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 News Archive - Page 2  Dupont UndergroundPlans are underway to transform the underground trolley station beneath Connecticut Avenue NW into art galleries and a public dining area. District officials and developers will utilize 100,000 SF of space beneath Dupont Circle to provide an entertainment hotspot and additional cultural center for the city. The Arts Coalition for Dupont Underground (ACDU) plans for the $20 million, 40,000 SF phase one to be delivered in 24 to 36 months. "Smith Group is currently in the preliminary stages of designing an elegant new wardrobe for the currently raw and unfinished underground tunnel, and WCS Construction has signed on to build the finalized plans. Phase one will consist of 20,000 s.f. of gallery space and 20,000 s.f. of concession space (potentially a restaurant, wine-bar, and cafe). Developers expect that pending leases with a high-end restaurateur and winery of some sort will enable a loan covering three-fourth of phase one construction costs. The remaining quarter will be left to fund-raising efforts. Developers promised they "are not counting on any District financial support." Phase two will consist of an additional 60,000 s.f. of cultural space, its construction wholly dependent on the financial success of phase one and the growth of the endowment. Citing formerly rotting and now reimagined public and cultural spaces like New York City's "The High Line" (an unused elevated rail-line turned public park) and Saint-Nazaire, France's "Alveole 14" (an abandoned submarine bunker turned art-space), developers expressed their hopes of creating a cultural attraction that will even "attract international tourists from Berlin and Paris." Considering the last Dupont Underground project failed to lure their own citizens down for a lunch-time burger, it seems the difficulty of the task ahead looms rather large." Excerpt from the DC Mud Blogspot. http://dcmud.blogspot.com/ WCS Construction Wins Two ABC Awards for Excellence in Construction!This year WCS Construction is the proud recipient of not one, but two Excellence in Construction Awards from the Washington and Virginia chapters of the Associated Builders and Contractors. The ceremony, showcasing the finest examples of construction in the metropolitan region, was held at the McLean Hilton Hotel, VA on the evening of September 16th. Both The Reserve at Tysons Corner and 801 N Capitol Street Lobby Renovation were recognized as outstanding projects.  The Reserve at Tysons Corner is owned and managed by Simpson Housing LLP and designed by SK&I Architectural Design Group. The four-story wood-frame over two-story podium parking garage follows in the model of success of Avera Station, headed by the same award winning WCS Construction project management team: Jim Anglemyer, Dave Kutchma and Chris Akkerman. The $50 million dollar, 267 unit project was completed in December, 2009 in just 20 months, two months ahead of the GMP Contract Schedule and with cost savings returned to the Owner in excess of $2.4M.The project represents a great success story in the relationships fostered by the WCS Construction team with the Owner, Designers and Subcontractor Trades. A partnered interactive role was implemented and maintained to quickly and efficiently address and resolve jobsite issues and problems on this extremely complex project. Early project value engineering by WCS Construction helped the Project Owner meet original budget goals, and the efficient cost and quality driven WCS Construction project management philosophies sustained throughout the project resulted in The Reserve at Tyson's Corner being the best project in Simpson Housings portfolio of projects presently under construction or recently completed nationwide.  The building at 801 N Capitol Street Lobby was a commercial interior renovation designed by architect Gensler for Cassidy & Turley. It was previously occupied by the Department of Housing and Community Development of the District of Columbia government. The existing main elevator lobby was only sizable enough to house a reception desk. At the end of renovation, the foot print of the lobby was doubled, including the 10 foot high ceiling, which was raised by two feet from the existing ceiling.The scope of work included a complete demolition of interior finishes, removal of existing canopy and installation of a new stainless steel canopy, removal and replacement of the sidewalk with black granite stone tiles, replacement of HVAC system, removal and patching of the precast façade, installation of stainless steel base throughout, plastic laminate-paneled walls, new stainless steel frame and door to blend in with adjacent glass panels, new storefront, interior back-painted glass walls, reception desk, all new drywall partitions and ceilings, interior porcelain tile flooring, and new building address numbers. Demolition and installation of new finishes for elevator cabs, relocation of the exterior FDC connection, new sprinkler layout and various security features as requested by the Owner were also part of the scope. The WCS Construction project team, led by Jim Anglemyer, John Lerch and Jae Park, required detailed coordination and effort to schedule and manage a number of trades, as every scope item had potential dimensional conflict and demanded the finest execution of workmanship. The $400,000 renovation was completed in March 2010. 1320 Mississippi Ave Multi Family ShelterWork officially begins this month on the 1320 Mississippi project. The 19-unit multi-family shelter is owned by the District of Columbia and developed and operated by William C. Smith + Co. Originally built in 1956 as an apartment house, it was later converted into a Metropolitan Police Department substation. Vacant over ten years the major renovation components include hazmat remediation and abatement, total gut, a three-stop hydraulic elevator and extensive handicap access ramp. The structure is three stories with a partial basement on less than ¾ of an acre. There are 19 apartments one, two and three bedroom with four of them being ADA units. The project construction budget is $3.8 million. Sheridan Station Tower Crane Set - Vertical Construction on ScheduleThe Sheridan Station project is now well underway with site work, with over 50,000 CY of earth moved since the start of site operations in June. Site utility storm and sanitary sewer work is in progress, and caisson installations to provide global stability for the ¾-mile length of retaining walls, to be installed as part of the site work package, is scheduled to start in the coming weeks. The present work in site is the first phase of the 344-unit Sheridan Station development, which includes a 104-unit, 4-story wood frame multi-family building, constructed on a one-story cast-in-place concrete parking garage with podium, 10 townhomes and 8 manor units. Site development work on the 13.5 acre site will concurrently proceed in preparation for future building phases. DCHA was awarded a $20 million competitive HOPE VI Grant from HUD in March 2008 to redevelop the Sheridan Terrace site. Sheridan Station Phase I is the first of four phases and consists of 114 units of public housing and 69 Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LITC) units. DCHA was awarded $5,827,882 in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus) Funds in September 2009 to build energy-efficient and green sustainable units. The developer is Sheridan Terrace Redevelopment LLC with architect SK&I Architectural Design Group, LLC. The building is registered with the US Green Building Counsel with a goal of achieving LEED Certification Gold. The multifamily building includes an 80 KW solar photovoltaic array providing 30% of the building's core energy, a vegetative green roof and an 8000gallon rainwater retention cistern underneath the slab of the building. The building will also have a health and wellness center which will provide general family practice care for the neighborhood. Construction is expected to be complete in December 2011. View the portfolio page and progress photo gallery. Grand Opening for 3333 Wisconsin Ave. On July 15, 2010, 3333 Wisconsin Apartments held a cocktail reception and fundraiser for Councilmember Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) which was hosted by Associated Builders & Contractors of Metro Washington, DC Political Action Committee, DCBIA Political Action Committee, and the Apartment and Office Building Owners. This was a successful event and a unique Grand Opening ceremony, attended by well over 100 participants and raising over $21,900!The developer is William C. Smith & Co with architect Eric Colbert & Associates. The newly completed $12 M project, 3333 Wisconsin Avenue, included the complete gut and renovation of 117,134 SF Nursing Center converted to 100 luxury apartments. Studio, one & two bedroom units are available with the first tenants already moving in. The amenities include a Club Room, Fitness Center, Theater and Rooftop Deck. View the project portfolio page and progress photo gallery on our website. New Projects on the HorizonWCS Construction is pleased to announce several new projects currently in pre-construction. 2 M Street Apartments is scheduled to begin construction in March, 2011 and will be followed by Ripley Street and Colonel Brooks, a high-rise and mid-rise respectively. The largest of these upcoming projects is A & R Development's Capitol Gateway Marketplace, with Phase 1 set to begin in 3Q 2011. The project is designed by Marks, Thomas Architects and features a mix of office, retail and residential uses on a 10-acre site. This transit-oriented development in Washington D.C. is located next to the Capitol Heights Metro Station on East Capitol Street. Capitol Gateway Marketplace Proposed Phase 1 construction includes 194,000 sf of underground parking, a 61,000 SF grocery store, two small retail buildings of 5,000 sf each and 90,000 sf of residential construction in two five story wood framed buildings. Each residential building will have 78 units and first floor retail. The budgeted Phase 1 value is $38 million. Phase 2 includes 200,000 sf of underground parking, a 146,000 SF 8 story concrete frame residential building with 150 units, a 118,000 SF 8 story concrete frame office building, a 5,000 sf bank and a 5,000 sf retail building. The budgeted value for Phase 2 is $43 million. 2 M Street Three of our upcoming projects feature LEED certification. 2 M Street, developed by William C. Smith & Company and designed by Eric Colbert & Associates, will be LEED Gold Certificate. It includes a pool, party room, pool kitchen and recreational area on the roof. The 389,900 sf project includes 75,000 sf underground parking and 314 apartments with 6,000 sf of retail on the first floor. We are currently performing pre-construction services for the $65 million dollar Ripley Street project for Home Properties. Ripley will be located on Ripley Street and Dixon Avenue in Silver Spring, Maryland. The high-rise concrete apartment building, designed by Shalom Baranes Architects, will feature 17 levels, totaling 382 units. There will be two levels of underground and four levels of above ground parking. Additionally, there is a 5 floor loft apartment building planned for the site. Ripley Street Ripley is designed as a post tensioned concrete building with either brick or precast facade and aluminum punched windows. Other unique aspects of the design include a Green roof with a large court yard, pool and lounge on the roof. Also planned is a roof-mounted cooling tower for the designed water source heat pump system. Colonel Brooks We are currently performing pre-construction services for the Colonel Brooks project, located at 901 Monroe Street, NE. The project, developed by Horning Brothers and designed by Esocoff & Associates Architects, consists of one and a half levels of underground parking, an at-grade courtyard and another elevated courtyard on the third floor. The project will have 224 apartment units and its unique construction includes four levels of wood framing over two levels of residential area on concrete decks. Other interesting design features include a precast façade and glazed tile upper floor. As with Ripley there is a roof mounted cooling tower for the designed water source heat pump system. Pre-construction services have begun for William C. Smiths & Co's Multi-Family Shelter project. Work involves the total gut and refit of a 19 unit building on Mississippi Ave, SE. The building was converted from an apartment building to a police sub station and this work will revert the building back to its original function as an apartment building. The project construction budget is $3.8 million. New WCS Environmental SpecialistWCS Construction Assistant Project Manager Marjorie Olivares graduated this month from George Mason University. Ms. Olivares adds an M.S. degree in Civil, Environmental & Structural Engineering and a Graduate Certificate in Water Resources Management to her impressive list of qualifications. Since joining WCS Construction in 2006, she has earned LEED Professional Accreditation through the United States Green Building Council and adds valuable knowledge to our experienced construction management team. Her accomplishments enhance the expertise of our company as LEED requirements and environmental concerns become increasingly important in the industry. Congratulations, Marjorie! New Senior Project ManagerWCS Construction is pleased to announce the addition of new Senior Project Manager Chris Akkerman. Mr. Akkerman brings 27 years of experience in multi-family construction, and public and private site development to our seasoned team. Previously Mr. Akkerman worked for developer Simpson Housing, LP as an Owner Representative for The Reserve at Tysons Corner and as the Vice President of Operations for Beazer Homes where he worked with the Avera Station team. Mr. Akkerman brings wood-frame, concrete construction and site development expertise to WCS Construction. Sheridan Station Groundbreaking
On Monday, May 10, 2010, the District of Columbia Housing Authority-- together with developer William C. Smith-- held the official groundbreaking for the Sheridan Station Project, with the first phase of the 344-unit development to include a 104-unit, multi-family building, 10 townhoumes and 8 manor units. Site development work on the 13.5 acre site will concurrently proceed in preparation for future building phases. To mark the historic event for the local community, Developer Chris Smith was joined at the podium by Mayor Adrian Fenty, Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton.Vacant since 1994, Sheridan Terrace, a former 183-unit public housing property on 9.8 acres, was demolished in September 1997 following approval from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This was due primarily to the failure of site drainage that caused severe soil erosion and frequent flooding, and lead to the uninhabitable ground level apartments. Prior to its demolition, the Sheridan Terrace community suffered from symptoms typically associated with severely distressed public housing: poverty, high unemployment and drug-related activity. DCHA was awarded a $20 million competitive HOPE VI Grant from HUD in March 2008 to redevelop the Sheridan Terrace site. Sheridan Station Phase I is the first of four phases and consists of 114 units of public housing and 69 Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LITC) units. DCHA was awarded $5,827,882 in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus) Funds in September 2009 to build energy-efficient and green sustainable units. The building is registered with the US Green Building Counsel with a goal of achieving LEED Certification Gold. The multifamily building includes an 80 KW solar photovoltaic array which provides 30% of the building's core energy, a vegetative green roof and an 8000gallon rainwater retention cistern underneath the slab of the building. The building will also have a health and wellness center which will provide general family practice care for the neighborhood. Construction is expected to be complete in December 2011. The Reserve at Tysons Corner Grand Opening
On Thursday, April 29th, 2010, Simpson Housing held the Grand Opening celebration for their luxury apartment complex The Reserve at Tysons Corner. Around a hundred individuals flew into DC from Denver, Michigan, Alaska, Georgia and Texas. Simpson Housing has construction underway on properties in Seattle, San Diego, Denver and North Carolina that will now have to meet the standard of quality and schedule established by the WCS Construction Team.The luxury apartments feature stylish granite countertops, stainless steel GE Profile appliances, hardwood flooring and solid wood cabinetry. The 267-unit complex, features resort class amenities, including a 16 ksf clubhouse, leasing and exercise facility, with indoor ½ basketball court and 1,300 sf swimming pool with fountain. Located only minutes from Tyson's Galleria Mall and 20 minutes from downtown DC, the Reserve at Tyson's Corner is the ideal new home with a world class location. The Reserve at Tyson's Corner is less than a mile and a half from the Dunn Loring Metro Station to provide stress-free commuting. The project was built with WCS Construction's woodframe over podium expertise, a quality recognized by the U.S. Foreign Agricultural Service, which chose the site for a tour of visiting Canadian and Japanese delegation in October2008. The WCS Construction team lead by President Jim Anglemyer and Senior Project Manager Dave Kutchma worked diligently throughout the duration of the project to ensure all goals were met and where possible, exceeded. "WCS came in under budget, ahead of schedule with superb quality, no time lost accidents and no claims throughout the project," wrote Steve Bair, Vice President of Construction for Simpson Housing LLLP. Owners Representative Scott Blake added, "The completed project is now a centerpiece in our portfolio and one that we will all be proud of for years to come. WCS Construction exhibited the utmost professionalism and focused on the TEAM approach throughout the project." Assistant Project Manager Kari Poole coordinated between the field activities and project management. Superintendent Mark Hammond headed up the site operations together with Ralph Hammond, Tim Wilkinson, Tom Facchina and Cliff Hallam. Among the visitors attending the Grand Opening were members of most of the investing groups involved with Simpson Housing-- Well Fargo, Prudential, State of Michigan, etc.-- all of which were very complimentary of the project. Simpson Housing is looking for ways to continue constructing housing in the DC Metro market, and the success of the Reserve at Tysons Corner project should help in this endeavor. Stimulus funds propel Sheridan Terrace Washington Business Journal - by Jonathan O'Connell Staff Reporter Once a blighted Anacostia public housing complex, most of which was torn down in the 1980s, Sheridan Terrace is set to be rebuilt this spring, thanks to $5.8 million in stimulus dollars from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The D.C. Housing Authority, with a development team led by D.C.-based William C. Smith & Co., plans to break ground on a $108 million mixed-use neighborhood along Sheridan Road in April or May. The first phase includes a five-story, 104-unit multifamily building and a half dozen townhomes, said interim Housing Authority Executive Director Adrianne Todman. The $5.8 million will go toward infrastructure, a green roof and energy-saving features such as solar panels. As many as 60 units could be filled by families that left when the last of the buildings were vacated in 1994, Todman said. For our Sheridan Station Portfolio Page click here. Next page Back to Page 1
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