Facilities Management Advisor’s “Under Construction” series highlights some of the latest, most interesting facility project announcements every month.
More Room for Largest HBCU
During Black History Month, there were several notable facility projects that honor and benefit the Black community. The list includes the reconstruction of a 1738 fort; plans for a new Jackie Robinson Park field house; a Martin Luther King Jr. rec center rebuild; and more. Perhaps most notably, though, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (A&T)—the country’s largest Historically Black College and University (HBCU)—broke ground on a new residence hall to accommodate even more students on campus.
Organization: North Carolina A&T
Location: East Greensboro, N.C.
Type of project: New build
Size: 405 student beds
Estimated cost: $64 million
Status: Ground broken Feb. 23
Expected completion: Spring 2026
Interesting tidbit: North Carolina A&T is an HBCU with a record-setting enrollment of nearly 14,000 students. Bluford Residence Hall will be the university’s 16th on-campus dormitory and first new one in nearly two decades. The project is also the first part of a larger campus master plan to build new facilities.
Quote: A&T Chancellor Harold L. Martin Sr. said the master plan “signals to the world our focus on the future and that this university is here to stay.”
More details available here.
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame recently revealed its list of 2024 induction nominees, launching the annual debate over whether pop stars like Mariah Carey and hip-hop groups like A Tribe Called Quest are rockin’ enough to deserve a nomination. (Thoughts?) Meanwhile, the music museum itself is working on a major expansion project.
Organization: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Type of project: Expansion
Size: 50,000 square feet
Estimated cost: $135 million
Designer: Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU)
Status: Ground broken Oct. 5
Expected completion: 2026
Interesting tidbit: The 50,000 square-foot expansion will increase the museum’s size by one-third, and the modern design from PAU will integrate the facility’s iconic glass pyramid with the urban Cleveland lakefront. The project includes a new entry lobby, exhibition spaces, offices, an education center, and a 6,000+-square-foot multipurpose venue.
Quote: Museum President & CEO Greg Harris said, “The renowned architecture of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is symbolic of the innovation and creativity of generations of music icons.”
More details available here.
Stadium Overhaul for World Cup
MetLife Stadium, home of the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets, is preparing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Original stadium builder Skanska has returned to begin enlarging the playing field to meet the FIFA size requirements, which will enable the venue to host eight games throughout the global soccer tournament, including the prestigious Final.
Organization: MetLife Stadium
Location: East Rutherford, N.J.
Type of project: Renovation
Size: 2.2 million square-foot stadium
Estimated cost: N/A
Design-build team: Skanska
Status: Started in January
Expected completion: Phase I – May 2024; Phase 2 – May 2025
Interesting tidbit: The two-phase project includes the demolition of four corners of existing precast seating throughout the stadium and the installation of a new modular steel composite seating system with related mechanical, electrical, audio visual, and plumbing adjustments. In order to maintain current NFL seating quantities and layouts, the stadium will remove 1,740 permanent seats and replace them on the modular system.
Quote: Skanska USA Building exec Sean Szatkowski said the project “poses the unique and exciting challenge of making the necessary adjustments needed to meet FIFA requirements.”
More details available here.
Green Upgrades at Federal Courthouse
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced the Charles E. Whittaker federal courthouse in Kansas City, Mo., will undergo a repair and restoration project using low-embodied carbon (LEC) materials to increase the efficiency and overall performance of the building. Under the Biden administration’s Buy Clean Initiative, the federal government now prioritizes building materials that have lower associated levels of greenhouse gas emissions.
Organization: U.S. General Services Administration
Location: Kansas City, Mo.
Type of project: Restoration
Size: 674,508 square feet
Estimated cost: $96 million
Design-build team: JE Dunn Construction Co.
Status: Announced Feb. 7
Expected completion: 27 months
Interesting tidbit: With funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, this project will improve comfort, security, and safety while reducing energy costs by installing 100,000 square feet of new LEC glass windows and skylights, which is the size of two football fields. It will also boost the courthouse’s energy efficiency by upgrading the roof and replacing a deteriorating curtain wall, including windows and seals.
Quote: Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said, “This will mean a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable building in Kansas City and more jobs for local labor.”
More details available here.
Honorable Mentions
Do you have a major project announcement you’d like considered for the “Under Construction” series? Please contact Editor Joe Bebon at [email protected].
The post Under Construction: Top Facility Projects of February 2024 appeared first on Facilities Management Advisor.
0 Comments