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Manhattan Construction Co. begins construction on the George W. Bush Presidential Center

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