Manhattan Construction Group

FREDERICK, Maryland– Today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Manhattan/Torcon building team celebrated the “Topping Out” of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) replacement facility at Fort Detrick, Maryland. USAMRIID is the largest, most complex biocontainment facility ever designed. The joint-venture team of Manhattan Construction Co. of Washington, D.C. and Torcon, Inc. of Red Bank, N.J. are constructing the $518 million project. The “Topping Out” ceremony celebrates when the uppermost steel beam is put in place on a structure.

When the six-story, 835,000-square-foot research facility is certified, it will contain the largest block of state-of-the-art biosafety level (BSL) 3 and 4 laboratory suites in the U.S. Department of Defense. The biosafety laboratory spaces employ many technical enhancements, allowing researchers to work together safely and effectively to respond quickly to critical emerging biological threats, including the world’s deadliest pathogens such as Ebola, for which there is no vaccine.

“We are honored to have the privilege of helping our nation’s military prepare to combat new biological threats through the construction of USAMRIID,” said Manhattan Vice President of Operations Brian Killion. “Today we recognize the workers who have been quality conscientious, careful and swift in bringing this project to this milestone on schedule and with an exemplary safety record.”

The building is scheduled to be completed in July 2014 and will serve as the cornerstone of the National Interagency Biodefense Campus (NIBC) at Fort Detrick.

The USAMRIID project is LEED®-registered and designed to meet LEED Silver certification. The LEED green building certification program is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of green buildings.

The project architect is Joint Venture Partners CUH2A – a subsidiary of Omaha Nebraska-based HDR, Inc. and Winnipeg, Manitoba-based Smith Carter.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, is a full-spectrum engineering force of Soldiers and civilians dedicated to serving the Armed Forces and the Nation with innovative and effective solutions to a broad range of engineering challenges.

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Click here to learn more about USAMRIID and Manhattan Construction Co.’s science and technology building portfolio.

Tulsa, Okla. – Dennis Thompson has rejoined Manhattan Construction Co. as executive vice president of business development.  In this role, Thompson will manage business development strategies encompassing all of Manhattan’s market segments throughout the United States, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. Thompson originally joined Manhattan as director of business development in 1995, leaving as vice president in 2001.

Thompson, a 35-year construction industry veteran, brings significant expertise to his new role including executive oversight or direct project management of more than $3 billion worth of commercial construction projects.

In 2010, Thompson was honored by the Mid America Minority Business Council with the CEO Advocate of the Year Award.  Thompson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and Technology from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, in 1976.

Manhattan Construction Co. is a leading construction firm in the nation ranking among the top 17 general building firms in the nation by Engineering News-Record. Manhattan’s building portfolio includes aviation, healthcare, sports, corporate, commercial, education, government, cultural, hospitality, mixed-use, retail, multi-unit living, parking garage, science and technology facilities throughout the Southwest and East regions of the United States, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. More information is available at: www.manhattanconstruction.com . 

DALLAS – A mammoth red oak tree is scheduled for relocation to the George W. Bush Presidential Center project site on the morning of Friday, June 10. It will be transplanted from its current location on a part of the Southern Methodist University (SMU) campus property that is scheduled for demolition. The 45-foot-high tree is the largest of the 40 trees transplanted on the project site, either from other areas of SMU property or from other locations within the construction site.

“They don’t make a tree spade large enough for a tree with a 25-foot root ball like this one, so our tree-moving team is using a gantry lift system,” said Manhattan Construction Project Executive Mark Penny. “This gantry equipment has moved the largest trees ever relocated in the world, and it is being used here in Dallas for the first time.”

“We have been preparing this 50-year-old red oak for transplant for about three weeks,” said Penny. He and his team will be following a series of best practices to acclimate a tree of this size to ensure its survival during transplant.

“Our subcontractor, Environmental Design has pruned the roots, encapsulated the root ball and inserted a steel lifting platform beneath the root ball,” Penny said of the process. “They used a four-point gantry hydraulic lift to raise the 245,000-pound tree onto a specialized trailer for its trip across campus.”

On Friday, the tree will travel 2,500 feet to its final location on the north side of the George W. Bush Presidential Center project site, said Penny. On Saturday the tree will be lowered into its new place.

The public can have a bird’s eye view of the tree relocation activities by visiting Manhattan Construction Co.’s project webcam for the George W. Bush Presidential Center on moving day at: www.manhattanconstruction.com. Webcam images for this project are updated every 15 minutes and are archived on-line for review.

Manhattan Construction Co. is building The George W. Bush Presidential Center on a 23-acre lot on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. After completion, Manhattan will have the unique distinction of being the only contractor to have built two Presidential libraries. The project is LEED®-registered with a certification goal of LEED Platinum, the highest level of the LEED green building certification program.

The 226,500-square-foot building will hold the George W. Bush Library, including the archives and museum, and the George W. Bush Institute. The site includes a 15-acre urban park featuring native landscaping such as a wildflower meadow, a tall grass prairie and savannah and woodland clearings. The project architect is Robert A. M. Stern Architects, LLP. (RAMSA). The landscape architect is Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA).

About Manhattan Construction Company:
Manhattan operates from offices in Dallas and Houston, Texas; Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Okla.; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta, Georgia; and Mexico City. The company builds throughout the Southwest and East regions of the United States, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. The firm’s services include Manhattan’s trademarked Builder-Driven Pre-Construction®, construction management, general building, and design/build. Visit the Manhattan website: www.manhattanconstruction.com.

About the George W. Bush Presidential Center:
The George W. Bush Presidential Center is a dynamic hub of ideas, innovation, and action that will include a presidential library to preserve and present the story of the presidency, a state-of-the-art facility, accompanied by a unique web presence, to convene and connect visitors from across the world and an action-oriented institute to develop solutions to global challenges.  In all its work, the Bush Center advances the timeless principles that guided President and Mrs. Bush during one of the most consequential periods in American history, including universality of freedom, accountable leadership, dignity of human life and service to others. For more information, visit www.bushcenter.com.

About LEED:
LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is an internationally-recognized green building certification system. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED provides building owners and operators with a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.  For more information visit: www.usgbc.org.

The Park on Brady will be new urban green space in Brady Arts District of downtown Tulsa.

TULSA, Okla. – Manhattan Construction Co. installed a drilling rig this week, taking the first step in the construction of the Brady geothermal field in downtown Tulsa. The rig will drill 120, 500-foot wells for a geothermal field that will provide heat to the Tulsa Paper Company building, also under construction by Manhattan, and the future Hardesty Arts Center.

The construction of the geothermal field is the next phase of the estimated $110.5 million investment in Brady Arts and Greenwood Districts. George Kaiser Family Foundation and related organizations are investing an estimated $53.1 million, with an estimated $57.4 million coming from other various projects.

“The goal of these investments is to create a family-friendly community gathering space with emphasis on the arts,” said Ken Levit, executive director of George Kaiser Family Foundation. “The inclusion of a geothermal field will provide environmentally-friendly energy to these buildings.”

The geothermal field is being developed with a $2.5 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Energy Demand Reduction grant and a $200,000 Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality Brownfield Development grant. The drilling phase will last approximately 45 working days with excavation and core drills for outlets to take three to four months.

“In the summer, the geothermal system pulls heat from the building and discharges it into the earth. In the winter, it does the opposite, providing heat from the earth into the building,” said Bob Jack, area manager with Manhattan Construction. “This process uses the earth’s constant temperature, a renewable energy source to heat and cool the building in an efficient manner.”

Ground-source heat pumps will be utilized to tap the geothermal energy below The Park on Brady. These pumps take advantage of the constant year-round temperature of about 50 F that is just a few feet below the ground’s surface. Water will be pumped through pipes that are buried underground and re-circulated into the building.

The Park on Brady is scheduled for completion in July 2012.

About Manhattan Construction Company:
Manhattan Construction Co. is ranked among the nation’s Top Green Contractors by Engineering News-Record and Building Design + Construction magazine. Manhattan operates from offices in Dallas and Houston, Texas; Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Okla.; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta, Georgia; and Mexico City. The company builds throughout the Southwest and East regions of the United States, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. The firm’s services include Manhattan’s trademarked Builder-Driven Pre-Construction®, construction management, general building, and design/build. Visit the Manhattan website: www.manhattanconstruction.com

About George Kaiser Family Foundation
George Kaiser Family Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty through investments in early childhood education, community health, social services and civic enhancement. Based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, GKFF works primarily on initiatives developed in collaboration with Tulsa-based direct service organizations. For more information about George Kaiser Family Foundation, visit www.gkff.org. 

TULSA, Okla. – The National Safety Council (NSC) has awarded Manhattan Construction Company the 2011 Occupational Excellence Achievement Award.  The award is bestowed annually by the NSC to firms that demonstrate safety excellence.

In 2010, Manhattan achieved a perfect safety record with zero lost work days due to injury or illness nationwide.  Even more impressive is that the firm logged nearly one million work hours during this period. The lost work day rate is a key factor in the criteria for the award. 

Oklahoma Safety Council Executive Director Dave Koeneke said, “It is refreshing to see an Oklahoma-based company recognized for outstanding safety through the National Safety Council’s Occupational Excellence Award. This recent achievement demonstrates a solid commitment to safety. Not only is it the right thing for Manhattan to do to protect its most important assets – human beings – but it also results in significant cost savings for the company.  Manhattan employees should be very proud of this accomplishment.”

About National Safety Council
The National Safety Council saves lives by preventing injuries and deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the roads through leadership, research, education and advocacy. More information is available at: www.nsc.org
 
About Manhattan Construction Company:
Founded in 1896, Manhattan Construction Co. is recognized as a top general builder in the nation. The company operates from offices in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, OK; Dallas and Houston, TX; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta, GA; and Mexico City, Mexico. Manhattan’s building portfolio includes corporate headquarters, institutional, healthcare, office, hospitality and leisure, sports and entertainment, aviation, retail, and judicial facilities throughout the Southwest and East regions of the United States, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.  More information is available at:  www.manhattanconstruction.com. 

HOUSTON, TX — The Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer broke ground today on their 22,000-seat soccer stadium in downtown Houston’s East End. Dignitaries such as AEG CEO Tim Leiweke, Golden Boy Promotions president Oscar de la Hoya, MLS Commissioner Don Garber, Houston Mayor Annise Parker, and Harris County Judge Ed Emmett participated in the groundbreaking festivities, while Dynamo all-time leading scorer Brian Ching kicked a ceremonial first goal on the stadium site.

Renowned architectural firm Populous designed the stadium, which will be constructed by Houston-based Manhattan Construction Co. and overseen by the ICON Venue Group. Additional companies working on the site are landscape architect Clark Condon, structural engineer Walter P. Moore, and civil engineer WGA, all companies based in Houston.

Excavation of the site and construction of the stadium is expected to begin shortly, and the Dynamo hope to play their first game in the new stadium by mid-2012. The stadium is located in downtown Houston, within walking distance of Minute Maid Park, the George R. Brown Convention Center, and the Toyota Center. In addition to soccer games, the new stadium will host Texas Southern University football, concerts, boxing matches, and more.

The stadium will be operated by the Dynamo and leased from the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority. It is located closer to downtown than any other American stadium built for soccer and will be easily accessible to fans from the entire Houston area.

Tickets for the Dynamo’s new stadium will be offered first to fans holding Dynamo season tickets, which are on sale now.

The Dynamo’s 2011 MLS regular season opener is set for Saturday, March 19, against the Philadelphia Union at Robertson Stadium. Tickets are available at HoustonDynamo.com.

The Houston Dynamo are a Major League Soccer club that has won two MLS Cup championships in its first five seasons and represented the United States in international competition four consecutive years from 2007-10. For more information www.HoustonDynamo.com.

JENKS, Okla. – The Jenks High School Math and Science Building became one of the highest points on the school’s campus and in the City of Jenks when the building’s dome structure was installed today by Manhattan Construction Co.  When the project is complete, the dome will house a sophisticated planetarium.  The dome was assembled on the ground before a 250-ton crane hoisted it into its final location. The dome is a major architectural feature of the building and reaches an elevation of 70’ above the entry level. The geodesic dome is 65’-8” diameter and 25’-8” tall and weighs 10,300 lbs.

The Jenks Math and Science Building is a new 90,000 square-foot facility comprised of eight math classrooms and fourteen science classrooms/labs. The building includes teacher work rooms and a campus nurse area. Located on the third floor is a large presentation room and state-of-the-art planetarium. Other features of this facility include four science prep rooms with fume hoods and water purification systems, four 50’ wind turbines that are tied to the building’s electrical grid, and geothermal energy to heat and cool the building. The building is LEED© registered and the project team is seeking LEED Silver certification. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings.

The project was designed by GH2 Architects, LLC of Tulsa and TMP Architecture of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.  Manhattan Construction Co. is the Construction Manager.

Click here to view Manhattan Construction’s webcam page.

DALLAS – Manhattan Construction Co. begins construction this week on the George W. Bush Presidential Center project located on the SMU campus in Dallas.  President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura W. Bush broke ground on the project Tuesday. The George W. Bush Presidential Center is America’s 13th presidential library complex.

“Manhattan has a unique expertise in working on high-profile, signature projects like this one,” said Bob Bowen, Executive Vice President of Manhattan Construction.  “At the conclusion of construction, Manhattan will be the only firm to have built two presidential libraries.  We are proud to be involved and look forward to celebrating history when the doors open in 2013.”

The Bush Center includes the George W. Bush Presidential Library and the George W. Bush Institute, which launched programming in early 2010 and is focused on unleashing human potential around the world through its focus on human freedom, education reform, global health and economic growth.
 
Facts about the George W. Bush Presidential Center:

• The Bush Center will sit on a 23-acre lot on the campus of SMU in Dallas, Texas, and includes the George W. Bush Library, which includes the archives and museum, and the George W. Bush Institute. 
• The 226,565 square foot building is designed to achieve LEED platinum certification, the first Presidential Library to do so. 
• A number of sustainable design elements have been incorporated into the design, including regionally-sourced materials such as Texas limestone and stained pecan interior paneling. 
• The design includes a 15-acre urban park featuring native landscaping and includes a rainwater collection system that will provide 50 percent of the irrigation needed. 
• The site will feature a Texas Rose Garden, possessing the same proportions, solar orientation, and formal organization as the White House Rose Garden. 
• The Archives for President Bush, the first President of the 21st Century, contain 80 terabytes of digital information, including 200 million e-mails. 
• There are more than 43,000 artifacts from the Bush Administration on file with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). 
• The Bush Institute already has active fellows working in the areas of human freedom, education reform, global health, and economic growth. 
• The Bush Center was designed by architect Robert A.M. Stern and landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh. 
• The construction manager/general contractor is Manhattan Construction Co., which also built the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station, Texas.

Those interested in watching the building progress can see live webcam images of the construction site on Manhattan’s website at: www.manhattanconstruction.com. 

About the George W. Bush Presidential Center:
The George W. Bush Presidential Center invites visitors to reflect on the lessons of the past, focuses attention on the problems of the present and inspires solutions for a better future. Located in Dallas on the campus of SMU, the Bush Center includes the George W. Bush Presidential Library and the action-oriented George W. Bush Institute. To view a virtual tour of the exhibit, visit www.georgewbushcenter.com.

About Manhattan Construction Company:
Manhattan operates from offices in Dallas and Houston, Texas; Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Okla.; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta, Georgia; and Mexico City. The company builds throughout the Southwest and East regions of the United States, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. The firm’s services include Manhattan’s trademarked Builder-Driven Pre-Construction®, construction management, general building, and design/build. Visit the Manhattan website: www.manhattanconstruction.com

TULSA – Manhattan Construction Co. has been honored with the 2010 Excellence in Construction award in the Institutional/Sports Arena Over $25 million category by the Associated Builders and Contractors of Oklahoma for the ONEOK Field Ballpark project in downtown Tulsa. The company was also presented with the Safety Training and Evaluation Process (STEP) Platinum Award, in recognition of exceptional safety training, active employee involvement, innovation and management commitment.

Manhattan oversaw design and construction of the 6,500-seat ONEOK Field project, completing the design-build service in only 14 months. During construction the team stayed on schedule through unusually wicked weather, including blizzard conditions, ice, rain and a bitterly cold winter. Manhattan handed the keys over to the Tulsa Drillers minor league baseball team to their new home six weeks before opening day.

“We enjoyed a sincere spirit of collaboration on this project,” said Bob Jack, Manhattan Construction’s Tulsa area manager. “The entire team deserves credit for its success – the Tulsa community, the Drillers organization, designers, subcontractors and vendors.”

“The Tulsa Drillers would like to congratulate Manhattan Construction on the Excellence In Construction Award,” said Chuck Lamson, Tulsa Drillers president. “Bob Jack and his entire team did a tremendous job building ONEOK Field.”

“The end result speaks for itself as ONEOK Field is a new jewel in downtown Tulsa and allowed the Tulsa Drillers to set a Tulsa professional baseball record attendance of over 408,000 fans,” said Lamson. “In addition with our many hospitality areas, we have been able to host over 100 additional non-Drillers events. Once again thank you and congratulations to Manhattan for a well deserved honor!”

Manhattan’s design-build team included Populous, an architecture firm specializing in sports design. The ONEOK Field design includes fixed seating for 6,500 fans, 23 luxury suites, large party decks and terrace seating for 3,000 people.

ABC’s Excellence in Construction program recognizes innovation, quality and vision by a building team. Projects are judged on a safety, personnel management, quality control, scheduling and degree of difficulty in completing a project. The awards were presented at the organization’s Excellence in Construction Awards Banquet on October 14th at the Greenwood Cultural Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Denton, Texas – Manhattan Construction Co. has “topped out” the construction of the new University of North Texas (UNT) football stadium in Denton, Texas. A “topping out” is celebrated when the highest point of the construction project is reached and the final, upper most piece of steel is put in place. The construction crew at UNT’s new football stadium hoisted up the last steel beam to the roof of the structure’s press box. The event celebration took place on October 15th.

The new stadium will host UNT events and serve as a venue for community events, outdoor concerts, high school games and band competitions for the entire North Texas Region.  The project is targeting U.S. Green Building Council LEED® Gold Certification for this project. 

The project is scheduled to complete in time for the 2011 football season.  UNT’s Mean Green Football Stadium will be constructed with the capability to expand the stadium seating from 30,000 to 50,000 seats.

The stadium design includes:

• 760-seat club level
• Touchdown Terrace and increased tailgating space
• Bowl seating close to the field
• First-class concession areas
• State-of-the-art video and sound systems throughout the concourse
• Dramatic player pavilion at the south end zone where players will run onto the field
• A full-service club level with comfortable indoor and outdoor seating 
• Luxurious private suites
• North grand stand will resemble the tail features of an eagle

Origin of the name, “Mean Green”
The name “Mean Green,” still in use after 43 years, was adopted by fans and media in 1966 for a North Texas football defensive squad, Joe Greene who finished the season second in the nation against the rush.  That school year, “Mean Joe Greene” was a sophomore at North Texas and played left tackle on the football team.  As of 2010, Greene is the only football player from UNT to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.