CAPE CORAL, FLA. — Fort Myers, Fla.-based J.L. Wallace has broken ground on a 22,000-square-foot education building for Cape Christian Fellowship. Located at 2110 Chiquita Blvd. in Cape Coral, the two-story building will include 14 classrooms, two public assembly rooms, administrative offices and a youth center. Titsch & Associates designed the project, which is expected to take 7 months.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn Architects has begun two new projects in Washington. The District Department of Transportation and the planning office have asked the firm to create a gateway into the city that will improve the pedestrian-to-vehicle balance in neighborhoods along North Capitol Street. The planning office has also tasked Ehrenkrantz with creating a master plan in the Mt. Vernon Square district, which is bordered by M, G, 5th and 12th streets. The plan will blend the growth that has sprung from the new convention center with the Shaw historic district.
LAKE HIAWATHA, N.J. — Cranbury, N.J.-based Sweetwater Construction Corp. has completed a $1.1 million renovation and addition to the Lake Hiawatha Fire Department, located in Lake Hiawatha. The two-story addition included a conference room, office space and an additional truck bay. Other additions included a basement, an elevator and a new rear entrance. The existing building also received a new roof. The project architect was Rockaway, N.J.-based Parette Somjen Architects.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rockville, Md.-based Opus East has completed the 127,000-square-foot Opus Hall, a residence hall located on The Catholic University of America’s campus in Washington. The building was constructed to LEED standards and has the capability to house 402 students in 79 suites, each of which consists of three single rooms and one double room. Every floor of the residence hall features kitchens and common areas. Additional amenities include a first-floor lounge, a laundry room and a study area.
NEW YORK CITY — The New York office of HOK has completed the pro-bono redesign of the former Engine Company 204 Firehouse, also known as the Degraw Street Firehouse, located in Brooklyn, New York City. The space will be converted into The BP Music Center, which will be used by the Brooklyn Philharmonic music ensemble, as well as Create!, a non-profit children’s arts education and training organization. Renovations will include the creation of a multi-purpose space for performances, meetings, lectures and other uses on the ground floor; offices for the Brooklyn Philharmonic and Create! on the second floor; and a music rehearsal room. Additionally, HOK will restore the building’s brick façade and design an all-glass entrance with a marquee. The construction timetable was not released.
NAPERVILL, ILL. — Elgin, Ill.-based IHC Construction has been selected by Naperville Community School District 201 to serve as construction manager for additions and renovations to Naperville Central High School. The $87.7 million project is part of the district’s $114.9 million multi-facility construction program. Plans for the addition call for 172,430 square feet of space, including a three-story classroom component, a three-story administration and entry component, and a music addition. The 280,000-square-foot renovation will include gutting and remodeling throughout the interior, asbestos abatement, installation of new security and communications systems, a relocation of the library, a new sprinkler system, as well as mechanical, electrical and plumbing updates. Construction is slated to begin in the summer, with completion scheduled for fall 2011. Darien, Ill.-based Wight & Co. is providing design services for the project.
BEDMINSTER, N.J. — Roseland, N.J.-based The Gale Construction Company has completed construction for a new fire station located at 100 Miller Lane in Bedminster. The 13,000-square-foot building will serve the communities of Far Hills and Bedminster; it features a standing seam metal roof, a brick façade, five fire truck bays with 19-foot clear ceiling heights, and a command tower with an operations center. The construction firm had previously built Bedminster’s municipal building in 2004. Gale Construction is a subsidiary of Mack-Cali Realty Corp.
BEMIDJI, MINN. — Minneapolis-based Kraus-Anderson Construction Co. has been selected by Minnesota State Colleges and Universities to complete a building addition and renovation at Bemidji State University, which is located in Bemidji. The 26,000-square-foot addition and renovation at Sattgast Hall will include new labs, classrooms and offices, as well as new science, healthcare and technology facilities. The $6.9 million science building addition is slated for completion in early 2010. Kraus-Anderson previously worked with Minnesota State Colleges and Universities to build the new Allied Center for Health Nursing School, which will utilize lab space at Sattgast Hall. The building is being constructed to exceed the Minnesota Energy Code.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — The Dallas office of Walton Construction Co. has been selected the build the new Main Instructional and Public Square Buildings for the Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired in Austin. New construction will consist of five buildings totaling more than 118,360 square feet. It will include a two-story main instructional building, a natatorium, a student activity center, a kitchen and dining facility, and a fine arts auditorium. Construction began in December and is expected to be complete in December 2010. The owner is Texas Facilities Commission, and the project architect is Halff Associates.
CHILLICOTHE, MO. — KAI Design & Build, DLR Group, and JE Dunn Construction have completed the Chillicothe Correctional Center located at 3151 Litton Rd. in Chillicothe. The $120 million prison, which has replaced an outdated facility constructed in 1887, provides expanded services to female offenders in substance abuse treatment, academic education and re-entry services. The 430,000-square-foot facility includes five butterfly-shaped housing units with a total capacity of 1,636 inmates. Future plans call for an additional housing unit to be constructed at the site. Components at the prison include a beauty shop, a religious center, a library, a bakery, a cosmetology lab, a gymnasium and a greenhouse. More than 400 security cameras were installed throughout the campus, which was completed in less than 2 years. St. Louis-based KAI Design & Build provided design services for the central plant, which houses the campus’ mechanical systems; the administrative segregation and mental health building; the reception and diagnostic center with the medical wing; the central services building, which houses the facility’s education, recreational and industrial training areas; and the greenhouse. DLR Group provided design and engineering services for the administration building, the housing units and the central utility loop. JE Dunn served as construction …