2014 Pinnacle Winners Enhance The Carolinas & Advance The Construction Industry

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Feb. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On February 7, 2015, Carolinas AGC (CAGC) bestowed the 2014 Pinnacle Awards—the most prestigious recognition in the Carolinas construction industry—to three construction projects and an individual who has helped improve the construction industry. The Pinnacle Awards shine a bright light on the construction industry and exemplify CAGC's reason for existence: Advancing the construction industry to enhance the quality of life and deliver a sustainable difference in the Carolinas.

Best Highway-Heavy Project:

The Turn in the Battery Wall, Charleston, SC
Crowder Construction Company, Charlotte, NC

At the southernmost point of historic Charleston, SC, where the Ashley and Cooper Rivers converge to form the Charleston Harbor, is a seawall built in the 1730s called "The Battery." In the early 1900s, city leaders created "The Turn," a 120-foot section of wall that joins the High Battery and Low Battery in a radius at the point of the Charleston peninsula.

After protecting the city from pirates, hurricanes, and other unwanted invaders, the Battery, nestled around magnificent antebellum homes and enjoyed by countless tourists, was starting to fail. In October 2013, Crowder Construction Company began construction on The Turn in the Battery Wall, deemed by local officials and their engineers as "the most important project in the city." Work included installation of a cofferdam, demolition of old concrete and pilings, installation of new concrete and pilings, and removal of the cofferdam— performed with minimal disruptions to residents and tourists and under the microscope of local politicians. And most importantly, Crowder made the brand new structure look exactly like its 100-year old predecessor in both appearance and geometry. 

The Turn in the Battery Wall resulted in no OSHA recordable or lost time incidents, no property damage to any of the historical homes, and reopened to the public  July 29, 2014—on time and to the delight of Charleston city officials, local politicians, residences and tourists. 

Best Building Project (1 of 2):

Clemson University's SCE&G Energy Innovation Center, North Charleston, SC
Choate Construction Company, offices in Atlanta, GA, Charleston, SC, Charlotte, NC, Raleigh, NC, and Savannah, GA.

On a nearly abandoned, former naval base in an industrialized area of North Charleston, SC, a WW II-era warehouse sat vacant—an unlikely location for the "future of wind energy" to take shape. But that all changed when the U.S. Department of Energy awarded their largest cost share grant ever, $45 million, to Clemson University to design, build and operate a facility capable of full-scale, highly accelerated testing of next-generation wind turbine drivetrain technology.

The construction of the Energy Innovation Center, an 82,264 square foot LEED Gold certified facility, was a complex, multi-task endeavor proudly taken on by Choate Construction Company. The heart of the Energy Innovation Center is the two wind turbine test bays. Each bay features a dynamic, independent foundation built to withstand extraordinary vibration in an unsteady cyclic fashion, and each had to be physically separated from the building down to the foundation to prevent transfer of vibrations to the test specimens and surrounding facility structure. Without these strong foundations, the test bays could theoretically vibrate themselves down into the ground or rip the facility apart under maximum operation.

The Energy Innovation Center is expected to bring hundreds of jobs to South Carolina, provide worldwide exposure to the work of the Clemson University Restoration Institute and will serve as the precedent for future comparable facilities across the world.

Best Building Project (2 of 2):

University of North Carolina at Greensboro Railroad Pedestrian Underpass, Greensboro, NC
New Atlantic Contracting, Inc., Winston-Salem, NC

The Railroad Pedestrian Underpass at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro provides a safe, beautiful passage through the railroad property for students, faculty, and local residents. The Underpass also serves as a link for UNCG to its upcoming mixed-use development initiatives along the Lee Street corridor. 

The 30,619-square-foot Railroad Pedestrian Underpass project consisted of 3 major sections: a North Plaza located on the existing core side of campus; a tunnel beneath Oakland Avenue and three active railroad tracks; and a South Plaza that opens to the Lee Street corridor.

The major challenge of this project was that it was built beneath three active railroad tracks which serve 34 trains per day; 26 freight trains operating at speeds of up to 60 mph; and eight Amtrak passenger trains operating at speeds up to 79 mph. New Atlantic Contracting, Inc. had to ensure the safety of the construction crew as well as the safety of train passengers and rail crew.

The project finished below budget with a zero recordable incident rate and zero lost time. What should have been a 12-month construction time frame—because of great concern for student safety and access to the main campus—was reduced to six months.  

Build With The Best Award:

The Honorable North Carolina Representative Dean Arp 

As a freshman legislator, Representative Arp (R-Union) worked successfully to move pieces of legislation concerning infrastructure needs and alternative delivery and finance methods (such as  Design-Build and Public/Private Partnerships), and he played a major role in creating a more level playing field for public construction in North Carolina via the prequalification process.

Along with Carolinas AGC and other organizations including architects and engineers, Representative Arp worked to pass House Bill 857, known as the Design-Build/P3/Prequalification Study. As chief sponsor of this and related legislation, his leadership ensures greater equality for the construction industry at a time when many local design-build bills had been introduced with few, if any, parameters. House Bill 857 authorizes the use of qualification-based selection of design-build; design-build using bridging; and public private partnerships where the developer must put up at least half of the financing. The bill also called for a study of prequalification methods and requirements for hiring general contractors, which resulted in the 2014 passage of House Bill 1043. Known as the Prequalification, Purchase and Contract Study Committee bill, Representative Arp was the chief sponsor for House Bill 1043 which went into effect on October 1, 2014.

CAGC salutes all the 2014 Pinnacle Award winners!

The CAGC Pinnacle Awards competition is co-sponsored by CPA firm GreerWalker LLP and the law firm of Johnston, Allison & Hord.  The Pinnacle presentation was made at CAGC's 94th Annual Convention in Paradise Island, Bahamas.

Carolinas AGC represents contractors and construction-related firms in North Carolina and South Carolina, and serves as a chapter of AGC of America and ARTBA. Together with its members, CAGC believes in advancing the construction industry to enhance the quality of life and deliver a sustainable difference in the Carolinas. Visit us at www.cagc.org, connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

For more information on Pinnacle Award winners and photos visit www.cagc.org or contact Lori McGovern at 704/372-1450 ext. 5227.

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SOURCE Carolinas Associated General Contractors

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