Firm Wins Oversight Work on Light Rail

Carter & Burgess, Inc., has been given the go-ahead by the Federal Transit Administration to provide program management oversight services to Phoenix' East Valley Light Rail project.

The initial phase of the program management order extends through the end of January and is part of a current five-year, $13 million contract with the U. S. Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration.

Serving as an extension of FTA staff, Carter & Burgess reviews, audits, monitors and reports to FTA on the grantee's implementation plans and processes for assuring the capital projects and programs are adequately staffed, managed and executed on time, within budget,and to the proper quality.

Ft. McDowell to Expand with New Hotel, RV Park

W. E. O'Neil Construction Co. of Arizona, along with Leo A Daly, were awarded the design-build contracts for the Ft. McDowell Hotel & RV Park. The RV park and associated landscape and site work are adjacent to the Verde River. This project spreads out over a 19-acre site and features 150 RV parking spots. Amenities on the property include a 250 room hotel, clubhouse with a pool and spa. Concurrent with the construction of the RV park are improvements to Toh Vee Road, including a new bridge that will span the existing wash. Estimated project value is more than $30 million.

Green Build Project Underway at NAU

Kitchell Contractors was recently selected as the Construction Manager at Risk for Northern Arizona University's new Applied Research and Development Facility in Flagstaff. The University's goal is to achieve a Platinum Rating, the highest available, from the LEED™ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building rating system. So far, there are only five buildings in the country that have achieved LEED Platinum Rating.

The LEED System is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, environmentally-sensitive sustainable buildings. Members of the U.S. Green Building Council representing all segments of the building industry developed LEED and continue to contribute to its evolution.

The architect/engineer will be Burns Wald-Hopkins, a joint venture of Tucson, Ariz.-based Burns Wald and Hopkins Architects, based in London. The structural and mechanical engineer and LEED consultant will be Arup, an environmental engineering, planning and design firm with offices worldwide. Kitchell's consultant will be Mark Wilhelm of GreenBuilt Consulting, based in Phoenix.

Bio Tech Work Spreads to North Scottsdale

Deutsch Associates is designing the new three-story, 116,800-sq.-ft. Mayo/TGen Research Building adjacent to the existing 83,500-sq.-ft. Samuel C. Johnson Research Building located on the southern portion of the Mayo Clinic's 180-acre campus at Shea Boulevard in Scottsdale, Ariz. A 4,000-sq.-ft. central plant building and open mechanical yard will be located to the southwest of the proposed building.

Special features include a basement, deep-set window fenestration with high efficiency glazing to bring daylight into the laboratories, and special floating spandrels to help to shade glazing from the sun. The design team proposed an EIFS material whose features and color palette match the adjacent building for the building skin.

The developer has commissioned Deutsch Associates as the architect and the Weitz Company as general contractor in a CMAR relationship. TGen will be the major building tenant. The design team includes: Deutsch Associates (Architectural Design and Project Management services); Wood Patel (Civil Engineering); Vollmer & Associates (Landscape Design); TKG (Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing Design services); Paul-Koehler (Structural Engineering Design services); and McGraw/Baldwin (Interior Lab Design services). Estimated construction cost is $20 million.

New Medical Offices Slated for Banner Estrella Campus

Summit Builders was recently awarded Estrella Medical Plaza I, a five-story medical office project located on the new Banner Estrella Medical Center campus at the southeast corner of Thomas Road and the Loop 101 Freeway in Phoenix, for The Plaza Companies of Peoria. Project value is $10 million.

Estrella Medical Plaza I encompasses 144,485 sq. ft. and five stories on a 24-acre site. The medical office building will be connected to the adjacent hospital by an enclosed, air-conditioned, pedestrian bridge spanning 93rd Avenue. Building amenities will include a retail plaza, wellness spa, open patio area, designated smoking areas, electronic directories and atrium lobbies.

Construction commenced earlier this month with anticipated completion late 3rd quarter 2004. Orcutt/Winslow Partnership of Phoenix serves as architect for the site and Butler Design Group of Phoenix serves as project architect for the medical office building.

Firm Wins Charter School Work

Homes & Son Contractors was recently awarded a project for Automatik Education.
The facility will consist of a two-story charter school campus on 1.15 acres to be located at 1437 West Auto Drive Tempe, Ariz.. The nearly $1 million facility will be designed by Barduson Architecture and include painted masonry exterior walls, architectural steel exterior elements, glass block masonry towers and interior finishes with a natural exposed theme. Projected construction start is the first quarter of 2004.

SMPS Sponsors Design Contest

The Society of Marketing Professional Services is sponsoring a design competition for the light rail information kiosks.

The winning teams will see their designs built. Deadlilne is April 1. For more information, call 602-265-2200