PC Construction Company Blog

OPERATIONS CENTER EARNS LEED GOLD

April 30, 2012

Yellow River WRF Operations Facility LEED Gold

The Yellow River WRF project team has been co-located at the jobsite designing and constructing for the past five years. During that time the team has achieved some pretty incredible milestones. Earlier this month we were pleased to learn of yet another, accolades that truly speak to the dedication this owner has to its community and the environment. The new Operations Center, which was completed in December 2010, has earned LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. Continue Reading →

IBM’S Wet Free Cooling System Named Best Overall Energy Project

February 24, 2012

The New England Chapter of the Association for Energy Engineers recently recognized IBM, PC Construction, and associated partners with the 2011 Best Overall Energy Project Award for the Wet Free Cooling System project. This project, located at IBM’s Essex Junction facility in Vermont, allows IBM to use outside winter air to produce air conditioning for its semiconductor manufacturing and related operations that require cooling year-round. The process reduces their use of electricity and water and saves the company up to $700,000 annually.

Learn more about this project.

GASIFICATION SYSTEM KEY TO COLBY COLLEGE CENTRAL HEATING PLANT EXPANSION

January 3, 2012

The University of Vermont George D. Aiken Center Addition and Renovation Project

UVM PROJECT AWARDED GREEN CONSTRUCTION AWARD

December 7, 2011

Last night I was proud to stand up with my team and accept the AGC/Vermont Best Builders Award in the Green Construction Renovation category for our work on The University of Vermont George D. Aiken Center Addition and Renovation project. I truly enjoyed working with a client so dedicated to sustainability on the largest higher educational campus in the State of Vermont, and the results of the team’s combined efforts certainly show. Continue Reading →

Safety and Sustainability Go Hand-in-hand 1

Safety and Sustainability Go Hand-in-hand 2

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SAFETY AND SUSTAINABILITY GO HAND-IN-HAND

November 8, 2011

DC WATER CONTRACT SIGNED FOR FIRST CAMBI THERMAL HYDROLYSIS PROCESS PROJECT IN THE U.S.

July 15, 2011

On June 30, a contract signing ceremony for the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant Cambi/Main Process Train construction project was held at DC Water’s headquarters in Washington, DC. In addition to representatives from PC Construction, CDM, and DC Water, attendees included Cambi’s technology director, Merete Norli, who traveled from Cambi’s corporate office in Asker, Norway for this important event.

The $208 million joint venture between PC Construction and CDM is unique in many aspects. It is just the second construction project undertaken by DC Water utilizing the design-build delivery method and it will be the first treatment plant in the United States to incorporate the Cambi thermal hydrolysis process into their facility. At the completion of this project, the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant will be the largest thermal hydrolysis process plant in the world.

Engineering and design is underway with construction activities scheduled to begin in January 2012 and completion expected for October 2014.

Click here to read Cambi’s press release.

Click here to listen to Mayor Vincent C. Gray and DC Water General Manager George S. Hawkins discuss construction projects at the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant during a press briefing.

DC Water Main Process Train Contract Signing

CLARKSON UNIVERSITY STUDENT CENTER TEAM RECOGNIZED WITH 2011 BUILDING TEAM AWARD

July 13, 2011

GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY HELD FOR $208 MILLION DESIGN-BUILD PROJECT

May 23, 2011

A groundbreaking ceremony was held on May 17 at the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant in Washington, D.C. for the $208 million Main Process Train project recently awarded to the PC/CDM joint venture team.

George Hawkins, General Manager of DC WATER, led the events that were attended by a host of local dignitaries including the Mayor of Washington, D.C., the Honorable Vincent C. Gray. Hawkins highlighted that DC WATER is the largest consumer of electricity in the District. The Cambi process, a primary component of the project, will produce combined heat and power capable of generating 13 MW of electricity estimated at $10 million in annual savings. Electricity consumption will be cut by a third when the process is complete. The electricity generated is enough to power 8,000 homes.

Another benefit of the project outlined by Hawkins includes a 50% reduction in solids produced. This will provide an annual savings of over $10 million in trucking costs. Additionally, the plant’s carbon footprint will be greatly reduced as will the amount of total nitrogen released into the Chesapeake Bay.

The Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant is the world’s largest facility of its kind processing an average of 370 million gallons of wastewater a day. This volume, as described by Hawkins, is sufficient to fill the entire Washington Nationals stadium!

All of us at PC Construction are looking forward to this exciting new project. Stay tuned to the blog for updates along the way!

Groundbreaking Ceremony held for $208 Million Design-Build Project

*On June 1, 2011, we formally changed our company name from Pizzagalli Construction Company to PC Construction Company. Click here to learn more.

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DESIGN-BUILD THE LOGICAL CHOICE FOR DC WATER’S UNIQUE PROJECT

May 10, 2011

Colby College Central Heating Plant Expansion Project

Colby College Central Heating Plant Expansion

THE FIRST TRUE SPOONFUL!

March 31, 2011

SUSTAINABLE EFFORTS IN PROGRESS AT UVM

March 25, 2011

One of the projects my team is currently constructing is the $7.1 million renovation and expansion to the George D. Aiken Center at The University of Vermont. The work includes the renovation of 37,000 square feet of the existing three-story building and construction of a new 2,300 square foot solarium.

Originally constructed in the 1980s, the building is considered by the University as outdated and inefficient. While most institutions will wait much longer before incorporating such major renovations, the George D. Aiken Center houses the Rubenstein School of Natural Resources, the school’s environmental program. Given the inefficiencies of the building and the substantial increase in environmental studies, this project comes at an especially fitting time.

UVM is seeking to obtain a LEED Platinum status for the renovation of the building which will feature a green roof, natural lighting and ventilation, building materials selected for their recycled and regional content, and components made from rapidly renewable materials. Both the renovated building and solarium will feature millwork harvested from UVM’s own research forest in Jericho, Vermont. The University will oversee the drying and milling of the wood, which is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, and supply it to PC’s millwork subcontractor. In addition, an Eco-Machine designed by a graduate of the Rubenstein School, will be incorporated into the new solarium as a natural wastewater treatment system.

Upon completion in October 2011, the building is expected to use less than one-third the energy it used prior to renovation.

Work in progress at the UVM George D. Aiken Center with completion of this LEED renovation later this year

PROJECT UPDATE: SACO FIRE STATION

March 1, 2011

Construction continues on the 23,000 square foot Saco Central Fire Station project located in Saco, Maine. The $6 million project is a design-build collaboration with Port City Architecture of Portland, Maine. The new fire station is a two-story structure with apparatus bay, administration areas, and living quarters. It is designed to LEED Silver standards with an advanced hybrid geothermal heating system that may ultimately allow the project to achieve LEED Gold certification.

The geothermal heating system features ten 500-foot wells that deliver 55-degree water to two heat exchangers and onto an Addison heating/cooling unit. The building also has a backup system made up of two natural gas-fired Elite boilers and a rooftop solar hot water system. An 800 horsepower generator provides backup electrical capacity as well.

The centerpiece of the new fire station is the 8,900 square foot clear-span 5-bay apparatus bay with three zones of under slab radiant heat. Support areas include a three-story training tower and a supply room that can double as a manhole rescue training area. Adjacent to the garage is the administrative office wing and command center. Living quarters are located on the second floor and include nine bedrooms, fitness room, day room, dining room, kitchen, and four bathrooms. A 180-foot tower and communications building is located behind the main building next to a detention pond and will serve as a coldwater rescue training area.

PC Construction’s team of Project Manager Mark Donovan and Project Superintendent Grit Richards laid out an aggressive and detailed schedule to ensure the building’s attractive red brick and block masonry structure was completed and weather-tight before winter hit, which proved to be critical given the ferocity and frequency of storms in January alone. Inside the well-insulated building finish crews have been working in shirtsleeves while the building is heated with one unit heater.

The project is on schedule with substantial completion planned for early April. The Saco Fire Department plans to move into their new home in time for dedication ceremonies scheduled for April 30, 2011.

Saco Fire Station Project in Saco, Maine

TD BANK CALL CENTER ACHIEVES LEED PLATINUM STATUS

February 23, 2011

PC Construction’s renovation of a 60,000 square foot former department store into a world-class call center for TD Bank has achieved LEED Platinum status from the Green Building Certification Institute. This adds to PC Construction’s growing list of LEED projects ranging from Certified to Platinum. Continue Reading →

FAHC GREENROOF RECOGNIZED WITH VERMONT PUBLIC SPACE AWARD

February 1, 2011

FLETCHER ALLEN HEALTH CARE RADIATION ONCOLOGY PROJECT ACHIEVES LEED GOLD CERTIFICATION

January 17, 2011

Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) is an internationally recognized green building certification system that provides a framework for implementing sustainable and “green” design, construction, equipment, and maintenance solutions. Continue Reading →

INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECT

December 20, 2010

What a whirlwind! First accepting the AGC of Vermont Best Builders Award and then flying to Orlando to accept Honorable Mention in Power Engineering Magazine’s 2010 Projects of the Year Awards. It is, of course, a pleasure to accept an award from our home state and be recognized for our efforts in green construction, but it was truly a distinct honor to be recognized by Power Engineering in this international competition and elite award program.

The PurposeEnergy Digester project was first named by Power Engineering Magazine as one of only three finalists in the world in the Best Renewable/Sustainable Projects category – and the only finalist from the United States. During the POWER-GEN International Conference, we had the opportunity to learn more about the other finalists – the $350 million Tekeze Hydropower Project generating 300MW in Ethiopia and the Canoe Creek Hydroelectric Project in Canada – and share the story of our unique PurposeEnergy project. By the end of the awards banquet, the Ethiopian project had taken the first place award and we were happily holding our Honorable Mention.

It was quite an experience. Many of the most influential power projects, and the people behind them, were represented. The other categories included Nuclear (2 finalists), Coal (3 finalists), and Natural Gas (3 finalists). All of these projects were very large, multi-year efforts that simply dwarfed ours by every measurement. Our award has generated quite a buzz, though, and congratulatory e-mails have come from all over to a wide range of people at PC Construction. Internally, our congratulations and thanks go to Senior Project Manager Chet Laymen and Project Superintendent Jody Atkins who built this internationally acclaimed, multi-award winning project.

PC Construction Recognized for Renewable Energy Project

Senior Project Manager Chet Layman accepts PC Construction's Project of the Year Honorable Mention at the POWER-GEN International Conference

PurposeEnergy DIGESTER PROJECT SNAGS NEW GREEN CONSTRUCTION AWARD

December 17, 2010

All of us at PC Construction understand the uniqueness associated with the recently constructed PurposeEnergy Digester project. The innovative qualities of this project provide numerous renewable energy benefits to New England’s largest craft brewery, Magic Hat Brewery. And last week, I was proud to see this project be recognized for outstanding quality of work and effort by the AGC of Vermont with a 2010 Best Builders Award in the New Green Construction category.

The major components of the project included a Flow Equalization System, Mechanical Building to house the process equipment and piping, a patented Anaerobic Digester designed for brewery waste, and a Cogeneration System. This new digester allows PurposeEnergy, Inc. to use the organic waste streams produced by Magic Hat Brewery to generate biogas. The biogas is then utilized by the brewery’s steam boilers and/or PurposeEnergy’s cogeneration plant.

The brewery’s three waste streams; spent grain, high strength wastewater, and low strength wastewater (gray water), were previously disposed of through off-site trucking and surcharges at a local municipal waste treatment facility. Now these waste by-products are diverted to the anaerobic digester at the PurposeEnergy biogas facility. PurposeEnergy’s patented Biphase Orbicular Biodigester^TM (which we affectionately call BOB), specifically designed for brewery by-products, enables the conversion of high solids content brewery waste into carbon neutral, renewable biogas. Additionally, this system is designed to utilize the waste heat from the generator’s exhaust, coolant, and engine oil to heat the digester and preheat the water used in the brewing process.

This is an incredible project, one I was proud to be involved with. I’d especially like to recognize the PC Construction team for this recognition: Senior Project Manager Chet Layman and Project Superintendent Jody Atkins, as well as their crew – Kevin Brodeur, Nathan Cameron, Brian Chaffee, Wayne Combs, Shane Gray, Paul Lincolnhunt, Gary Morin, Jeff Reynolds, Justin Reynolds, Cody Smith, Arnie Brown, Larry Dopp, Peter Sweeney, and Stacy Tomko.

PC Construction's AGC Best Builders Award

Andrew Martin, Jody Atkins, Chet Layman, and Jeff Garner accept the AGC of Vermont Best Builders Award for PC Construction's work on the PurposeEnergy Digester project

PC CONSTRUCTION AND THE JACKSON LABORATORY BREAK GROUND ON RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECT

November 24, 2010

Monday was a typical November day on the coast of Downeast Maine where preparations are under way for the coming winter. Change was in the air as lobstermen continued the process of bringing up their traps before foul winter weather really hit. Change was also in the air at The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor as a groundbreaking ceremony was held to mark the beginning of a renewable energy project that will reduce heating and electricity costs at the century old non-profit laboratory dedicated to genetic research. Continue Reading →

A NEW HOME FOR OUR CORPORATE OFFICE!

November 23, 2010

We are excited to announce that our corporate office will move next year. Our new LEED Certified office building will allow us to remain in our hometown of South Burlington, Vermont, while providing a fresh atmosphere for our team and opportunities for increased efficiencies. Our new home at 193 Tilley Drive in the Mountain View Office Park was constructed by PC Construction, which makes it an especially fitting selection for our future office.

Formal planning and fit-up design will commence early next month. Construction is scheduled to begin next March and the building will be fit-up and ready for occupancy in late May.

While the buildings at 50 and 55 Joy Drive have been our home now for about 40 and 25 years respectively, it is time to put our corporate offices all under one roof in a new, effectively configured, energy efficient, LEED Certified facility. The opportunity is there for us to take a renewed, innovative look at our systems and processes and create a space we will be proud to call our home for decades to come.

PC Construction will occupy this office building in South Burlington, Vermont, next May

A UNIQUE PROJECT: UPPER OCCOQUAN SEWAGE AUTHORITY CARBON REGENERATION FACILITY

October 26, 2010

One of the things I love about working for PC Construction is that with each project, there are new challenges and opportunities to implement the latest technologies.

The Carbon Regeneration Facility project is a very interesting project and one of only a few of its kind in the country. The project is yet another in a series of improvements for a PC Construction repeat customer: The Upper Occoquan Service Authority (UOSA), located in Northern Virginia.

Talk about sustainability! This is a fascinating process, a brief synopsis of which is provided below.

UOSA operates an advanced water reclamation plant that processes raw sewage to virtually drinking water quality. A key component in the overall UOSA process scheme to achieve this challenging goal is the use of Granular activated carbon. Plant effluent passes through the carbon, which adsorbs organic compounds and other contaminants. Currently, the UOSA plant has an inventory of 4,000,000 pounds of activated carbon which is used to treat approximately 32 million gallons of water per day.

Over time, this activated carbon becomes depleted from the contaminants adsorbed and its effectiveness is reduced. The depleted carbon can be ‘regenerated’ again and again by exposing it to high temperatures which destroy the organics adsorbed by the carbon. The carbon is left intact for continuous reuse in the UOSA treatment facilities. UOSA uses a multiple hearth furnace fired by natural gas for this process to restore (reactivate) the adsorptive capacity of the plant’s activated carbon inventory.

The current construction contract will provide a new multiple hearth furnace, as the existing is reaching the end of its useful life. Once this furnace is operating, major repairs and upgrades will be made to the existing furnace. The combination of projects will provide the owner with reliable regeneration capacity for the foreseeable future. When construction is complete, the plant will be able to produce 12,000 pounds per day of reactivated carbon.

This project provides challenges for close coordination and creativity to construct the new building, carbon furnace, and associated infrastructure while maintaining ongoing operations at this critical facility. Now underway, this project is scheduled for completion in late 2012.

PHOSPHORUS AND NITROGEN REMOVAL SETS TRENDS FOR TREATMENT PLANT CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

October 11, 2010

The strict permit limits set forth by the Department of Environmental Protection’s Chesapeake Bay Initiative has resulted in the need for any treatment plant discharging into waterways leading to the bay to make adjustments to their treatment processes. A main driver of the Initiative is the removal of phosphorus and nitrogen prior to the treated wastewater being returned to the environment. The limits are causing plants to take a closer look at their treatment processes and take on construction projects to reach regulatory requirements.

PC Construction is doing just that with the upgrade and expansion project at the Vint Hill Farms Wastewater Treatment Plant in Warrenton, Virginia. The project includes two main structures. One is the Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR), which consists of a Precast Post-Tensioned Concrete Structure designed and installed by Dutchland, Inc. Once a base slab was cast, the building of the structure, which includes three separate water-holding areas and one equipment room, took less than a week to assemble. The new process equipment for the SBR, designed by Aqua Aerobics, performs most of the phosphorus removal for the treatment process. We also constructed a Filter Building to accompany the Parkson Dyna-Sand Filters. This structure houses Parkson sand filtration equipment which will be used for the denitrification of the process flow.

This project has achieved a great safety record and is set for completion this month.

Vint Hill Farms Wastewater Treatment Plant

PurposeEnergy DIGESTER: RENEWABLE GREEN ENERGY

September 24, 2010

In mid-2008, PC Construction was competitively selected by PurposeEnergy, Inc. as the design/build partner for a first-of-a-kind biogas facility project at the Magic Hat Brewery in South Burlington, Vermont. This unique project allows the owner, PurposeEnergy, Inc., to use the organic waste streams produced by New England’s largest craft brewery and generate biogas (a form of renewable natural gas). The biogas is then utilized by the brewery’s steam boilers and/or PurposeEnergy’s cogeneration plant. This brewery waste recovery system was developed by CEO and founder of the Arlington, Massachusetts based PurposeEnergy, Eric Fitch. His vision was to use the by-product grains and yeast from breweries to make clean renewable energy. Continue Reading →

SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS FOR GROWTH

September 21, 2010

One of my passions in life is learning about and implementing measures for conservation of our natural resources. As a kid I spent a great deal of time on the family farm and was intrigued with organic farming and ‘green’ living long before it gained its present popularity. As such, one goal in my new role is to position PC Construction as a leader in the use of the latest technologies for the conservation of electricity, reduction of nitrogen and phosphorous into the water stream, and the construction of carbon neutral water and wastewater treatment plants.

There are many new and fascinating technologies that are being developed and advanced each day. These advances offer additional opportunities for reducing energy consumption and providing clean water for drinking and recreation. Implementation of cutting-edge technology can provide unique challenges and new opportunities to those with the vision and insight to take the first bold step forward. The challenge will be to convince owners and engineers that long-term, sustainable solutions are the most viable alternative means of construction.

No one person can keep up with all the changes and opportunities for future growth in this market. As such, please contact me if you come across new technologies or potential opportunities.

PC CONSTRUCTION AND SMRT NEAR COMPLETION ON MARTIN’S POINT HEALTH CENTER PROJECT

June 17, 2010

The 42,000 square foot state-of-the-art primary care health center is situated on picturesque Martin’s Point in Portland, Maine, only seventy-five feet from the Atlantic Ocean. After careful negotiations regarding the site and building footprint, the LEED-Registered building design received approval from the Historic Preservation Board of Portland and the Maine Historic Preservation Commission. That process was aided through the use of BIM (Building Information Modeling) to ensure minimal environmental impact, while upgrading the water, drainage, sewer, and teledata infrastructure of the entire campus. Continue Reading →

A TOUR OF SLUDGE TREATMENT INNOVATION

June 15, 2010

I recently had the opportunity to join PC Construction Senior Estimator Andy Seaton on a trip to England and Ireland to tour several facilities and learn about a new sludge treatment process being used in Europe and that is expected to be introduced in the United States soon. A Norwegian company, Cambi, developed a Thermal Hydrolysis Process (THP) that takes primary sludge and heats it to approximately 165 degrees Celsius (330 degrees Fahrenheit), resulting in hydrolysed sludge. This process kills all of the pathogens that are found in sludge which makes it suitable for creating a Class “A” Sludge that can be land applied as a commercially saleable fertilizer. It also increases the amount of Volatile Organic Compounds that are released during the digestion process (which increases the amount of biogas that can be produced and used to generate electricity and steam that is used in the THP –while reducing the amount of sludge to be handled) and reduces the mesophilic digestion time (which reduces the size of the anaerobic digesters from those that would be required in a conventional process). Utilization of this process has gradually increased in Europe as many of the technical issues associated with the extreme heat, pressure and caustic environment that are created in the process have been resolved. Engineers are now beginning to recommend the use of the THP at U.S. facilities. Continue Reading →

PROJECT UPDATE: CLARKSON UNIVERSITY STUDENT CENTER

June 4, 2010

The $18 million Clarkson University Student Center project in Potsdam, New York, is a 60,000 square foot, three-level, mixed use facility. Upon completion, the student center will include a full university kitchen and dining area with two fireplaces, convenience store, game rooms, café/bar, TV station, radio station, meditation room, and theater, as well as lounges with fireplaces, student union areas, and multi-purpose rooms. The theater is the center of the building in the main forum area which spans 68 feet from the lower level to the peak of the roof and features an 11-foot by 8-foot TV screen comprised of 88 micro tiles. Due to the height of this main forum space, the use of an articulated Spiderlift was needed in order to complete sprinkler piping installation, painting, drywall, and millwork.

A unique aspect of the construction process on this project involved the use of student labor. The University had required that our bid include money for student labor to be involved with the construction of the project. To date, PC has employed eight Clarkson University students who have performed clerical and labor-related activities, exposing them to the logistics and process of the project.

The Clarkson University Student Center is also pursuing LEED Silver Certification. Completion is scheduled and on track for this August.

PC Construction's Student Center Project at Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY

L.L. Bean at Legacy Place Mall, Dedham, MA

L.L. BEAN PROJECT GOES LEED GOLD

April 29, 2010