Six KBE Building Corporation Projects Completed in CT and MD

FARMINGTON, CT, September 6, 2016 (Newswire.com) - August wrapped up a busy month for KBE Building Corporation, as the construction firm’s staff put the final touches on six major projects in Connecticut and Maryland.

Three of the six construction projects opened at the University of Connecticut in August, further illustrating KBE’s reputation as an exceptional builder of high-quality higher education projects. KBE also celebrated the openings of buildings for repeat clients University of Bridgeport in Bridgeport, CT and Harris Teeter in Bethesda, MD, in addition to Jewish Senior Services, Connecticut’s first household model senior care building located in Bridgeport CT.

University of Connecticut Next Generation Connecticut Hall, Storrs, CT

The University of Connecticut Next Generation Connecticut Hall, also referred to as the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) residence hall, opened to students on Wednesday, August 24.

The Next Generation Connecticut Hall is part of Governor Dannel Malloy’s $1 billion Next Generation Connecticut (NGC) initiative, designed to greatly expand educational opportunities, research, and innovation in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines at the university over the next decade. The NGC initiative focuses on creating an educational infrastructure and workforce that supports Connecticut’s most important industries, including high-tech manufacturing.

KBE’s role in supporting the NGC initiative include the completion of three projects this summer on UCONN’s Storrs campus.

Project Highlights | University of Connecticut Next Generation Connecticut Hall

KBE was the Design-Builder and Constructor for the first new residence hall to open on this campus in more than a decade.

• $79 million, 212,000 s/f construction project featuring 727 student beds.
• Multi-story building nestled amid several adjacent buildings.
• Met a schedule few thought achievable: 22 months, including completion of design, and one of the worst winters on record
• Fast-track Design-Build.
• Developed a 6-8 cycle per floor of block-and-plank construction, allowing continuity of major trades.
• Student safety of paramount concern, with site located on active pedestrian walkway.
• Multiple eco-friendly features, including solar plumbing, photovoltaic arrays, green roof, re-claim water system, and high-efficiency mechanical equipment.
• Project selected for invitation-only OSHA Safety Training Partnership with KBE
• JSA Architects was Architect of Record, with Newman Architects as UCONN’s Bridging Architect.

Check out the Next Gen Connecticut Hall video.

University of Connecticut Putnam Dining Hall, Storrs, CT

KBE served as Construction Manager at Risk for the $12.6 million, 42,000 s/f renovation to the existing dining facility on University of Connecticut Storrs campus, which was renovated concurrent with the construction at the nearby Next Gen residence hall.

Project Highlights | Putnam Dining Hall Renovation

• 42,000 s/f renovation to the existing dining facility on the University of Connecticut’s Storrs campus to accommodate an overall seating capacity of 700 students.
• full renovation of the existing servery and seating area on the upper floor
• conversion of lower level into an additional level of seating and servery
• installation of the following new elements:
• service elevator
• two-level tray return system
• monumental open stair to connect upper- and lower-level seating areas
• new rooftop mechanical and kitchen equipment condensing units
• new servery-related food service equipment, serving lines, beverage stations, condiment stations, and serving counters
• new finishes, graphics, and lighting
• new furnishings throughout
• designed by Amenta Emma Architects

University of Connecticut Henry Ruthven Monteith Building and Andre Schenker Lecture Hall, Storrs, CT

KBE served as General Contractor for the renovation of the academic floors and attached Andre Schenker Lecture Hall at the University of Connecticut. This project was also constructed at the same time as the Putnam Refectory and the Next Gen residence hall, keeping KBE’s teams very busy and focused on meeting their start-of-school deadlines.

The scope of work includes no less than 27 major upgrades, including the following:

• complete mechanical systems upgrade;
• improved electrical systems to support the air conditioning and other programmatic needs;
• upgraded and uniformly sized faculty offices;
• upgraded classrooms;
• new fixed seating and finish upgrades in lecture halls;
• and more.

University of Bridgeport New Residence Hall, Bridgeport, CT

KBE served as Construction Manager at Risk for the four-story, 60,000 s/f residence hall, which provides housing for 220 University of Bridgeport students.

With a design reminiscent of the architectural style of the surrounding neighborhoods that were built during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the new residence hall complements the historic neighborhood while utilizing modern sustainability features.

Project Highlights | University of Bridgeport New Residence Hall

• $17 million, 60,000 s/f construction project
• Located at 26 Park Ave in Bridgeport, CT
• Designed by Antinozzi Associates
• Building is a block-and-plank structure with pre-fabricated metal roof trusses topped with asphalt shingles
• Design features a steeply pitched roof with wide overhangs and a façade of brick on the first story and siding on the upper floors

Legacy of Success at the University   

KBE has worked with the University of Bridgeport on 16 projects since 2005.  Among them are

• new construction of the Ernest C. Trefz School of Business;
• renovations to the Fones School of Dental Hygiene;
• renovations to Mandeville Hall;
• campus-wide utility and IT infrastructure upgrades;
• new laboratories; and
• new athletic fields.

Jewish Senior Services, Bridgeport, CT

Local seniors are now able to enjoy Connecticut’s first “household model” senior care building featuring assisted living, skilled nursing, hospice care, and a full range of senior care services  – now that the new Jewish Senior Services (“JSS”) building on the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg campus opened its doors.

KBE Building Corporation (KBE) served as Construction Manager at Risk for the new $75 million, 372,000 s/f building located on the former site of the Jewish Community Center (JCC) at 4200 Park Avenue in Bridgeport, CT.

Project Highlights | Jewish Senior Services

• $78 million, 372,000 s/f construction project
• Designed by Perkins Eastman
• Community includes:
  • 18 assisted living units (1-bedroom and studios)
  • 18 skilled nursing households each with 14 private bedrooms and bathrooms (252 residents total)
  • 2 short-term rehabilitation households each with 14 private bedrooms and bathrooms and indoor and courtyard therapy centers (28 residents total)
  • 2 households servicing residents with dementia each with 14 private bedrooms and bathrooms and an adjacent courtyard (28 residents total)

Harris Teeter, Bethesda, MD

Bethesda, Md. residents celebrated the grand opening of the new Harris Teeter store this month thanks to General Contractor KBE Building Corporation. KBE has previously completed three other locations with the regional grocery chain. 

Project Highlights | Harris Teeter

• $5.7 million, 52,963 s/f construction project
• Located at 4805 Battery Lane in Bethesda
• Designed by Bondurant Associates
• Scope of work includes tenant fit-out of high-end grocery store located above a basement parking garage and below residential units

According to Bisnow, the 359-unit building that houses the new Harris Teeter at 8300 Wisconsin Ave sold for $207M at an estimated roughly $520k price per unit. This price sets the record for the highest recorded price per unit sale in Maryland.

History of Success with Harris Teeter

“Continuing to build with Harris Teeter is a real joy for us because it’s a company that shares many of our values, especially corporate philanthropy,” said KBE CEO and principal owner Mike Kolakowski.

Since 2009, Harris Teeter has helped support KBE’s “Gift of Gobble” charity program, donating several thousand dollars in gift cards to help purchase food for the Thanksgiving dinner donation program. Part of KBE’s corporate philanthropic program, 50 Ways to Make a Difference, “Gift of Gobble” has provided more than 1,000 Thanksgiving meal kits to needy families in Maryland and Connecticut since 2009.

KBE’s past Harris Teeter projects include the following Mid-Atlantic locations:

• 18167 Town Center Dr. in Olney, MD
• 12525 Park Potomac Ave. in Potomac, MD
• 1212 4th St. SE in Southeast Washington DC

About KBE Building Corporation

KBE has managed more than $4 billion in construction volume during the past two decades alone and is ranked among Engineering News-Record magazine’s top 400 construction companies nationally.

With offices in Columbia, MD, as well as Norwalk and Farmington, CT, KBE Building Corporation is a full-service, single-source commercial construction company strategically positioned to serve the Eastern and Mid-Atlantic U.S. Founded in 1959 and incorporated in 1966, the $300 million firm provides preconstruction, construction management, design-build, and general contracting services to clients in the retail, educational, senior living, federal, corporate, hospitality, health care, and institutional markets. KBE’s team of 120+ construction professionals and support staff is deeply committed to the firm’s corporate philanthropy program, 50 Ways to Make a Difference. Established in 2009 to celebrate the firm’s new ownership, name change, and 50 years in business, 50 Ways has helped KBE associates donate more than $1.7 million and 11,734 volunteer hours to charitable causes benefiting children, seniors, and military veterans in Connecticut and Maryland.

Learn more at www.kbebuilding.com.

Media Contact: Jonelle Lawhorn | KBE Director of Marketing

t: 860.284.7431| c: 860.836.7517 | f: 860.284.7831 | e: jlawhorn@kbebuilding.com

Source: KBE Building Corporation