Favorites
List:
Builders Recall their Favorite Projects
“The 100th anniversary of the Wright
Brothers’ first flight in Kitty Hawk fell in December, 2005,
so we were definitely presented with a deadline we could not miss.” Not
only did Hensel-Phelps complete the job on time, they were able
to give back over $2 million to the museum by making innovations
in the design and construction. “It felt right and good to
donate that money.”
Everyone loves lists. We can’t wait for the pre-season
Top 25 polls in college football even though they’re heavily
speculative. Some of us watch David Letterman just long enough
to hear his Top Ten list for the night before clicking the TV off.
People magazine lists its 50 sexiest people.
Our enjoyment of lists made the Construction Industry Newsletter
wonder if professional builders compile lists in their heads. For
example, after a Project Manager has been in the field for a few
decades, does he have a list in his head of his favorite projects?
Can a Vice President of Operations, who has overseen hundreds of
projects, select a few that distinguished themselves as notable
achievements in some way?
The Construction Industry Newsletter talked to a number
of experienced professionals to discover answers to those questions.
Invariably, the buildings that make the lists of favorite projects
are those that come to define a community or serve as a gathering
place for people, that reflect something admirable about the city
where they stand, and, in some cases, were erected only after significant
problems were solved and obstacles overcome.
Here are three such stories.
Steve Speer - National Air & Space Museum
Steve Speer takes great pride in the work that Hensel-Phelps has
done, and continues to do, in Washington, D.C. As the Vice President
for Hensel-Phelps Mid-Atlantic District, Steve has had the pleasure
to help build structures that are home to American icons and are
themselves pretty iconic.
“Some builders get to work on one project of a lifetime
in their careers. I feel like I’ve had the chance to work
on several projects of a lifetime,” Speer says appreciatively. “Working
for the Smithsonian Institution on the National Air and Space Museum
or the American Art and Portraiture Gallery means working on things
that are American history. There’s a great challenge; we
have to preserve history, so the buildings we build need to meet,
and exceed, a certain standard.”
For example, when Hensel-Phelps was awarded the task of building
the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles Airport, the ultimate
assignment was to house 80% of the archives for the National Air
and Space Museum in a space greater than 600,000 square feet. Despite
the unique challenges presented in this project, work was completed
in December 2005.
In fact, it had to be. With a laugh, Speer explains why: “The
100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ first flight in
Kitty Hawk fell in December, 2005, so we were definitely presented
with a deadline we could not miss.” Not only did Hensel-Phelps
complete the job on time, they were able to give back over $2 million
to the museum by making innovations in the design and construction. “It
felt right and good to donate that money.”
The satisfaction goes beyond getting the project done on time
and under budget. “This is a place where millions of people
visit; they come in and see the Space Shuttle, the Enola Gay, and
the SR-71 and marvel at our history, and that feels good.”
Another project that called on the team at Hensel-Phelps to perform
at their best was the transition of the old Patent Building into
the new American Art and National Portraiture Gallery. The Patent
Building, the third oldest government building and a structure
that dates back to the 1700s, covers a city block in downtown D.C.
“We’re proud of that job, and the result is spectacular.
I think we came up with resourceful solutions to design challenges;
for instance, we used the old flues and fireplaces to house the
new mechanical work, which saved us time and money. There are encaustic
tile floors and other fantastic finishes that remind you the building
is now in its 4th century of use. We are currently completing what
we call the “magic carpet of glass,” a glass skylight
that covers a huge central courtyard. It’s the grandest space
in Washington.”
And while there are patriotic and popular reasons to feel proud
of the work he oversees, Speer does relate one personal story of
satisfaction as well. “While Hensel-Phelps worked on the
Asia Trail One, a new exhibit in the National Zoo for pandas, sloth
bears, clouded leopards and other animals native to Asia, I was
invited to bring my eight- and six-year old daughters to see the
baby panda before it was presented to zoo patrons. That was an
experience my children will always remember.”
Speer remains proud of his series of projects of a lifetime.
Keith Cooper - Six Flags Fiesta, Texas
When visitors walk through the front gate of Six Flags Fiesta,
Texas, their destination might be the Poltergeist Roller Coaster
or Splashwater Spring or a show in Los Festivales or any of the
dozens of rides, shows, attractions, or places to eat. Guests see
high-rise thrill rides and a sparkling water park and glamourous
stages: lights, colors, noise, and fun.
And that’s just the way Keith Cooper and his associates
at Manhattan Construction want it.
What the visitors to Six Flags Fiesta did not see was the amazing
transformation that Manhattan Construction managed, changing an
abandoned rock quarry into a 200-acre theme park nestled into the
bottom of the quarry and, in the case of one ride, tunneling through
its rock walls, and offering views of the 100-foot high cliffs.
Keith Cooper was Project Executive overseeing Manhattan’s
work and recounts fondly, and with deserved pride, the care and
effort that went into building an attraction that draws thousands
of guests and employs countless hundreds of locals in the San Antonio
area.
Says Cooper, “the evolution of the quarry into what is there
now was painstaking. We blasted rock and made a tunnel for a future
roller coaster track, and were extremely pleased that we had no
injuries on that dangerous phase of the project. Now, the Rattler
roller coaster goes through the tunnel, which is one of my favorite
features at Fiesta, Texas.”
Cooper and his team enjoyed tackling the challenges that come
with an unique project such as a theme park. “We poured the
concrete for the flumes for rides like The Twister, which I’d
never done before.”
“It was fun to create this place that tells a significant
part of the history of Texas. One section of the park features
the Wild West, another is themed toward Mexico, another is German-influenced.
It’s fun and varied.”
And a huge draw for tourists and residents of San Antonio alike. “I
like knowing that we took a desolate place, an empty quarry, and
made it a lively center of business and fun. Kids from the area
work and play there all year. It’s also covered with trees
and all things green now, as well, so the area is revitalized on
many levels.”
Manhattan Construction, in fact, is a key builder of new landmarks
in that help define the skylines in a number of cities in Texas.
They built the Ballpark at Arlington, home of the Texas Rangers
baseball team and one in a line of retro baseball stadiums that
recall classic old stadiums but offer perfect sight lines, modern
restaurants and commanding skybox views. Likewise, Manhattan constructed
Reliant Stadium, where the NFL’s Houston Texans play in a
grand new arena.
But as an avid fan of the Dallas Cowboys, Cooper may be most excited
about a project that looms on the horizon for his company. They
will begin construction on a new stadium for the franchise that
many Texans claim, in Cooper’s words, “is God’s
Favorite Team. The Cowboys.”
Construction companies are part of the bedrock of our culture,
building our houses and places of business and worship. They
are also reliably good citizens; Cooper is quick to talk about “Hearts
and Hammers,” an organization contributed to by the employees
and management of Manhattan Construction that, like Habitat for
Humanity and other such organizations, restores houses
and neighborhoods for those less fortunate. “I feel
good about working for a company that can, and wants to, do something
like that.”
Construction companies are part of the bedrock of our culture,
building our houses and places of business and worship. They
are also reliably good citizens; Cooper is quick to talk about “Hearts
and Hammers,” an organization contributed to by the employees
and management of Manhattan Construction that, like Habitat for
Humanity and other such organizations, restores houses
and neighborhoods for those less fortunate. “I feel
good about working for a company that can, and wants to, do something
like that.”
David Wells - N.C. Aquarium at Roanoke Island
David Wells had made a career out of building projects with immediate
benefits to many people: while with the McCarthy Company, he was
a Project Manager on numerous healthcare projects: hospitals, clean
rooms, and other medical facilities.
But the project that was the most fun and required him to catch
the most curveballs was the North Carolina Aquarium at Roanoke
Island. In his role as Project Executive, David went to Manteo – famed
as the site of Sir Walter Raleigh’s Lost Colony - and found
a unique challenge awaiting him.
“The Aquarium at Manteo was the first of three major aquariums
along the North Carolina coast that the state wanted to renovate.
“We finished the job on time, but along the way we learned
a lot. The salt water holding tanks required special formwork for
the walls and a unique mix design. Also, I enjoyed working with
the exhibit contractors on the creation of the artificial rocks
and underwater reefs and other seascapes that go into giving the
tanks a very authentic feel that makes the experience better for
the visitors to the Aquarium.”
When asked to elaborate, Wells explained, “some of the exhibits
are made out of gunite, which is essentially a sprayed concrete.
It’s very creative work, making these inserts and fake backdrops,
getting it all set before the water and fish go in.”
Oddly, a trip to the far side of the Pacific was necessary to
complete a project on the edge of the Atlantic. “The viewing
windows for the exhibits were made in Japan out of a special acrylic,
and so I had to go to Japan and see the product before it was shipped
to North Carolina.”
As with other builders, Wells’ greatest enjoyment in his
work seems to come not from the finished product, but from the
reaction to the finished product that he sees in others.
“The people from the State who commissioned the work were
ecstatic; this was the first renovation and served as the template
for the other two.”
“Even better, it was great on the first day to watch the
visitors and tourists stream in and have such a good time touring
the new aquarium.”
Back to Articles |
Employers