Construction Management Association of America

CMAA Honors the Best of Construction Management for 2001

An Oceanside summer residence for children with special needs; a modern addition to an historic library; a state-of-the-art casino designed to express Native American culture; and one of the largest wastewater treatment facilities in the world. These were among the 11 projects honored by the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) with 2001 Project Achievement Awards during CMAA’s recently concluded National Conference in New Orleans, LA. The awards program recognizes projects that, in the judges’ opinion, exemplify the professional practice of Construction Management, with emphasis on quality control, safety, schedule and budget management, and overall excellence. CMAA’s 2001 National Conference and Trade Show were held on September 30 - October 2 at The Ritz-Carlton in New Orleans, LA. In introducing the award-winning projects, Walt Fairchild, Deputy Director, Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission noted, “in identifying and honoring those among us who have achieved remarkable things, we work together toward our mission, to promote professionalism and excellence in the management of the construction process. “These awards also stand as examples to the construction industry in general, to help us define the values professional CMs deliver,” he added. “That, in turn, helps our clients achieve more by making better use of our services."

Awards were given in 10 categories:

International Project of the Year

Hull Wastewater Treatment Works, U.K., Construction Dynamics Group, Inc., CM. This was the largest civil engineering project of its kind in Europe during its construction and is considered one of Europe’s most important water projects for the new millennium. Among other challenges, CDG had to help devise a new explosion suppression and risk reduction system for the plant’s proposed sludge drying process.

Public project with a constructed value less than $10 million. Two projects shared this award:

* The St. Anthony Branch Library in St. Paul, MN, owned by the City of St. Paul, with CM by EDS Consultants and Construction Managers, Inc. A circular, domed modern addition was added to an original Carnegie Library that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. EDS assumed management of a project substantially over budget and behind schedule, and oversaw its successful completion.

* Glass Curtain Wall Replacement Project at Washington Dulles International Airport, owned by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, CM by Parsons Management Consulting. Replacement of glass panels, steel structure and other elements of this architecturally distinctive building was accomplished $1 million under budget, on schedule and with minimal disruption to ongoing terminal operations.

Private project with a constructed value less than $10 million

Children’s Beach House at Lewes, DE, owned by Children’s Beach House, CM by EDiS Company. The beach house provides summer programs for children with special needs. An existing 60-year-old structure was demolished in a ritual burning in cooperation with the local fire department, and a new multi-building facility constructed in 13 months. The building combines commercial-grade infrastructure with a residential atmosphere and extensive design details.

Public project with a constructed value less than $50 million

Allen Street Bridge, Kelso, WA, owned by the City of Kelso, CM by Entranco, Inc. This project replaced a two-lane bridge built in 1923 with a modern four-lane highway bridge linking the downtown areas of Kelso and Longview, Washington. Traffic flow was never interrupted and construction was completed nearly a year ahead of schedule, despite frequent activity on a railroad line crossing the route.

Private project with a constructed value less than $50 million

Westminster Schools Turner Gym, Atlanta, GA, owned by the Westminster Schools, CM by Beers Construction Company. The new, 60,000 square foot facility houses an NCAA competition-size swimming pool, a 1,024 seat gym, practice basketball courts, squash courts, a running track and even a climbing wall. The project was finished in 12 months instead of the planned 19, and Beers helped the client trim some $2.5 million from the projected cost.

Public project with a constructed value less than $100 million

New Infield Parking Garage at Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, FL, owned by the Broward County Aviation Department, CM by URS/O’Brien Kreitzberg. This 5,000 space garage is part of an extensive and continuing expansion of the airport. The project was completed 45 days ahead of schedule despite the need to coordinate with several other major projects underway in close proximity.

Private project with a constructed value less than $100 million

Sheffield Junction Flyover, Kansas City, MO, owned by the Kansas City Terminal Railway Company, CM by TranSystems Corporation. An at-grade crossing of two rail lines handles nearly 250 trains daily, creating major delays and hazards. The flyover project, in two years of construction, provided an elevated crossing for one of the lines. The work was completed ahead of schedule even though the nearly continuous train traffic reduced working “windows” in some cases to 15 minutes at a time.

Public project with a constructed value of more than $100 million

Fort Washington Way, Cincinnati, OH, owned by the City of Cincinnati, CM by Parsons Brinckerhoff Construction Services. This major upgrade of the Cincinnati waterfront area included renovation or replacement of highways, intersections, bridges, ramps, retaining walls and other structures. It was completed on an extraordinarily compressed 34-month schedule.

Private project with a constructed value of more than $100 million

Potawatomi Bingo Casino, Milwaukee, WI, owned by the Forest County Potawatomi Community, CM by Grunau Project Development. The new facility of nearly 260,000 square feet provides extensive casino area, performing spaces, restaurants and other facilities, all in a distinctive design scheme that expresses Native American culture. Gaming operations at the existing casino were able to continue undisturbed as construction of the new facility went on virtually all around it.

Excellence in Program Management

In addition to these long-standing award categories, CMAA also inaugurated a new award this year, recognizing outstanding achievement in program management. The first winner of this award was the massive, 12-year, $2.7 billion Boston Harbor Project, one of the largest wastewater treatment projects in the world. The project owner is the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority and management services were provided by Earth Tech, Inc. In bestowing the program management award, Steve Margaroni with Psomas noted that the Boston Harbor Project was “a critically important project of historic dimensions, carried out on schedule despite great complexity.”