White-Spunner Construction announces plans for new building

Owners of White-Spunner Construction Inc. recently announced plans to build its new office on 6.5 acres at the southwest corner of Interstate 65 and Government Boulevard in Mobile, Ala. Construction is currently underway at the site.

The 40,000-sq-ft, two-story office building will be constructed on 3.5 acres, leaving additional property open for future company growth. The office building will take approximately eight months to build and will be built under LEED guidelines, a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for high-performance, sustainable buildings.

LEED features include an open floor plan with tinted windows, numerous skylights, large windows, motion-sensitive lighting, water-efficient systems and the use of recycled materials and environmentally-friendly approaches during construction.

Company owners have also obtained an option on an adjoining 18.5 acres and plan to develop a mixed use office park on the site. The site will have tremendous visibility as the first office development located on I-65 as travelers turn north from I-10.

Prier Construction announces start of Rick and Bubba Studio

Prier Construction Inc. of Birmingham, Ala., has started work on the new home of the Rick and Bubba radio show.

Prier Construction teamed with Cox Radio to construct the audience friendly studio, which will be located in the heart of AIG/Baker’s Vestavia City Center in Birmingham.

The 5,000-sq-ft facility will house the broadcast studio and management offices for the syndicated radio show. The studio will feature a “fish-bowl” atmosphere allowing fans to catch all the show’s antics from the sidewalk. Construction was scheduled to be complete in mid-October.

Baldwin County coliseum emergency shelter tops out

White-Spunner Construction Inc. of Mobile, Ala., continues to build Baldwin County’s first disaster shelter that can accommodate 5,000 people during a short-term emergency while being pounded by 200-mph sustained winds.

The project is part of the new arena and coliseum that will house the Baldwin County Cattle and Fair Association (BCCFA) in Robertsdale, Ala.

The project topped out in mid September, with completion anticipated in December.

Centrally located in Baldwin County, Ala., the coliseum will serve as a shelter that can accommodate 5,000 people short-term during a hurricane or tornado and up to 1,900 people long-term. Its unique, bunker-style structure and the adjacent open-air arena are built with stringent guidelines that are unheard of in building projects today, says Tommy Rowe, executive vice president, owner and division manager for White-Spunner.

“The project is a unique construction challenge,” says Rowe. “In order to meet stringent FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) building codes that require the entire building be capable of withstanding 200-mph winds, many of our supplies and materials had to be custom built.”

CMH completess schematic design of University of Alabama condo

CMH Architect Inc. has completed schematic design for Stadium View Condominium near Bryant Denny Stadium on The University of Alabama campus, in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

According to Michael O’Kelley, project manager for CMH, the condominium will feature luxury appointments such as expansive balconies, hardwood floors, premium fixtures and appliances and stone countertops in the kitchens and baths.

The interior design of the 25 units has open loft-like living and entertaining spaces and large bedrooms.

The exterior of the three-story condominium encompasses extensive use of glass and brick. Developer Charlie Williams, of Anniston, Ala., expects to break ground on the three-story condominium in May. Stadium View is being built over one level of parking.

Amason and Associates of Tuscaloosa, Ala., is the general contractor. CMH Architects Inc. is a 27-year-old design firm that focuses on retail, corporate and institutional architectural projects throughout the country.

B.L. Harbert International nominated for award

B.L. Harbert International LLC of Birmingham, Ala., has been nominated for the 2007 Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence in the Multinational Enterprise category for its work on the New Embassy Compound Project in Accra, Ghana.

The award recognizes the important role U.S. businesses play abroad as good corporate citizens, and BLHI is one of 62 American companies nominated by U.S. Ambassadors worldwide.

BLHI earned this distinguished nomination by excelling in the following criteria: good corporate citizenship, exemplary business practices, provision of a safe and healthy workplace, responsible environmental stewardship and practices, and contribution to the rule of law and overall growth and development of the economy.

BLHI’s work in Ghana encompassed a 12.5 acre U.S. Embassy compound consisting of 144,000 sq ft of buildings.

The 30-month, design-build project had a significant impact on the local and regional economy.

Not only was the company able to perform almost all work using local labor, the company spent in excess of $16 million in the local economy on materials, labor and other items.

In addition, BLHI supervisors trained the local workforce in the most current U.S. construction practices, providing valuable skills that will benefit them for many years. BLHI employed several thousand workers during the course of this project and left behind hundreds of skilled tradesmen.

B.L. Harbert International executives are traveling to Washington, D.C., on Nov. 8 to attend a formal ceremony hosted by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, where the winner will be announced.