Austin, Texas – March 7, 2017 – American Constructors is pleased to announce that it received four National Excellence in Construction® Awards from Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). Representatives from the company received the award March 1 during ABC’s 27th annual Excellence in Construction awards celebration in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The following projects were honored at the awards gala:
KIPP Austin Public Schools North Campus, Austin, TX – Eagle Award
Category: Renovation – $10 to $100 million
This project converted a 190,000-square-foot traffic control equipment manufacturing facility into a K-12 charter school that accommodates 1,800 students. American Constructors re-purposed the existing building and re-used 90% the existing building structure and envelope. Not only were new windows and entrances added to the existing tilt-up facility, but the steel structure and roof deck for a 15,000-square-foot area in the heart of the building were removed and replaced in order to accommodate a new gym and assembly space. A public face that was once a windowless concrete wall overlooking an overgrown field has been transformed into enlivened two-story façade with views of a new athletic field and a playground woven into an existing grove of live oaks. To improve efficiency and owner operating costs, high-performance glazing systems were installed at all openings and a new high SRI roof was installed which garnered a $60,000 utility rebate for the owner.
Project team
Owner: KIPP Austin Public Schools
Architect: STG Design, Inc.
Civil: Stantec
Construction Manager: American Constructors
Structural: Cardno Haynes Whaley
MEP: MEJ & Associates, Inc.
Headwaters School Elementary Expansion, Austin, Texas – Eagle Award
Category: Institutional – Less than $5 million
Headwaters School (formerly The Khabele School) is an independent, coeducational school serving ages 18 months through 12th grade across three campuses. American Constructors built a new 3,400-square-foot building on the existing four-acre elementary school campus to hold three new early elementary classrooms. From the beginning of this expansion project, the owner envisioned “a village in the forest” as a sanctuary to foster the physical, mental, and spiritual development of their second and third-grade students. Despite 31 rain days, American Constructors was able to successfully achieve the owner and architect’s vision while still keeping the schedule on track and maintaining the budget.
Project team
Owner: Headwaters School
Architect: Derrington Building Studio
Civil: Thompson Land Engineering, LCC
Construction Manager: American Constructors
Structural: Structures
MEP: EEA Consulting Engineers
The Gin at the Hutto Co-Op District, Hutto, TX – Eagle Award
Category: Renovation – Less than $4 million
This project transformed the City of Hutto’s iconic, 65-year-old South Gin Building into a 6,500-sq-ft, open-air public gathering space that serves as the centerpiece for the city’s future Co-op Mixed-Use District. The two original steel structures, named the North and South Gin Buildings, were in operation from 1937 until the co-op’s closure in 2003. The project team selectively deconstructed and reused the best parts of each building to create a single structure. Unique aspects of both buildings were preserved, such as the old cotton bale press, the trusses that hold up the ceilings, and the steel columns and windows, allowing the new building to maintain the character of the original structures. The structure was reinforced to meet current codes while maintaining the delicacy and elegance of the original steel details. Nearly 33 tons of new steel was integrated into the building. Because of the number of steel components and the lack of as-built drawings, most of the new pieces were custom built from onsite stock rather than being shop fabricated.
Project team
Owner: City of Hutto
Architect: Antenora Architects LLP
Civil: Stantec
Construction Manager: American Constructors
Structural: Architectural Engineers Collaborative (AEC)
MEP: TTG Engineers
Tom Glenn High School, Leander, TX – Pyramid Award
Category: Institutional – $25 to $100 million
Tom Glenn High School, which opened in August 2016, was built for one of the fastest-growing areas in the state, Leander, TX, and is the largest of the district’s six high schools. This 436,000-square-foot high school is embracing technology, collaboration, and change in a way no other Leander ISD high school has done before. The college-like campus includes modern features, including classrooms that open up to hallways, movable furniture, abundant windows for natural lighting, and color-coded “neighborhoods” that house the different academic departments. Tilt-up construction was used throughout the entire campus to achieve a durable and attractive wall system that is also energy efficient and cost effective. In total, 639 tilt-up panels were used to construct this project.
Project team
Owner: Leander ISD
Architect: Pfluger Architects
Civil: Atkins Global
Construction Manager: American Constructors
Structural: Datum Engineers, Inc.
MEP: MEP Engineering, Inc.
The Excellence in Construction awards program is the industry’s leading competition, developed to honor innovative and high-quality merit shop construction projects, with an Eagle Award presented to the top project in each category. The award honors all construction team members, including the contractor, owner, architect, and engineer. The winning projects, selected from entries submitted from across the nation, were judged on complexity, attractiveness, unique challenges overcome, completion time, workmanship, innovation, safety, and cost.
A panel of industry experts served as the competition’s judges. This year’s panel included representatives from the Design-Build Institute of America, Engineering News-Record, the Construction Users Roundtable, and the National Association of Women in Construction, and representatives from higher education, among others.
Contact: Rhonda Bly, rbly@acitexas.com, (512) 328-2026