ACPA Names Two Texas Winners in Excellence in Concrete Pavement

The American Concrete Pavement Association recently named recipients of the 18th Annual  Excellence in Concrete Pavement Awards.

The awards recognize the contractors, engineers and owners whose efforts yielded the best pavements in airports, highways and street and road applications in 2006, as determined by an independent panel of judges.

The awards program cites gold- and silver-level projects for quality, efficiency, smoothness, reduced costs and for minimizing road-user delays. Among the silver winners for commercial service and military airports is Granite Construction Co. of Lewisville (contractor); Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (owner); and DMJM Aviation of Tampa., Fla., (engineer) for the reconstruction of Taxiway K at DFW Airport.

The project was recognized for “innovative construction methods [that] cut nearly three months off the allotted time schedule for the reconstruction of Taxiway K at DFW. The  achievement is noteworthy since, due to the high air traffic at DFW, the airport required Granite to complete concrete paving operations at night. In addition to the safety hazards of night paving, the site included impalement hazards on sleeper slabs, limited access and confined work areas for equipment. The contractor partnered with all stakeholders, rephrasing the original plan and saving time without sacrificing safety or quality.”

Another silver winner in the divided highways-rural category went to Duininck Bros Inc. (contractor) of Prinsberg, Minn.; TxDOT, Paris District (owner/engineer), for the reconstruction of U.S. 75, from the Collin County line to FM 902, in Grayson County.

The project received recognition for the “ability of the project team to overcome changes and challenges on the fly, as well as maintain traffic flow, by cooperation among all stakeholders.”

The 9.81-mi reconstruction project of a four-lane Interstate highway consisted of removing old concrete pavement built in 1967, recycling it for base course, reconstructing the four lanes of interstate pavement, widening three out of four bridges on the project, and placing a 3-in. bonded concrete overlay on the four bridges.

The ACPA award cited the five-phase traffic and construction plan allowed two lanes of traffic open in each direction at all times to accommodate the 60,000 vehicles that use it each day. The plan, in addition to torrential rain, complicated the paving process because of elevation and drainage changes. The project team successfully accommodated these changes, and the stakeholders believed it to be a cooperative success.

Renzo Piano, Hon. FAIA, Named 2008 AIA Gold Medal Recipient

The AIA Board of Directors recently votedto award the 2008 AIA Gold Medal to Renzo Piano, Hon. FAIA, the internationally lauded architect.

The AIA Gold Medal, voted on annually, is the highest honor the AIA confers on an individual. The Gold Medal honors an individual whose significant body of work has had a lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture. The award was presented at the American Architectural Foundation’s Accent on Architecture Gala late February at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. Piano now heads the Renzo Piano Workshop, in which 100 people work in offices in Paris and Genoa.

In 1988, Piano received the Pritzker Prize. Among his most well-known Texas projects  are The Menil Collection in Houston and The Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas.

Piano becomes the 64th AIA Gold Medalist, joining the ranks of such visionaries as Thomas Jefferson, Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan, LeCorbusier, Louis Kahn, I.M. Pei, Cesar Pelli, Santiago Calatrava and last year’s recipient, Edward Larrabee Barnes. In recognition of his legacy to architecture, Piano’s name will be chiseled into the granite Wall of Honor in the lobby of the AIA headquarters in Washington, D.C.

ACSA Award Winners Include Two From UT-Austin

David Heymann of the University of Texas at Austin was among the 2007-2008 Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture Award winners for the ACSA Distinguished Professor Award given for creative achievement in the advancement of architectural education.

Ulrich Dangel of UT at Austin won the ACSA/AIAS New Faculty Teaching Award, presented by ACSA and the American Institute of Architecture Students.

Each year the ACSA honors “excellence and distinguished achievement in architectural education in recognition of those who embody these qualities and have advanced the art and science of the field.”

Houston’s Boyken Awarded Contract for Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage

Houston-based Boyken International was recently awarded a contract by Gencom Group to provide project management support for the $100-million renovation and transformation of the Lodge at Rancho Mirage into the area’s premier, five-star resort, The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage.

The 244-room resort and a 154-unit luxury residential community is located 650 ft above California’s Coachella Valley and expected to be completed in multiple phases including expansion and renovation of existing facilities, a new restaurant, 23,620 sq-ft spa, and suite- and villa-style residences. The first phase will open in September.

Manhattan Construction President Receives Texas A&M Alumni Award

Manhattan Construction Co. President Leonard Rejcek was recently bestowed the 2007 Texas A&M University College of Architecture Outstanding Alumni Award. The award is given annually to alumni who “have distinguished themselves as pioneers in their professions and leaders in their respective communities.”

Rejcek was among seven alumni honored. Among his successes as Manhattan Construction Co. president, Rejcek created successful internal corporate programs aimed at expanding employee growth and development including Manhattan’s “Builder In Training” program and the “Internal Job Postings” program.

Rejcek originally joined Manhattan in an entry level position and advanced through project management to senior management over a 27-year period. Rejcek now leads Manhattan from the company’s Houston office. He oversees operations of eight offices throughout the east and southwestern regions of the United States. Under his direction, the company is building projects including the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

HKS Expands With New Office in Arlington

Dallas-based HKS Inc. recently opened an Arlington office in the Chase Bank Tower, 500 East Border St., Ste. 670, in the city’s central downtown district.

Currently, the firm has more than $1.5 billion in construction under way in Arlington including the Dallas Cowboys Stadium - which will become home of the Dallas Cowboys beginning in the 2009 NFL season. The stadium, the largest NFL stadium in the world, is designed in the center of Arlington’s entertainment district – next to the HKS-designed Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

Arlington Memorial Hospital’s $76 million surgical tower, designed by HKS, opened in December. The largest one-time construction project in Texas Health Resources’ 49-year history, the tower will increase the hospital’s size by more than 200,000 sq ft, adding 16 operating rooms for inpatient and day surgery plus 48 private patient rooms.

Houston Architect Receives Edward C. Kemper Award

Thomas L. McKittrick, FAIA, of Houston, was elected recently by the AIA Board of Directors as the 2008 recipient of the Edward C. Kemper Award. Named in honor of the AIA’s first executive director, the award recognizes individuals who contribute significantly to the profession of architecture through service to the Institute.

In nominating McKittrick, AIA Texas Regional Director Ken L. Ross Jr., FAIA, wrote: “Tom was on the leading edge of many emerging industry trends as well as being among the AIA’s leadership dealing with many of the Institute’s emerging issues such as continuing education, globalization, ethics, linking education and practice, improving architectural education and reinforcing the profession’s design leadership.”

Hill & Wilkinson Ltd. Opens Central Texas Office

Dallas-based Hill & Wilkinson Ltd. has opened a new Central Texas office in Austin. The location combined with the firm’s growth in both the San Antonio and Austin markets contributed to the decision to expand.

During the past five years, Hill & Wilkinson has closed on approximately $55 million in new construction projects in Austin and San Antonio. Among the company’s customers are Stream, Transwestern and Southwest Airlines.

Executive vice presidents Paul Driscoll and Doug Talley at the corporate office in Plano will guide the company’s growth in its key market sectors, including manufacturing/mission critical, institutional and hospitality/senior living, aviation, healthcare, office building, retail and warehouse/distribution.

Dallas Health-Care Architectural Firm Reorganizes

Dallas-based Jonathan Bailey Associates has planned a restructuring that allows Jonathan Bailey to return to his design origins. The firm’s board of directors has appointed Mark Stinson to the position of chief executive officer of Jonathan Bailey Associates and related affiliates.

 Bailey and the board recognized the value of refocusing Bailey’s attention on design and appointing an executive officer with strong business and managerial experience.

JBA will be the only dedicated health-care design firm in the industry led by a former hospital CEO. The restructure allows a non-architect to serve as CEO of the company,

focusing on day-to-day operations and management, while maintaining the integrity and creativity of a design firm.

 Stinson joined JBA in September 2006 as an advisory services consultant, overseeing healthcare management consulting and facility planning engagements.

Under Stinson’s management, the firm will implement a new philosophy focusing internally on leadership development and externally on client service.

Houston Architectural Firm Designs Award-Winning Home

HDR Hits Billion-Dollar Mark

Architectural-engineering-consulting firm HDR, which has 19 offices in Texas, has announced it has reached the billion-dollar milestone in booked work in 2007.

Design of Austin Designer Jewelry Store Wins AIA Award

The Anthony Nak Flagship Store in Austin, designed by M. J. Neal Architects of Wenatchee, Wash., has won a 2008 Institute Honor Award for Interior Architecture. Described as an elegant, subtle space showing designer jewelry, the plan is minimalist, with white surfaces   and a single band of display cases running the circumference of the room.

The store was one of 10 award-winners in the category for the AIA 2008 Honor Awards. The awards recognize excellence in architecture, interior architecture and regional and urban design. This year’s juries selected 28 projects from more than 800 entries.

Ray F. Skiles Co. Inc. Celebrates 35th Anniversary

Dallas-based general contractor Ray F. Skiles Co. Inc. recently marked the firm’s 35th anniversary of Skiles Construction’s incorporation.

 The company started out building schools and other institutional-type buildings; medical projects now constitute the majority of Skiles’ work. 

Skiles recently finished construction of a $31 million bed tower for Harris Methodist Southwest Hospital.