Team Wins Top AASHTO Award for Saving $48 Million of Highway Section’s Life-Cycle Cost

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) recently presented its 2009 Value Engineering Award to a team from the Wisconsin Dept. of Transportation (WisDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) whose value engineering will cut $48 million from the life-cycle cost of 33 miles of Interstate 94 in south-central Wisconsin.

Darrell Berry (second from left), formerly of the Wisconsin Dept. of Transportation and now of Mead & Hunt, and Peter Garcia (third from left) of the Federal Highway Administration, accept the AASHTO Value Engineering Award at the National Value Engineering Conference. (Photo courtesy of Mead & Hunt)

I-94 is the busy Interstate that connects Milwaukee to Madison, Wis. The total length from city to city is about 79 miles. The award-winning WisDOT-FHWA value-engineering study focused on 33 miles from the western edge of Waukesha County to just east of Madison.

That segment of I-94 needs repair, and traffic projections show the need to expand it from four lanes to six by 2026.

WisDOT commissioned a value engineering (VE) study to help decide the best approach to rehabilitating and reconstructing the segment.

The I-94 VE Study developed and evaluated six alternatives, in addition to the original, .

The original alternative had a life-cycle cost of $195 million. The VE study’s recommended alternative has a life-cycle cost of $147 million—a savings of $48 million, or 24.6%.

In addition to saving cost, the WisDOT-FHWA team’s recommended alternative simplifies traffic control and does not require temporary widening to add and remove lanes.

The recommended alternative’s short time of interim work and use of standard techniques simplifies construction and minimizes user impacts. It also improves shoulders, flattens or shields steep side slopes, corrects cross slope on the mainline, and provides capacity when needed.

WisDOT adopted the VE team’s recommendation and is proceeding with this best-value solution.

CISCA 2009 Excellence Entries Due By Jan. 15

The Ceilings and Interior Systems Construction Association (CISCA) is now accepting entries for its 2009 Construction Excellence Awards, which will highlight exceptional work on projects completed in 2009.

This year, the competition includes a new category called “Boutique” for any unique interior project less than 10,000 sq ft.

To be eligible for the CISCA Excellence Awards, a project must be completed by Dec. 31, 2009. Qualified entries must be received at CISCA no later than Jan. 15, 2010.

Winners will be recognized at the awards breakfast on April 23, 2010, during CISCA’s national convention in Denver, Colo.

Category descriptions, entry requirements, and a downloadable entry form are at www.cisca.org/files/public/awardsbrochure.pdf.

Four Projects Win AIA Indiana’s Top Design Awards

AIA Indiana’s recently honored project: the Second Presbyterian Church. (Photo courtesy of AIA Indiana)

Four Indianapolis architecture firms recently received awards in the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Indiana chapter’s annual Design Awards.

CSO Architects received an Honor Award for the Bartlett Reflection Center on the campus of DePauw University in Greencastle.

BSA LifeStructures won a Merit Award for an addition and renovation at Second Presbyterian Church.

AIA Indiana’s recently honored project: the Indianapolis International Airport Operation Center (Photo courtesy of AIA Indiana)

RATIO Architects received a Citation Award for the Indianapolis International Airport Operations Center.

Axis Architecture + Interiors received a Citation Award for the design of an Indianapolis downtown home.

A panel of Alabama architects judged the competition’s entries.

The Bartlett Reflection Center at DePauw University, Greencastle, designed by CSO Architects, Inc.

The Bartlett Center for Reflection is a quiet, contemplative place in the DePauw University Nature Park, where faculty, staff and students can retreat for personal reflection. The 2,413-square-foot structure was designed for sustainability and to minimize its impact on the environment. It has achieved Gold level LEED Certification.

AIA Indiana’s recently honored project: the Bartlett Reflection Center at DePauw University. (Photo courtesy of AIA Indiana)

The Second Presbyterian Church, Indianapolis, is a classic gothic-style building that has been an Indianapolis landmark since 1949. BSA LifeStructures designed a new main entry for the church, renovated classrooms and meeting spaces, and added a music area, youth area and gathering space. The design draws upon the historic architecture, including the exterior of the addition, which is clad in limestone, clay tile and lead-coated and copper detailing, all consistent with the church’s original design.

The Indianapolis International Airport’s Midfield Terminal Operations/Emergency Center is a high-tech, high-security environment located just south of the air traffic control tower. It is designed to be compatible with the terminal, yet to have its own identity from architectural features such as the glass and pre-cast panels on the exterior and a cantilevered roof that mimics airplane wings.

International Code Council Unveils New Web Site

The International Code Council (ICC) has completely re-engineered its Website www.iccsafe.org, so users can find important information more quickly and easily. Standardized menus on the top and left side of the screen now help with navigation.

In addition, the site now offers organized content to help users find what they’re looking for in fewer clicks. A single sign-on lets users log into the site with only one set of credentials. “My ICC” lets users set and edit preferences, track course registrations and tally continuing education units. And 13 Communities of Interest provide the chance to discuss and network with peers, view and post resource documents and links, access the latest industry news, and view relevant products and services.

Pioneer Construction Becomes Midwest’s First ABC-Certified Green Contractor

The Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC) has named pioneer Construction, Grand Rapids, Mich., a Certified Green Contractor.

Pioneer is the first contractor in the Midwest, and just the ninth in the U.S., to receive the certification.

The ABC Green Contractor certification program documents the construction community’s efforts to develop a sustainable workplace environment—both on and off the job site—while also recognizing ABC-member firms that are green-industry leaders.

To earn the certification, Pioneer was evaluated by ABC and an independent on-site assessor.

Each certified company must complete 13 prerequisites ranging from electronic distribution of documents to establishing an aggressive recycling program. In addition, companies are required to fulfill at least 12 of 36 elective items that include conducting a professional energy audit, conserving water and providing incentives for carpooling or using public transportation.

Each company also must achieve four education and training benchmarks, such as instructing employees about sustainability and requiring at least 25% of eligible managers to receive green-building awareness education. For more information, visit www.greenconstructionatwork.com/Certification.

Indianapolis Safety Group Launches New Web Site

The Metro Indianapolis Coalition for Construction Safety Inc. (MICCS) has launched www.miccs.org, a new website that is easy to use and contains safety-related information, updated news, videos, and other features.

MICCS is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating injuries on construction and facility-maintenance job sites. Its members include construction companies, project owners, design professionals and construction-affiliated organizations.

Metal Construction Association Offers Green-Industry Definitions

People who are challenged by green-movement terms or who need a high-quality compilation of them can find help at the Metal Construction Association’s (MCA) Web site, www.metalconstruction.org.

The compilation can be found in the site’s Sustainable Design section.

MCA is an organization of manufacturers and suppliers whose metal products are used in structures throughout the world.

J. F. Ahern Receives Build Wisconsin Award

J.F. Ahern Co., Fond du Lac, Wis., recently received a 2009 Build Wisconsin Award from the Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin (AGC).

Ahern won as a specialty contractor for the plumbing work performed at the Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research in Madison.

The company was involved in a number of the winning projects, and will be recognized with the other awardees at an awards ceremony in early December.

American Concrete Pavement Association Honors E&B Paving

E&B Paving Inc., Anderson, Ind., has received two national awards from the American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA) for its paving work on highway and airport runway projects in Indiana.

E&B’s concrete division, based in the firm’s Rochester, Ind., office, won the ACPA Gold Award in the Airport: Concrete Overlays category for its work on the Delphi, Ind., Airport.

The company also won the ACPA Silver Award in the Urban Arterials & Collectors category for its work on State Road 66 (Diamond Avenue) in Evansville, Ind.

E&B Paving will be formally recognized for these national awards at the ACPA annual convention in December.

Landmark Commission Honors Palmer House Restoration

The Commission on Chicago Landmarks has awarded The Palmer House Hilton a 2009 Chicago Landmark Award for Preservation Excellence for the exterior and interior restoration of its 85-year-old building.

Built in the 1920s, the Palmer House is the third hotel to carry the name of real estate magnate and hotelier Potter Palmer. It is an excellent example of early 20th century classic French revival architecture.

Returning the impressive marquee to its 1920’s glory was one of the revitalizations that helped the Palmer House restoration earn an honor from the Chicago Commission on Landmarks. (Photo courtesy of Thor Equities, LLC, and The Palmer House Hilton)

In 2005, Thor Equities, LLC of New York City selected Chicago architect Loebl Schlossman & Hackl to create a memorable design that would revitalize the structure’s landmark status and expand the retail opportunities of the building’s location.

The architect led a team that included interior designer ForrestPerkins, Washington, D.C., and restaurant, foodservice and engineering consultants.

Completed in February, 2009, the 1.2-million-sq-ft restoration included the famous State Street retail frontage in the heart of Chicago’s loop, added a new underground parking garage, and revamped numerous lobbies, ballrooms, private dining rooms and 930 guest rooms. It also added themed restaurants and a 10,000-sq-ft fitness center and spa.