(March 2, 2009) The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of Wisconsin announced the recipients of its 2008 Projects of Distinction Awards at their banquet held February 18th. The Projects of Distinction Awards Program recognizes outstanding construction projects of all sizes in Wisconsin, and elevates the awareness of quality construction performed by ABC member firms.
Among this year’s honorees are three supplied by local manufacturer County Materials:
West Allis Animal Hospital in West Allis, Wis. (Gold Award - Commercial $0-$2 million category)
Designed to compliment a historic downtown district, the building’s exterior features 6,400 pieces of clay brick, more than 7,000 pieces of Heritage Collection Designer Concrete Brick and 4,000 units of decorative concrete masonry. Inside, SoundCell acoustical-dampening masonry units absorb noise to maintain a quieter environment in the animal care facility. Contractor and designer for the project was Chris Greene, Inc. of Germantown, Wis.
Air Motion Systems of River Falls, Wis. (Gold Award - Commercial $2- $10 million category)
The new 35,000 square foot facility serves as the headquarters for Air Motion Systems (AMS), a manufacturer of ultra violet (UV) systems for the printing and packaging industries. AMS and the project team are pursuing the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, a voluntary national rating system for developing high performance, sustainable buildings. Portions of the project utilize structural concrete block and full face split concrete masonry units. General Contractor was Derrick Companies of New Richmond, Wis. Architect was Elliot Architects of Hudson, Wis.
Reedsburg Area Medical Center office and surgery wing addition (Silver Award - Commercial over $10 million category)
The project consisted of two building plans, one featuring a 26,000 square foot surgical wing addition and remodel of the existing hospital; the second was the construction of a new 37,000 square foot medical office building. More than 21,000 structural concrete block were used on the project, in addition to nearly 110,000 pieces of clay brick for the facade. Contractor was Kraemer Brothers, LLC, of Plain, Wis. Architect was Kahler Slater.
“The winners in the Projects of Distinction Awards Program face some stiff competition,” says Chris Reinhart, marketing director for ABC Wisconsin. “To win an award in this program, you have to be a step above the competition, whether it be in design, quality of work or overcoming some unusual challenges along the way,” Reinhart adds.
Project entries were evaluated by an independent panel of construction experts.