Texas Projects Highlighted in National Competitions

TxDOT and other statewide organizations garner national recognition for projects ranging from green building to precast concrete. Also, firms add new Texas offices.

Two Texas Precast Concrete Bridges Honored

Two Texas projects were among 12 selected by the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute as winners in its 2007 Design Awards competition. The awards include honors for sustainable design, several categories of span lengths, owner-designed structures, rehabilitated bridges, and custom solutions.

The Loop 340 overpass – including four bridges – in Waco was selected as a co-winner of the award for “Best Bridge with Spans between 75 and 150 Feet.” It was designed by the Texas Department of Transportation in Austin and by Structural Engineering Associates in San Antonio, with precast concrete components supplied by Heldenfels Enterprises Inc. in San Marcos. The general contractor was Archer Western of Arlington; precaster was Heldenfels Enterprises Inc. of San Marcos; and the precast specialty engineer was Structural Engineering Associates, San Antonio.

IH-35 Frontage Road Pavement in Georgetown was one of four road pavement projects in several locations across the country as “Best Custom Solution” for their use of precast, prestressed pavement panels. The project was designed by TxDOT, with precast concrete components supplied by Texas Concrete Co. of Victoria. Granite Construction Co. served as the general contractor and the precast specialty pavement engineer was The Transtec Group of Austin.

Dallas Landscape Architecture Firm Wins ASLA Design Award

The Pump House in Highland Park was one of several 2007 Professional Awards presented by The American Society of Landscape Architects. The jury considered more than 500 entries and selected 37 projects to receive awards.

Landscape architecture firm, MESA of Dallas, won an honor award in residential design for Pump House in Highland Park. D.I.R.T. Studio of Charlottesville, Va., also worked with MESA on the project.

Pump House is a deconstructed residential garden; a re-creation of an old pumping station. It is a recycling of an entire site, not merely the building materials of the site. The project incorporated original mechanical equipment, gears, and valves, as well as elements of sustainable design. Such elements include an absorptive paving system and a sod roof, and the consistent use of native plants. Creative elements include a splash basin serving as a floorway, and an interactive clay tile piece for play.

TxDOT Website Garners National Recognition

The Center for Digital Government, a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies and practices in state and local government, awarded TxDOT one of its 2007 Digital Government Achievement Awards in the Government-to-Citizen State Government category for the redesign of the Web site and recognition for usability.

The Digital Government Achievement Award is a national program recognizing outstanding agency and department Web sites and applications that enhance information, transactions and/or services. The categories include government-to-government, government-to-business, government-to-citizen, and government internal.

Texas Online was also recognized as a finalist for CDG’s 2007 Best of the Web Awards in the State Portal category.

New Veterans Cemetery Planned Near Abilene

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recently awarded $8.2 million for the Texas State Veterans Cemetery at Abilene. The cemetery will be built near Lake Fort Phantom Hill, 4 mi north of IH- 20, just east of FM 600.

The 63-acre cemetery will have an ultimate capacity for up to 20,000 burials. Among the features: a covered, open-air structure for committal services; a visitors center; a computer system for locating specific graves or interments; an assembly area for special occasions such as Memorial Day observances; an avenue of flags; and a memorial walkway for future monuments. Construction will be in two or more phases.

Texas A&M Students, Magnolia Designer Win Green Competition

During a ceremony at the West Coast Green Conference in San Francisco, Environmental Protection Agency Assistant Administrator Susan Bodine announced winners of the inaugural Lifecycle Building Challenge competition.

Winners were recognized for their cutting-edge green building ideas aimed to reduce environmental and energy impacts of buildings. The “Lifecycle Building Challenge” maximizes material recovery to reverse the trend of disposing of large quantities of construction and demolition debris in landfills. Reusing building components also reduces energy and greenhouse gas emissions associated with producing and transporting materials.

In the student building category, Texas A&M University’s 2007 Solar Decathlon Team of Adam Fenner, Jason Bond, Thomas Gerhardt, Josh Canez and Nick Schaider of College Station. The project, named “groHome” features open source housing modules to meet changing family and community needs.

In the professional built component category, Frank Little, founder of Tax Advantage Design in Magnolia, won for “Green-Zip-TapeTM Demountable Tape.” It is a drywall tape attachment system to support easy deconstruction and reuse.

MDI Acquires International Construction Risk-Management Firm

San Antonio-based MDI Inc., a provider of school safety and security management solutions for the educational industry, recently acquired FAS Construction Management Inc. in an all-stock transaction.

FAS is a privately held corporation headquartered in San Antonio with offices in Dallas; Orlando; Monterrey, Mexico; and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

The company’s project portfolio covers a broad spectrum of industries including food service, large retail, industrial, religious, educational, hotel and multifamily housing.

Drash Consulting Engineers Now Terracon Consultants Inc.

Drash Consulting Engineers of San Antonio has officially changed its name to Terracon Consultants Inc., following three years of operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Terracon.

DCE currently employs a staff of 130 and operates offices in San Antonio, Pharr and Laredo.

Greater Fort Worth Real Estate Council Honors Holt Hickman

The Greater Fort Worth Real Estate Council recently selected Holt Hickman for the Founders Award, recognizing the integral role he has played in the development of the Fort Worth Stockyards and other projects during the past 50 years.

Hickman, a Fort Worth native, is credited with much of the redevelopment of the Fort Worth Stockyards. He began the project in 1988 along with Don Jury and Steve Murrin when they re-opened Billy Bob’s Texas, the self-proclaimed “world’s largest honky-tonk.”

Affiliated Engineers Inc. Opens New Office in Houston

Affiliated Engineers Inc. recently opened a new office in Houston to allow engineers and project managers to be closer to clients.

AEI specializes in the design of integrated systems for technically complex building projects and facilities

Walter P Moore Opens in El Paso

Houston-based Walter P Moore recently opened its 10th office. The El Paso office will expand the firm’s Traffic and Intelligent Transportation Systems services, including traffic signalization, freeway and incident management systems, communication engineering, wireless design and other engineering designs in the region of growing military, educational and international business activity.

Equipment Rental Company United Rentals Opens New Amarillo Store