Denver, Pa. (PRWEB) July 19, 2012

The Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) recognized Denver, Pa.-based High Concrete Group LLC in its 50th Annual PCI Design Awards. The precast company produced the architectural precast concrete walls that claimed the top prize in the military structures category.

A widely regarded industry program, the PCI Design Awards honors design excellence and construction quality in buildings and transportation structures that use precast concrete. This year, a panel of five independent judges representing the construction industry honored 27 buildings out of 112 qualified entries from throughout North America.

Best Military Structure – 711th Human Performance Wing Complex in Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The $194.5 million, 679,000-square-foot 711th Human Performance Wing Complex project is a centerpiece for the US military’s Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) construction program. Located in Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Fairborn, Ohio, the Complex comprises two major structures and ancillary facilities of one- to four-stories each, housing laboratories, medical facilities, offices, and a wide range of highly technical equipment.

The BRAC schedule called for base closures elsewhere in the country, placing the Complex project on a difficult timeline. The project hewed to a tight 24-month construction timeline that would allow full occupancy by September 30th, 2011. “It is nearly a miracle that we were able to take possession of a facility this large and complex 89 days ahead of the original schedule,” wrote Thomas Wells, Director of the 711th Human Performance Wing, in a letter of thanks to general contractor Archer Western/Butt Construction Joint Venture of Chicago, Ill.

According to Dave Mankowski, senior project manager for Archer Western/Butt Construction, “Partnering with High Concrete Group, the structural engineer, and the structural fabricator, we successfully allowed off-site fabrication of precast panels and structural steel to run concurrently. In essence, three major building components were being built both on-site and off-site at the same time during the winter months. As a result, sequencing of the structural steel erection and precast panel erection was able to begin concurrently in April, 2009, versus the original scheduled start of precast in July, 2009, a 90-day schedule improvement. That schedule improvement was maintained throughout the completion and turnover of the project which gave the government a near 90-day head start on moving into the entire 679,000-square-foot complex.”

The architect/engineer of record was Cannon Design of Arlington, Va.; associate architect/engineer was Burgess & Niple, Inc., of Cincinnati, Ohio; and architect/engineer for the RFP was KZF/BWSC Joint Venture of Cincinnati, Ohio.

About High Concrete Group:

Headquartered in Denver, Pa., and employing more than 500, High Concrete Group has provided precast components for more than 5,000 projects since 1957, and is found on Engineering News Record’s list of the Top 600 Specialty Contractors. High Concrete Group operates precast concrete production facilities in Denver, Pa., and Springboro, Ohio. The company also operates High Concrete Accessories, a Denver, Pa.-based national precasting embedment supplier. Visit http://..........com or email concrete.answers(at)high(dot)net.

Image credit: High Concrete Group LLC - 2012 PCI Design Award Winner

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