Two GMC projects among the “Best Projects” in the Southeast

ENR Southeast announced the winners of its 17th Annual Best Projects Awards, with two GMC projects among those recognized.

The Clemson University Allen N. Reeves Football Complex received an Award of Merit in the sports/entertainment category, while the NASA Space Launch System Test Stands at Marshall Space Flight Center received top honors as the Best Project in the government/public buildings category.

Home to the 2016 College Football Playoff National Champions, Clemson’s 145,000-square-foot football operations complex became the largest and most programmatically inclusive football-specific training facility in the nation upon completion in February 2017.

The state-of-the-art building, designed by GMC and HOK, adjoins the Tigers’ indoor practice facility and outdoor practice fields, consolidating football operations into one complex. The facility serves as a home away from home for student athletes with amenities that allow them to train, study and unwind in the same place.

Features include 1.5 acres of outdoor leisure and entertainment space, state-of-the-art hydrotherapy, training, weight equipment and technology, a steam room and recovery room and a Gatorade fuel bar. The concourse is connected to the lobby through a slide, bringing Head Coach Dabo Swinney’s focus on fun to the forefront in the design. The complex also features miniature golf, bowling, a movie theater, gaming lounge and basketball, volleyball and bocce ball courts. DPR Construction and Sherman Construction served as the general contractors for the project.

The GMC/Merrick & Company Joint Venture was responsible for the design and construction of the structural test stands for NASA’s Space Launch System, which will be the most powerful rocket in history. Test Stand 4693 is a 215-foot, “two-tower” test stand comprised of 2,150 tons of steel to accommodate the 185-foot liquid hydrogen tank of the SLS core stage for stress testing. Test Stand 4697 is a 692-ton steel structure that stands approximately nine stories high. TS4697 will be used for structural loads testing on the SLS core stage liquid oxygen tank and forward skirt in Marshall’s West Test Area. The test stands were constructed under the guidance of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which awarded the $45.3 million contract to Brasfield & Gorrie General Contractors.

ENR Southeast assembles an independent group of judges to review, score and determine final winners of the annual competition. Entries are reviewed based on the project team’s ability to overcome challenges, the project’s construction and design quality, safety record and contribution to the industry and community. After an initial scoring of projects, the judges—via two separate panels—meet to discuss the projects and come to a consensus on awards. This year’s judges collectively reviewed nearly 90 entries before selecting the winners.

All of the award-winning projects will be profiled in the Nov. 6/13 print edition of ENR Southeast in addition to being honored at the Best Projects Awards Luncheon in November at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampsionGate.

The full list of Best Projects winners can be found on the ENR Southeast website at www.enr.com/southeast.