Three Upstate Construction Firms Proud Recipients of Awards for Six Projects in 2009 “Excellence in Construction” Program Sponsored by the Associated Builders and Contactors (ABC) of the Carolinas
December 10, 2009
Unique Eco-Friendly K-12 School Project Singled Out as Project of the Year
GREENVILLE, SC – December 10, 2009 – Three local construction companies with headquarters or regional offices in the Upstate won a total of seven awards for six projects in the 2009 Excellence in Construction Awards competition sponsored by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of the Carolinas. These awards were formally presented at ABC of the Carolinas’ annual awards dinner held on November 19 at the Grandover Resort and Conference Center in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The BE&K Building Group’s South Carolina regional operation, headquartered in downtown Greenville, won an ABC Eagle Award — the highest level award — in the “Commercial Projects $10 to $25 Million” category for the Samsung Networks America Call Center in Mauldin, a design-build project completed in March 2009 for owner Hughes Investments (Village Land, Inc.). A number of sustainable elements were incorporated into this project, including a park in front of the facility which will be kept as green space; and an energy efficient roof, a web-based building management system, low e-glazing storefronts and skylights. The BE&K Building Group received a second Eagle Award, this one in the “Schools Over $50 Million” category, for the Cherokee Central Schools Building Program completed in May 2009 for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in Cherokee, North Carolina. Singled out as ABC’s Project of the Year, the $109.5 million Cherokee K-12 school complex, which is currently pending LEED® Silver certification, is the largest LEED® registered school east of the Mississippi River, and the largest LEED® registered project of any type in the Carolinas. The U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) rating system, established in 2000 and updated earlier this year, is a benchmark for the design, construction and operation of eco-friendly buildings, offices and neighborhoods. Four designations — certified, silver, gold and platinum — are based on a point system that evaluates criteria such as location, energy and water efficiency, and materials and resources used.
Spartanburg-based Waldrop Mechanical Services, which will mark its 40th anniversary in 2010, received an ABC Eagle Award for an $8.9 million mechanical/plumbing systems installation at the Oconee Medical Center in Seneca. Waldrop was responsible for the heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC), plumbing, and medical gas components of the medical center’s new $44.8 million Patient Tower addition which opened in June 2009. Waldrop took top honors in the Specialty Contracting category, “Mechanical-Over $4 Million.” The new six-story structure accommodates 155 patient beds. Waldrop self-performed 100 percent of the equipment demolition, and installation of the plumbing, sheet metal and piping activities. A web-based facility management system keeps the chillers, air handlers, fans and other HVAC items in check. Waldrop also received two ABC Awards of Merit in the “Mechanical-Under $1 Million” category — one for the Kershaw County (SC) Courthouse, the other for the Charleston Aviation Authority. For Kershaw County, Waldrop replaced and upgraded the mechanical equipment and associated electrical requirements that provide the HVAC for the county’s courthouse, originally built in the mid-1960s. For the Charleston County Aviation Authority, Waldrop upgraded the HVAC system servicing the entire terminal building at the Charleston International Airport.
Rodgers Builders, Inc., which has a regional office in downtown Greenville, received an ABC Award of Merit in the “Schools $25 to $50 Million” category for a Science Building Addition and Renovation project on the campus of Furman University. Designated the Charles H. Townes Center for Science, it is one of the most innovative science and research facilities in the Carolinas. The new construction added two buildings to the existing Plyler Hall. In keeping with Furman’s commitment to sustainability, the complex is expected to achieve Gold-level LEED® certification and uses a number of innovations to lessen its environmental impact, including the use of chilled beams for cooling the buildings — the first use of this technology in the Southeast.
About ABC of the Carolinas
The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of the Carolinas, of which the Upstate Council is a part, represents the merit construction contractors and related firms in North and South Carolina. ABC of the Carolinas is a chapter of the national ABC organization which represents more than 25,000 members. For more information and news, visit www.abccarolinas.org
