Facilities Management Advisor’s “Under Construction” series highlights some of the latest, most interesting facility project announcements every month.

Mass Timber Government Facility

As more companies and organizations embrace sustainability, there’s been a rise in green construction materials for facility projects. General contractor McCarthy + Barnsley, A Joint Venture, recently topped out the Brookhaven City Centre, the first municipal facility in Georgia to be constructed using mass timber as the primary building material. The project includes the first purpose-built city hall since Brookhaven was incorporated as an Atlanta metro community in 2012. The facility will house government offices and several public spaces, including a rooftop garden. Construction kicked off last fall and is slated for completion in summer 2025.

Organization: City of Brookhaven
Location: Brookhaven, Ga.
Type of project: New build
Size: 58,250 square feet
Estimated cost: $78 million
Design-build team: McCarthy + Barnsley, A Joint Venture; and Sizemore Group
Status: Ground broken October 2023
Expected completion: Summer 2025

Interesting tidbit: Known for its long-term durability and carbon-sequestering nature, mass timber is quickly becoming a popular construction material for many developers across the country. As a renewable material with zero waste, mass timber was the ideal choice for Brookhaven’s sustainability initiatives, according to the construction team. However, the team had to navigate various nuances that differ from using concrete and steel, including maneuvering the large pieces of timber within a tight space, unloading and reloading logistics, and familiarizing subcontractors with the correct directional positioning of the timber before installation.

Quote: Bill De St. Aubin, CEO of designer Sizemore Group, noted, “The selection of mass timber is fitting given the building is sitting in one of the world’s largest timber economies.”

More details available here.

$5B Pediatric Healthcare Campus

As they say, everything’s bigger in Texas, and that includes multibillion-dollar facility projects. Children’s Health and UT Southwestern Medical Center broke ground on a $5 billion pediatric healthcare campus to replace the existing Children’s Medical Center Dallas. The new campus will encompass more than 4.7 million square feet of construction, including a new pediatric hospital as its centerpiece. NFL legend Troy Aikman and NBA star Dirk Nowitzki, both champion athletes and champions for children, took part in the ceremony.

Organizations: Children’s Health and UT Southwestern Medical Center
Location: Dallas, Texas
Type of project: New build
Size: +4.7 million square feet
Estimated cost: $5 billion
Status: Ground broken Oct. 1
Expected completion: N/A

Interesting tidbit: The new hospital, comprised of two 12-story towers and an eight-story tower, along with the broader care site, will significantly expand capacity and services to meet the needs of one of the fastest-growing and largest metropolitan areas in the country. Designed exclusively for pediatric patients and families, the project includes 552 beds, additional operating rooms, 13 playrooms, and an enhanced Level I pediatric trauma center with 90 emergency department exam rooms and 24 observation rooms. The campus will also have more than 20 acres of green space. Notably, the project received two $100 million gifts, resulting in the partners’ naming a hospital tower and a park after the donors.

Quote: Christopher Durovich, president and CEO of Children’s Health, said, “As we prepare for the tremendous growth in the area’s pediatric population, through this new pediatric campus we are reaffirming our promise that every child in this community will have the opportunity to pursue their dreams, no matter the challenges they face.”

More details available here.

Airport Baggage-Screening Facility

Bradley International Airport (BDL), New England’s second-largest airport located in upstate Connecticut, is more than halfway done with two extensive construction projects that will help improve the flow and functionality of the main terminal, streamline security, and allow for additional growth of airline routes. Totaling about $243 million, the work includes a vertical circulation project with new exit lanes for travelers and a new baggage-screening facility that will free up space in the airport taken up by TSA explosive-detection machines.

Organization: Bradley International Airport/Connecticut Airport Authority
Location: Windsor Locks, Conn.
Type of project: New build/renovation
Size: 80,000 square-foot screening facility, plus other work
Estimated cost: ~$243 million
Status: Started February 2023
Expected completion: Late 2025

Interesting tidbit: Currently, passengers with checked bags get them tagged at their airline’s ticket counter and then carry the bags themselves to nearby TSA explosive-detection machines. However, BDL is building a 80,000 square-foot inline baggage-screening facility behind a hotel to house the security equipment and allow passengers to skip that carrying process. A hidden, mile-long conveyor belt will transport the estimated 2 million checked bags the airport screens annually directly to the new facility. The project will also create new gate space for flights and, with the machines moved, allow for more ticket counter space for new and existing airlines.

Quote: Kevin A. Dillon, executive director of the Connecticut Airport Authority, said, “Once complete, these projects will really optimize the way arriving and departing passengers move through Bradley International Airport.”

More details available here.

State Crime Lab

True-crime movies, TV shows, and podcasts are all the rage these days, and many of them prove the critical role that crime labs play in solving and prosecuting different types of cases. Due to rising demand, Nebraska is investing $26 million to expand the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) Crime Laboratory. The project will increase the footprint of the existing lab, built in 2015, from 31,000 square feet to 59,000 square feet.

Organization: Nebraska State Patrol
Location: Lincoln, Neb.
Type of project: Expansion
Size: 28,000 square feet
Estimated cost: $26 million
Status: Ground broken Sept. 18
Expected completion: 2026

Interesting tidbit: The NSP Crime Lab provides evidence testing free of charge for law enforcement agencies across the entire state. Areas of expertise for NSP scientists include drug chemistry, biology/DNA, latent fingerprints, toxicology, and firearms and tool marks. The NSP Crime Lab currently receives approximately 5,000 case submissions per year. The expansion project will work in phases, making sure the existing lab remains operational throughout the project.

Quote: “The work these scientists do is on display in criminal prosecutions that occur throughout the entire state,” said Jason Linder, NSP Crime Lab Director. “Since 2015, the lab has seen a 23 percent increase in overall caseload submissions, including a 90 percent increase in cases involving DNA testing. This expansion will help us meet the demands for today and be prepared for the future.”

More details available here.

Net-Zero University Building

The University of Maryland, Baltimore broke ground on its $120 million, six-story School of Social Work (UMSSW) building that is slated to be the first net-zero emissions building within the University System of Maryland and downtown Baltimore. The 127,000-square-foot building will consolidate the school’s Master of Social Work and Doctor of Philosophy programs—currently dispersed across three locations—into one modern, flexible space.

Organization: University of Maryland, Baltimore
Location: Baltimore, Md.
Type of project: New build
Size: 127,000 square feet
Estimated cost: $120 million
Designer: Ballinger
Status: Ground broken Oct. 17
Expected completion: Late summer 2027

Interesting tidbit: The project is aiming to achieve LEED Gold certification and aspiring for LEED Platinum status, the highest level awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council. Additionally, the project is tracking to earn LEED Net Zero Energy certification through its innovative use of geothermal exchange wells, on-site solar panels, and a roof garden. The building is configured to use 65% less energy than a traditional building of its size and zero operational fossil fuels.

Quote: UMSSW Dean Judy L. Postmus said, “I am enthusiastic that these adaptable spaces will embrace social work’s core values of social justice, the importance of human relationships, and service to the community by going above and beyond in areas of sustainability and accessibility.”

More details available here.

Honorable Mentions

• NFL ‘Stadium of the Future’ Approval
• Amazon Data Center Campus
• Long-Delayed World’s Tallest Skyscraper
• Chobani’s ‘New Vision’ for Urban Office
• Billion-Dollar Battery Factory

Do you have a major project announcement you’d like considered for the “Under Construction” series? Please contact Editor Joe Bebon at [email protected].

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