control rooms, 16 craft edit suites and four audio control rooms, this facility redefines the terms “high tech”, “innovative”, “cutting edge”, and “state of the art” in the digital television broadcast industry.
“Future-proof” design which is format-agnostic, allowing ESPN to broadcast utilizing current full 1080p HD broadcast technology, but also adaptable to 4K, 8K, or any existing or future broadcast technology that may be designed to handle media formats carrying data/signals at varying bit rates. Two massive, custom-designed, $1 million Evertz EXE-X2 IP fiber optic routers capable of routing more than 6,000 1080p streams and as much as 92 TBps (one Evertz routing setup allows ESPN to handle up to 60,000 signals simultaneously). This upgraded system has the speed and capacity to download the entire text of the Library of Congress 169 times per day. The entire ESPN network processes 45 petabytes a day, twice the amount of Google’s daily workload. A “hub and spoke” infrastructure, custom designed by ESPN’s in-house engineering and technology staff, exists in each control room, studio, edit bay and audio room, and is fully integrated with the central routing core in which all signals are distributed.
The 194,000 SF concrete and steel building has four levels. The basement lies a full 30’ below grade and houses the MEP/FP equipment to support the operation of the building. Level 1 houses the production support areas – the broadcast signal routing system (including rack rooms) and a flywheel backup UPS system. The main entrance is located at the southwest corner of this level, and is populated with interactive video monitors highlighting ESPN SportCenter’s history. Level 2 houses four television broadcast production studios totaling 25,000+ SF, comprised mainly of the SportsCenter and NFL studios. The second level is also home to the production control rooms, editing suites and audio control rooms. The southwest corner of this level is connected to DC 1 by an elevated, glass enclosed bridge. The third level, or Mezzanine, is fully dedicated to the mechanical equipment which supports operation of the building.
Production, studio and technical functions in the building are supported with electrical and mechanical systems specifically designed for mission-critical power and cooling applications. These systems consist of electric water chillers, medium-voltage dual-ended substations and UPS power. Furthermore, redundancy is incorporated in both the power and air conditioning system design. The combined mechanical and electrical subcontracts for this project totaled $50 million. Site work for the approximately eight acre project area focused on the transformation of former Birch Street to a multifunctional, heated outdoor pedestrian plaza. This included decorative pavements underlain with an extensive snowmelt system.
Industrial
Central Delivery Point Compressor Stations & Dehydration Facility
Cianbro Corporation
Cianbro was contracted by Susquehanna Gathering Company I, LLC and Bluestone Pipeline Company of Pennsylvania, LLC (wholly owned subsidiaries of DTE Pipeline Company, an affiliate of DTE Energy), to construct three six-unit natural gas compressor stations and a dehydration facility located in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania. The projects are part of the Bluestone Gathering System; a 44.5 mile pipeline that delivers Marcellus Shale gas in Pennsylvania and New York to the Millennium Pipeline and Tennessee Pipeline. The project scope included civil, structural, pipe, mechanical, electrical and instrumentation construction. The project also included construction of significant site Environmental Erosion Control Measures in order to comply with the Department of Environmental Protection permits specific to each site.
With the initial award of “CDP-1 First Compression” to Cianbro, DTE Energy (DTE) commenced with the development of a program that would allow for natural gas gathered from various wells to be converted from normal well head pressure to pressures that would permit the gas to flow through pipeline systems at greater distances. To accomplish this, a network of compressor stations needed to be constructed along DTE’s newly built gathering pipeline along with dehydration facilities to remove the water from the extracted gas. Over the span of 11 months, Cianbro collaborated closely with the DTE team to construct three compressor stations and one dehydration facility. These stations and dehydration facility, termed “Central Delivery Point 1 (CDP-1)” and “Central Delivery Point 3 (CDP-3)”, are located along the existing Right of Way pipeline, approximately eight miles apart.
Project Details
- Performed significant site work, including clearing over 22 acres at the CDP-3 site
- Created temporary access roads
- Constructed Environmental Best Management Practices at all sites
- Constructed three compressor buildings to house six – 1,270 HP compressors in each building.
- Installed sound attenuation for cooler silencers at CDP-1 Second Compression
- Completed the mechanical and electrical fit-out of the internal compressor buildings
- Completed the mechanical piping, electrical, instrumentation, concrete and equipment/vessel installations
- Constructed three utility buildings to house the motor control centers, as well as fiber optic and Ethernet control systems
- Installed several inlet separator tanks, also known as slug catchers
- Performed the civil, structural, mechanical and electrical construction of the fuel skid
- Installed waste tanks and blow-down silencers
- Installed various system components including a glycol contact tower, a glycol regenerator skid, inlet and outlet filter separators, multiple metering skids, four storage tanks, two pig receiver skids, a glycol switching skid, a permanent back-up generator and a gas quality building for the Dehydration Facility
- Coordinated and performed complex tie-ins to existing gas lines at the launcher/receiver sites
- Provided QA/QC in accordance with program requirements
- Provided significant document control efforts required for these regulated facilities
Mechanical/Commercial
Hartford Hospital Bliss Building OR Air Handler Replacement
Crest Mechanical Services, Inc.
In the winter of 2014, Crest Mechanical was called in by Hartford Hospital to perform a design-build replacement of an existing Main Air Handler for the hospital’s 4th floor operating rooms. The project was completed over a 4 month period and included temporary provisions to provide the operating rooms with heat, design of a new air handling system, and installation of that system. Crest provided a new 55,000 CFM modular Air handler that included heating, humidification, air purification, and system zoning. The system included new chilled water piping, steam piping, hot water piping, UV light installation, humidifier installation, controls and wiring.
At the completion of the project the hospital received a new unit that was more energy efficient and far more environmentally sensitive than the original system. The new unit has helped to provide heating, cooling and filtered air changes to the critical 4th floor operating rooms while saving the hospital thousands in energy costs each year.
Adaptive Reuse
RH Gallery
ESRT Construction
This neoclassical building which served as Greenwich’s post office was transformed into the new RH Gallery for their signature brand of luxury home furnishings. This historic building located on Greenwich Avenue was built in 1917 and is listed with the National Register of Historic Places. The entire building was demolished with the exception of the exterior walls and the first floor concrete slab. Within the existing footprint of the building, a new steel structure with a second floor was constructed.
Exterior work included the restoration of the original brick and limestone, new landscaping, and a new parking area at the rear of the building. The former loading dock which was located on the Greenwich Avenue side of the structure, now serves as a courtyard and second entrance to RH Gallery. The main entrance of the building showcases the original gas powered, cast-iron pendants which were fully restored and wired for electricity. A new monumental staircase was installed and leads to the second floor which features a rooftop terrace that overlooks Greenwich Avenue. Renovations included new fifteen foot windows, polished concrete floors, new electrical service and MEP equipment, restrooms, and installation of a new elevator.
Federal Government/Military
New London Naval Submarine Base - New Commissary
KBE Building Corporation
The new Commissary at the Groton Naval Sub Base provides an exceptional shopping option for base personnel, their families, and area veterans. The 56,847 sf single-story building is structural steel-framed on cast-in-place concrete foundations, with a face brick cavity wall exterior, aluminum windows and single-ply roof. Great teamwork and cooperation was the order of the day – every day. The excellent working relationships forged between the owner, the program manager, the base facilities staff, KBE, and the trade contractors was instrumental in solving a major project challenge – the discovery of extensive underground utility conduits – some abandoned, some in use – that were not noted on any historical site plans for the base. Daily explorations and a decision to rephase the project kept the work on track, with the team completing on schedule.
“Speaking for the contracting officer and myself, KBE has provided a professional working relationship for DeCA that we seldom experience…” Richard Baes, DeCA Project Manager
Institutional over $10M
Harvard Ellis Technical High School
KBE Building Corporation
The new Harvard Ellis Technical High School is the latest jewel in the State’s ongoing program to renovate Connecticut’s technical high school. As with all the newly renovated tech schools, Harvard Ellis is a high-tech, cutting-edge academic and technical training facility designed to better prepare Connecticut students for technical careers in construction, manufacturing, and more. The project encompasses a comprehensive renovation of 121,000 sf and the addition of 72,635 sf – all within a fully occupied and operational school. It’s a high quality project throughout, from the careful and detailed programming and design that reflects the school’s educational mission to the caliber of the construction and focus on bringing the architect’s vision to life. But what truly sets this project apart is the fact that it was completed eight months ahead of schedule, getting students into their high-tech classrooms far sooner than originally planned.
Historical Restoration/Renovation
Connecticut's Old State House Cupola Restoration
Kronenberger & Sons Restoration, Inc.
The historic Old State House in Hartford, CT was built in 1796, and its iconic cupola was added in 1826, which housed a bell and was topped off with a Blind Justice statue. 187 years later, Kronenberger & Sons Restoration, Inc. was awarded the opportunity to add our mark to yet another important Nationally Registered Historic Landmark in Connecticut. We took on this challenge with honor, pride and our relentless attention to detail for which we are known for. And after more than 3,530 meticulous work hours, the award-winning results are clear. The exterior restoration overall scope of work as to repair and repaint the entire cupola from the slate roof up to the Blind Justice Statue. The majority of time was spent on the arduous task of removing all the lead-based coatings down to bare wood and metal. Often the specified method of removing paint with chemical strippers was not sufficient. So, KSR had to revert back to time-tested methods using heat guns and infrared heaters. The decorative details of the empire capitols on the eight 16’ tall columns, the cornice modillions and clock face components challenged even our most patient craftsmen. Missing and heavily deteriorated wood components were then repaired using epoxy materials or replaced with wood Dutchman. Coupled with wearing Tyvek suits and personal protective equipment in the hot summer sun, our employees persevered, and their hard work resulted in beautifully restored woodwork that was ready for paint. The four half-round windows were removed and restored offsite at our Middletown facility. The only other offsite work was the replication of one pair of wood hour and minute hands that were missing from East clock face.
The copper dome roof replacement provided historical evidence of workers past and unforeseen structural repairs. Upon removal of the existing copper roof we discovered marks from previous restoration work. True craftsmen always left their mark upon a building, and on most of our projects it’s always fascinating to discover these during the course of the restoration. During this project we found “Jacob Lyon & Sons Plumbing” inscribed on the wood sheathing along with the signature of Felix Lyon “Superintendent of Tinning Department” who were hired in 1907 to replace the copper dome roof. Also found was the signature of William O’Brien “Apprentice Carpenter” of unknown affiliation. Following suit, KSR employees left their mark behind as well. Then the sheathing and framing of the dome was found to be unsuitable for the new roofing work and had to be supplemented with additional curved framing and wood sheathing boards to create even segments. Flat-seam copper cladding was then skillfully fabricated and applied over the wood skin of the dome with careful and textbook soldering of all seams.
The Blind Justice Statue had its deteriorated coatings removed and minor repairs made in preparation for new gold leaf application. The new copper dome was also primed and adhered with a new burnished 23.75 carat gold leaf coating. With scaffolding down on November 28, 2013, the newly restored Old State House Cupola was now ready for another 100 years of being Connecticut’s iconic historic landmark.
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In 2015, CT ABC also recognized the following companies as Merit Award recipients:
Healthcare
Middlewoods of Newington
C.E. Floyd Company, Inc.
“C.E. Floyd brought a vision to life,” said Middlewoods of Newington Executive Director Kathy Braga. “As I walked in to the Great Room last week, I found our Activities Director playing guitar for a group of Residents, another group playing poker at a large card table, two sets of Residents with visitors sitting fireside and two other groups enjoying coffee in the Country Kitchen. This was our vision and I am simply delighted at the completion of our project.” Braga doubted her vision would become a reality, and it almost didn’t. The original construction project was a simple $400,000 upgrade to interior finishes and renovation to the perimeter. During preconstruction C.E. Floyd Company and edm CT, devised a plan that met Braga’s vision and made financial sense to the Owner, United Methodist Homes. The plan involved infilling part of the courtyard with a 4,250 sf addition, “building a building inside of a building”. This created several schedule and logistical challenges.
- Phasing to maximize revenue: It was important that the first part of the project included new units to increase the revenue stream of Middlewoods to help pay for the rest of the project. It was also important to plan the work in such an order as to keep disruptions to the residents to a minimum.
- Access to site: Construction workers were not given access to the courtyard through the building. Workers had to get to the courtyard via a stair tower built out of scaffolding that bridged the building.
- Crane in, crane out policy: All construction materials that went into building the addition had to be craned into the courtyard. All excavated materials and snow had to be craned out of the courtyard. If loads reached a specific weight, portions of the building had to be evacuated to complete the lift. These critical lifts were performed during a two-hour window when residents would be out of their units anyway, giving us a limited amount of time to get the work done.
Executive Director Kathy Braga also noted other challenges, “Breaking ground in the middle of December, crews climbing up and over the building daily to access the site, prepping the areas in sub-freezing temperatures and getting us weather-tight, was an incredible feat!”
Commercial
Charter Oak Federal Credit Union
Enterprise Builders, Inc.
The Charter Oak Credit Union Headquarters features a distinctive architectural style, with a curved roof, brick-and-glass exterior, and an expansive, two-story atrium. In addition, the building includes a new Community Room for free use by the region's non-profits, an employee fitness room, employee cafeteria, and employee training room. The nearly 65,000-square-foot building includes all of the credit union's administrative departments, consolidating functions from four separate locations into one site that will improve efficiency and productivity.
As a credit union with deep roots in the manufacturing legacy of the local community, Charter Oak Credit Union wanted a unique iconic building that would make a bold statement about the strength and stability of the institution, and that would be welcoming and inviting to their members. As a reflection of their mission and their continuing commitment to the community, Charter Oak Credit Union established specific criteria for the utilization of as many local and union contractors as was possible. The end result demonstrates that the construction team assembled by Enterprise Builders (the Construction Manager) was able to meet these goals, and successfully satisfy the challenges of the technically complex systems and materials that were integral to the design of the building.
Healthcare
Saint Francis Hospital Women's Health Center and MRI
Enterprise Builders, Inc.
The rehabilitation of a former emergency department located on the main floor of Saint Francis Hospital’s 1950's bed tower into a new Comprehensive Women’s Health Center. The resulting 25,000 SF renovation included the relocation of an existing Breast Health Clinic and related imaging equipment, new clinical programs, and ancillary spaces.
The new Center was designed to provide patients with a spa-like environment while providing the latest diagnostic technologies. Program highlights include an outdoor garden, café, health resource center, integrated medicine, multidisciplinary surgical consult clinics, and imaging rooms for Ultrasound, Mammography, Stereotactic Mammography, Bone Densitometry, Digital Tomosynthesis, and MRI. An exterior façade replacement and extensive landscaping were also key elements of the design.
Institutional over $10M
JM Wright Technical High School
KBE Building Corporation
The new JM Wright Technical High School in Stamford, Connecticut is the story of the project that no one thought could be completed on schedule. The project team – the State of Connecticut, KBE Building Corporation, Northeast Collaborative Architects, and the many trade contractors – completed this comprehensive renovation of the 202,400 sf school in just 15 months. The new school is a technology-driven setting for technical and academic education, preparing students for careers in construction, engineering, architecture, automotive, HVAC, digital technologies, and more. The team credits the use of digital laser scanning, an innovative phasing approach, and a dedicated team philosophy for the project’s success.
“We told you we needed this project completed in 15 months, and you stuck your neck out and said you would get it done. And you did. No one will ever forget that. This is the fastest we’ve ever done a technical high school!” Bud Salemi, Deputy Commissioner, CT Department of Construction Service, speaking at the ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 27, 2014
Renovation
Country Village Redevelopment
LaRosa Building Group, LLC
This project was the redevelopment of 232 units of affordable housing in 31 buildings over 30 acres. The townhouse-style units, originally built in the 1940s, contain between 1 and 4 bedrooms and range from 576 to 1586 SF each. Improvements made by this project greatly increased the energy efficiency of the apartments, reducing the costs of HVAC. Also, energy efficient lighting was installed to reduce electrical costs. Aesthetic improvements gave the properly an uplift which, as seen in other similar projects, leads to the residents feeling better about themselves and their community.
This project was a challenge as 100% of the apartments were occupied. Ordinary construction tasks such as abatement of windows and replacement of kitchen cabinets/floors were made complex by the need to provide additional safety measures and staff to ensure the work areas were safe not only for the workers, but for the resident who typically remained in the unit during the actual work. The residents, eager to enjoy their newly renovated apartments, were an asset in getting this project completed -- without their cooperation and understanding, even the simplest tasks such as smoke detector replacement would have been a challenge.
Performing sitework and exterior building work with the residents (of all ages) curious to see what is going on, posed additional safety concerns, as the safety of the residents was of the utmost importance, even when they did not realize the hazards of the areas where they wanted to gain access. Safety monitors and barriers were put into place and constantly monitored/maintained to reduce the opportunities for the residents to gain access into the construction areas.
The Project Team (consisting of a Project Manager, an Assistant Project Manager, a Project Superintendent and an Assistant Project Superintendent) was able to complete 95% of the work within the first 7 months of the project by employing multiple crews enabling the same work to be performed concurrently on numerous buildings and units. Through careful coordination and pre-planning, the Project Team was able to remove and reinstall cabinets in 4-6 kitchens per day, resulting in the residents only missing the opportunity to make lunch in their own homes on a single day. This project was held to budget with owner-added change orders totaling less than 2% of the original contract value. Through hiring multiple contractors per trade, we were able to reduce some schedule durations by nearly 60% while still maintaining quality control and sequencing.
LaRosa Building Group and the project team successfully conquered the challenges of phasing, scheduling and careful coordination in the redevelopment of this 100% occupied residential community. The residents now enjoy updated living spaces and community areas from a project delivered on-time and on-budget.
Institutional over $10M
Reggio Magnet School of the Arts
Newfield Construction, Inc.
Newfield Construction acted as Construction Manager at Risk for this new $22M, 435-student School for the Arts which focuses on the talents of children with artistic abilities. The 66,000sf schools offers the Reggio Emilia academic philosophy which focuses on self-initiated and full-sensory learning. The building recreates the vibrancy of Italy by incorporating a “piazza” as the school’s hub for visual and performing arts. It integrates outdoor and indoor spaces through the use of outside classrooms and eating areas as well as integrating clouds and birds into the piazza itself. The school offers six Pre-K and fifteen K-5 classrooms clustered in pods of three. Outside of each pod is an “atelier” which serves as a small group collaboration area where students from multiple classrooms can work on art or other academic projects. Other project features include gymnasium with climbing wall and multi-function gym, art studio, media center, music room and cafeteria with bistro seating for group collaboration. The distinguished exterior incorporates Italian architectural components and a large dove adorns the facade. A highly imaginative playground completes the excitement of this highly admired addition to the Town of Avon. This project adhered to the State of Connecticut’s High Performance Building Standards for sustainability and CREC’s Equity Program for M/WBE firms.
Industrial
Covidien ETO Sterilizer Plant
Petra Construction Corporation
Covidien is a large global healthcare products company with over 38,000 employees located in more than 70 countries. All of Covidien’s surgical products must be properly sterilized prior to shipment. Therefore, it was critical that the new sterilizer addition at their North Haven, Connecticut manufacturing facility be built properly, with great attention to detail. In July of 2012, Covidien selected Petra Construction Corporation as its construction manager, to perform preconstruction estimating and planning, and to complete this very complex project. The system used by Covidien to sterilize their products had to be phased out and replaced with a new system to meet new US EPA standards. The timely completion of the project was critical, as manufacturing production would come to a halt if the new system was not fully operational by the required date.
Construction work began in October of 2013. Three hundred geopiers were drilled and placed to depths of up to fifteen feet, to provide the required support for the foundation. The winter of 2013-2014 presented some of the worst weather in recent years, and set records for the quantity of snow events. The harsh conditions were tough on the jobsite workforce, but they soldiered on with the required tasks. They managed to pour thirteen hundred cubic yards of concrete for the foundations, erect a hundred tons of steel for the frame of the new addition, and build a ten inch thick concrete block wall (containing 5,400 blocks) to separate the addition from the new building.
The twelve inch thick, twenty-two foot tall concrete interior walls had an extensive number of inserts set in the formwork. The inserts had to be precisely located, to allow the multitude of ductwork, piping and conduits to eventually pass through the walls. The building coordination was completed using Building Information Modeling (BIM), which was implemented through a series of weekly meetings between Petra Construction and its team of subcontractors over a two month period. This effort was a huge success, and it enabled Petra and the subcontractors to pre-order much of the material, and pre-fabricate much of the piping, conduit and ductwork, resulting in virtually conflict-free field installation.
The addition contains very sophisticated control systems, and required very stringent air balancing. All of the rooms on the project have specified parameters not just for air flow to the distribution registers, but also for positive/negative pressurization of each room. the addition also contains a maze of piping, electrical systems, duct work and other systems to support the new sterilizers. The coordination of those systems would have been nearly impossible without the use of the modeling.
This project was a true team effort, with outstanding cooperation between Covidien staff members, CH2MHill professionals, Petra’s project team, and over twenty five subcontractors and suppliers, all working together to achieve a common goal. This important facility will sterilize Covidien’s many surgical products, so they can help save lives throughout the world.
Other Construction
Glastonbury Riverfront Park Phase II Improvements - General Building
Sarazin General Contractors, Inc.
For nearly 50 years the nine mile stretch of riverfront in Glastonbury has had minimal public access. The Glastonbury Riverfront Park Phase II Improvements project is the culmination of decades of vision and planning resulting in the completion of a state of the art two story, 18,500 square foot boathouse. The Boathouse, complete with a panoramic observation deck overlooking the Connecticut River features a large boat storage area, an event space that can accommodate up to 300 people and stunning views. Site improvements include an accessible playground, lighted basketball court, ice-skating area, picnic area, fountain and public waterfront access including a launching area for small craft and a public boat launch.
Sarazin General Contractor’s maintained an aggressive schedule to comply with environmental restrictions. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection did not allow heavy construction from December 31st to March 1st for the protection of bald eagles that nest along the river. Coordination between the Site Contractor, Milton C. Beebe and SGC was critical to the setting of the foundation and structural steel. The Glastonbury Riverfront Project Phase II was the successful beautification of what was once considered an eyesore, with extensive soil and groundwater contamination to a public riverfront access point as well as an elegant event facility and home for the Glastonbury Crew Team.
Electrical/Commercial
ESPN DC 2
Semac Electric Co., Inc.
The new Digital Center 2 project is a state of the art broadcasting facility which features 4 working studios including Studio W which is the largest studio on the campus and the home of the EPN NFL programs. The project includes 200,000 square feet of the most extensive electrical systems to ensure power reliability at its pinnacle of demand. The overall project consisted of roughly 350,000 feet of conduit, over 2 million feet of wire excluding tele/data and network cabling and 50 thousand feet of MC. It features two redundant distribution rooms with separate individual back up UPS systems in each; one flywheel and the other a Battery system and the entire system is backed up by a generator farm which provides the building the power reliability second to none. The building also houses 49 transfer switches to enable flexibility for maintenance to ensure the show does not have interruptions. At the height of the construction process, Semac had 40 full time electricians working to meet the scheduling demands. Overall the project duration lasted 2 years for construction with another 8- months of studio fit out work.
This is a once in a lifetime project which consists of everything an electrician ever dreamed of. As an organization it was a pleasure to be a part of the experience.
Residential
The Heights at Darien
Viking Construction, Inc.
Viking Construction, Inc., served as general contractor on the $27 million multi-phase project for The Heights at Darien, which was completed in June 2014. This project was a redevelopment of an existing moderate-income community (Allen-O’Neill Homes) that was built in the early 1940s and included a building from the original 1864 development of the site (known as Fitch’s Home for Soldiers and Their Orphans). After a decade-long process that brought together countless local and state-wide agencies and private investors, the 10.5-acre site was finally set to become a “showcase” for modern affordable housing communities.
Following demolition of existing buildings in 2012, Viking completed extensive site work and laid foundations and utilities for 23 separate buildings for the new residential complex. Each building was either two or three stories high, designed in the same architectural style as surrounding neighborhoods. In total, the new LEED-certified community has 106 one-, two- and three- bedroom apartments – essentially doubling the density of the former Allen-O’Neill Homes. The apartments (which range in size from 1,030 to 1,742 square feet) feature nicely appointed kitchens with energy-efficient appliances, green-label carpeting, designer bathrooms and spacious closets. They also included energy-efficient windows and insulation, and heating and cooling systems.
Viking built a separate resident lounge with kitchenette and entertainment area, a fitness center, a business center with computers and complimentary wi-fi, as well as BBQ and picnic grounds designed to create a sense of community and to provide modern conveniences for residents. Viking also built office space for the professional on-site management staff for The Heights. The building grounds are landscaped with native, non-invasive plantings, and include a recycling area. Additionally, The Heights is considered to be in a “smart growth” location because of its proximity to trains, buses, shopping, and other conveniences.