During a ceremony on May 2 in San Antonio, the Metal Building Contractors & Erectors Association (MBCEA) recognized the winners of its Building of the Year awards. Ten projects were awarded with one project having two MBCEA members involved.
10 projects get recognized in prestigious Building of the Year awards
The Building of the Year award went to Dunn Building Co. LLC, Birmingham, Ala., for its work as both general contractor and steel erector on the Hoover Sportsplex, Hoover, Ala. In addition to Dunn Building, the following MBCEA members received Building of the Year Awards: J&M Steel Solutions Inc., Lehi, Utah; Roland Construction Inc., Stockton, Calif.; Crossland Construction Co. Inc., Columbus, Kan.; Steel Worx Solutions LLC, Groveland, Fla.; J.A. Street & Associates, Blountville, Tenn.; MMS Northeast Inc., Hampton Falls, N.H.; Thomas Phoenix International, Eastampton, N.J.; and Hance Construction, Washington, N.J.
The awards were hosted by Steve Webster, president of Hampstead, N.H.-based Dutton & Garfield, and past MBCEA president and long-time board member. For the second year, the MBCEA Annual Conference was held in conjunction with the Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA). About 300 people attended the awards program.
2018 Building of the Year
The Hoover Sportsplex is a 92,120-square-foot building with 210 feet of clear span. It also includes an additional 12,400 square feet of suspended tracks and 3,850 square feet of catwalks. The eave height reaches 40 feet, 20 inches, and the building is clad in insulated metal wall panels.
Awards of Excellence
Educational and Recreation Category
The Winnemucca Boys and Girls Club project brings a modern, multiuse building to a town of 7,866 people. The 36,224-square-foot building with 36-foot eaves includes many opportunities for sports activities, computer education, meeting facilities, mentoring and much more. The Boys and Girls Club is located within walking distance of the local junior and senior high schools. The entrance is a bright-blue covered walkway, showcasing tapered columns.
Specialty Category
The fire station of the Martha’s Vineyard airport is located in a secure section of the facility. One of the biggest challenges to construction the 18,000-square-foot building was transporting material, equipment and men from the mainland via the Woods Hole Ferry. Careful scheduling kept the project on time and within budget.
The project features 6-foot boxed-in eave extensions, large dormers and entrance canopies on the apparatus building as well as architectural canopies and dormers on the office building.
Warehouse Category
The FedEx warehouse facility is a 560,000-square-foot building with a 428,000-square-foot mezzanine. The eave heights reach 48 feet, and the project comprises two buildings. Well insulated with R-30 roof insulation and R-19 wall insulation, the contractors battled weather problems to complete the building in 11 months, which includes a 75-foot pedestrian bridge
Manufacturing Category
The 16,000-square-foot Geiger Ready Mix plant was completed in four phases. This building features a complex shape and a triple-sloped roof, and rises to an impressive 120 feet in height.
The unique shape and height of the structure, in combination with assembling the building over the top of an existing concrete batch plant, created a challenging project. Crossland Construction crews assembled as many pieces as possible at ground level prior to hoisting them into place. Erection crews followed suit, and assembled the roof structure in complete pods. This minimized the need for workers to be exposed to dangerous heights, and reduced the potential for dropping tools or materials below.
Retail Category
Completed in January 2017, the Sunbelt Rental facility is a 9,072-square-foot building with an eave height of 19 feet. Sited within the local government’s overlay zoning district, the biggest challenge was complying with all the regulations and still being able to offer the client an affordable building.
Awards of Merit
Educational and Recreation Category
The Ben Holt College Preparatory Academy is part of the Aspire Public Schools, and features some unique construction challenges and strong green building elements. After a three-month delay due to rain, construction of the 13,298-square-foot building was completed on time. That schedule was kept in spite of the difficulties of blending conventional roof membrane with metal roof panels.
Managing the heat gain from the harsh sun was handled by louvered window shades, motor-operated rolling window shades, and careful placement of canopies.
Manufacturing Category
A new insulated metal panel manufacturing plant also has the capability of producing decorative façade panels. With two overhead cranes, erectors constructed the 24,500-square-foot building with 42-foot eaves on schedule. A twin layer roof system offers R-30 insulation value.
Specialty Category
The new sanctuary addition on the Sunnyside Baptist Church uses a pre-engineered metal building, but it is wrapped by conventional steel framing in the hallway and vestibule. The new structure is 11,845 square feet and reaches an eave height of nearly 29 feet.
The most compelling visual element of the building is the cupola, which was also the most demanding construction part. It’s mere height—approximately 50 feet—presented challenges to ensure its safe and efficient installation.
Warehouse Category
The NYSCO warehouse is 74,000 square feet and includes an additional 8,000 square feet of office space. At 216 feet wide, the building includes two interior columns, utilizing 50-feet widespan truss purlins. Seventy strip skylights were installed to reduce artificial lighting requirements.
The two-toned wall panels stand off of the wall girts using 2-inch thermal blocks, making precise alignment more difficult. To add to the complexity, the masonry foundation was stepped to retain the natural slope of the exterior job site. The building’s elevator shaft design was changed after it was manufactured, which required extensive field modification. The mezzanine’s bar joists and beams had to be field-modified, as well as adding heavy plate and angle to reinforce the deck.
