Implosion Makes Way for One Bal Harbour

In less than 16 seconds in late January, a 15-story, 1962-built rental landmark in Bal Harbour came tumbling down precisely as planned, making way for a new luxury condominium and hotel facility. The unoccupied Harbour House North tower was razed to make way for WCI Communities' One Bal Harbour residential and hotel condominium. Start of construction on the new 26-story luxury tower and 17-story hotel was expected to begin this spring.

Nationally known Controlled Demolition Inc. (CDI) of Phoenix, Md., handled the spectacular implosion.

"Drawing on over 56 years of historic data and experience, the implosion subcontractor - CDI - implemented an explosives demolition plan utilizing a minimum of structural modification for subsequent explosives placement, and strategically placed wire cables to control the rate of descent and direction of the fall of Harbour House North," WCI Vice President and Senior Project Manager Steven Sorensen. "Watching this take place was truly amazing."

Other project contractors include Boran, Craig Barber Engel Construction Co. of Naples, the general contractor; and subcontractors DPC General Contractors and Omega Contracting of Pompano Beach.

The print media as well as crews from CSI: Miami, the University of Miami, and local and national television were on hand to catch the action.

One Bal Harbour will include 185 condominiums, priced from $1.25 million to $12 million. Anchoring the 26-story tower is a planned 17-story hotel component with 124 hotel condominiums. Also planned are a restaurant, spa, swimming pools, other upscale amenities and five-star resort services.

Miller & Solomon Named GC for $170M Downtown Dadeland

Gulfside Development has awarded Miller & Solomon General Contractors of Miami the contract to build its $170 million Downtown Dadeland, a mixed-use re-urbanization project located on the former Williamson Cadillac site across from Dadeland Mall.

The 7 1/2 -acre development will include 416 condominium residences and 125,000 sq. ft. of retail, all within a series of seven clustered, low-rise buildings.

The project is expected to be completed in spring 2005. More than 85 percent of the residences have already sold, and national tenants such as Pier 1, Cargo, and Chili's have leased retail space.

Tampa Bay Water Reaches Settlement with Desal Plant Contractor

Tampa Bay Water's board of directors approved a settlement agreement with the engineer-construction contractor for its troubled 25-million-gal-per-day desalination plant. The agreement was brokered by a bankruptcy court mediator. Under terms of the deal, the utility will pay Covanta Tampa Construction $4.4 million from $7.9 million held in construction retainage on the $110-million project. The contractor will drop all claims and abandon attempts to stay on board as a 30-year operations and maintenance contractor.

Problems arose last spring when the utility flunked the contractor on a performance evaluation test. Now Tampa Bay Water will open discussions with three shortlisted interim O&M contractors with experience in reverse osmosis desalination plants. American Water Works Co./Pridesa are the respective American- and Spanish-owned subsidiaries of RWE AG of Essen, Germany. USFilter is a U.S. division of Veolia Environnement S.A. in Paris. Two American-owned partners compose the third team: Ionics, Watertown, Mass., and MWH, Pasadena, Calif.

The plant will be placed on "hot standby" status for the time being, said Ken Herd, Tampa Bay Water plant project manager. "We'll continue to run water through the pre-treatment loop to prevent bio-fouling," he said. But instead of flowing through the reverse osmosis filter process train, makeup water will be dumped back into Tampa Bay. Each team will visit the plant later this month and prepare to run individual pilot tests. The utility expects to select an interim O&M contractor "by late spring," Herd said. The utility expects that the interim contractor would take "a year or two" to formulate a solution that would enable the plant to run at design production, he added. At that point, Tampa Bay Water will try to enter into a long-term operation and management agreement.

Interest in desalination is widespread in North America, with dozens of proposals under discussion. The problems at Tampa Bay may have set back chances for success at a $270-million, 50-mgd desalination plant that Poseidon Resources wanted to build in Carlsbad, Calif. The San Diego County Water Authority governing board on Jan. 29 unanimously voted to withdraw from the Stamford, Conn.-based developer's proposal to build a desalination plant adjacent to the Encina Power Station.

Relations between Poseidon and the water authority deteriorated this year. Board members also raised financial and engineering concerns. Despite the vote, Poseidon intends to push ahead with the project and secure a contract water to the cities of Carlsbad or Oceanside, said a company spokesman. Source: Engineering News-Record. By Andrew G. Wright.

Florida Activity Ends 2003 13 Percent Ahead

McGraw-Hill Construction reported that December contracts for future construction in Florida surged by 23 percent in December, giving the state an incredible 13 percent growth rate for 2003.

In December, activity increased by a cumulative 23 percent, up from last year's $2.9 billion total to this December's $3.6 billion. The nonresidential sector improved by 24 percent to $659.5 million in December, while nonbuilding activity jumped 36 percent to $469.7 million. The state's residential market showed no signs of slowing, improving by 21 percent to almost $2.5 billion for the month.

Through 2003, activity increased by 13 percent, from 2002's total of $42.3 billion to roughly $47.8 billion. By far the greatest contributor to that overall increase was the residential market, which improved 22 percent for the year, ending at $31.6 billion. Nonbuilding activity also improved, by 9 percent, to end at $6.6 billion. The nonresidential sector actually declined for the year, by 7 percent, and ended at just over $9.6 billion.

Robins & Morton Starts $100 Million Arnold Palmer Hospital

The Orlando office of The Robins & Morton Group has started construction on the new 400,000-sq.-ft., $100 million Arnold Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies at the Orlando Regional Healthcare campus. The 13-story, 273-bed facility is set for completion in late 2005.

Robins & Morton is serving as construction manager. Jonathan Bailey Associates is the project architect, and HLM the engineer.

$95 Million Mixed-Use Project Announced for Boca Raton

Developer Amera Corp. has received final approval to develop a $95 million luxury mixed-use project, 200 E. Palmetto Park Road, in downtown Boca Raton.

The nine-story, Mediterranean revival-style building is planned for up to 146 condominium residences. The 340,000-sq.-ft. project also is approved to include ground floor retail shops, two floors of office condominiums and underground parking.

Construction is expected to start in the fourth quarter.

Roepnack and Beauchamp Break Ground on Regent South Beach

Beach Contractors, a joint venture between Pompano Beach-based Roepnack Corp. and Coral Gables-based Beauchamp Construction has broken ground on the $67 million Regent South Beach, a luxury condominium hotel in Miami Beach.

The facility is scheduled to open in spring 2005. Contractors report the Regent South Beach will be twice as large as any other hotel in the South Beach Historic District.

Stiles Announces 200 Brickell for Fort Lauderdale Historic District

Fort Lauderdale-based Stiles Corp. recently announced plans for 200 Brickell, a 14-story mixed-use development that will bring more than 120,000 sq. ft. of office space to downtown Fort Lauderdale's historic arts and entertainment district.

200 Brickell will feature six levels of class "A" office space - the first new speculative space in the downtown market in two years. The 136,637-sq.-ft. complex will include ground-level retail shops fronting on Brickell and Wall Streets near Las Olas Riverfront, as well as six levels of parking.

Construction is scheduled to begin this summer, with completion expected in summer of 2005.

New I-4 Bridge at Carpenters Way Opens

The new bridge crossing over Interstate 4 at Carpenters Way in north Lakeland is now open. Designed and built for the ultimate 10-lane configuration of I-4 and the possible future use of the I-4 median as a high-speed rail corridor, the new 320-ft.-long concrete bridge opened in mid-February.

"The opening of the new Carpenters Way bridge marks a major milestone, since it is the first of many new I-4 crossover bridges being built under the $224.5 million I-4 project to open," said Rick Roberts, project manager of the I-4 project.

The new bridge was erected by Martin K. Eby Construction Co., prime contractor for the I-4 project segment running from east of U.S. 98 to east of County Road 557. Eby is currently expanding I-4 from four to six lanes, building new crossover bridges at Old Combee Road, Mount Olive Road and County Road 557A, and erecting new I-4 bridges over Socrum Loop Road, State Road 33 and Berkley Road.

The total construction cost for the Eby segment is $72.2 million. The 16.2-mi. segment is the longest of four I-4 project segments.

McCree Completes Florida's Blood Centers

Orlando-based McCree has completed the new headquarters facility for Florida's Blood Centers in Orlando. Operating under an accelerated timeline due to increased homeland security requirements, the $3.8 million project was completed in 11 months, six months sooner than anticipated.

The FBC contracted with McCree under a design-build agreement to accelerate the schedule. Because of increased homeland security requirements, additional testing of toxins for Anthrax had to be completed and a Class-100 clean room was included in the project.

Groundbreaking Set For Historic Himmarshee Court

Groundbreaking for renovations to Fort Lauderdale's historic Himmarshee Court took place recently. The building, a 1926 landmark located in the city's Las Olas disctrict, is one of a handful of surviving examples of the Mediterranean Revival architecture that once defined the community. The building, once called the "Jewel of Downtown Fort Lauderdale," had fallen victim to neglect in recent times. Completion is expected in the fourth quarter of 2004.

Boca Raton-based Garcia Brenner Stromberg, Architecture and Fort Lauderdale-based Miller Construction Co. are responsible for restoring the building. The building will be the new home for Himmarshee Surgical Partners.

Wright Construction Starts on $32 Million Assisted-Living Facility

Wright Construction Corp. of Fort Myers has broken ground on The Arbor, a $32 million assisted-living facility at Shell Point Retirement Community in south Fort Myers.

The Arbor will include four residential floors with space for up to 164 residents and a large central commons building. The Arbor is scheduled for completion in 2006.

Parsons Brinckerhoff Wins Two More FDOT Design Contracts

The Florida Department of Transportation has awarded a contract to Parsons Brinckerhoff to design improvements to Roosevelt Boulevard, S.R. 686, in Clearwater.

The project involves upgrading a section of Roosevelt Boulevard - 49th Street to Ulmerton Road - from a four-lane rural facility to a six-lane controlled access highway with frontage roads. Construction on the $22 million project will begin in 2007, with completion scheduled for 2010.

FDOT also awarded the firm a contract to engineer a new interchange in Lee County at the intersection of Interstate 75 and Daniels Parkway in Fort Myers. Construction of the $31 million interchange is tentatively scheduled to start in 2005, with completion anticipated for 2008.

WELBRO Awarded VCC Contract

WELBRO Building Corp., Maitland, was recently awarded the general contract for the $7.2 million Technical Science, Information Technology and Work Force Building on the Osceola campus of Valencia Community College.

The two-story, 61,200-sq.-ft. building will accommodate approximately 2,500 students. The project is scheduled for completion in December.

Bliss & Nyitray to Engineer Part of MIA South Terminal

Bliss & Nyitray of Miami has been retained by Perez & Perez Architects Planners, a Miami-based architecture firm, to provide structural engineering services for a portion of the South Terminal development at Miami International Airport.

Bliss & Nyitray will provide structural analysis and create construction documents for use in the completion of the South Terminal, expected to open in 2007.

STH Designs North Port City Hall, Police Station

Schwab, Twitty & Hanser Architects of West Palm Beach was selected to design the new City Hall and Police Station in North Port. STH is responsible for design through construction administration for the two city buildings.

The new 65,000-sq.-ft., three-story city hall and 30,000-sq.-ft., two-story police station will replace existing facilities. The project will utilize tilt-wall construction.

Groundbreaking was scheduled for April, with an anticipated construction time of 14 months.

Stiles Named Developer of the Year

The South Florida Chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties has named Stiles Corp. of Fort Lauderdale as "2003 Developer of the Year."

Highlights of 2003 that helped Stiles win this award include: the firm's acquisition of the 418,000-sq.-ft. SunTrust International Center in downtown Miami; its groundbreaking for its own condominium development, 350 Las Olas Place; and its development, leasing and subsequent sale of five grocery-anchored shopping centers throughout the state.

Stiles Corp. is a commercial real estate development and investment company, providing design, construction, financing, realty, property management and landscaping services. Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, the company has regional offices in Tampa, Fort Myers and Nashville. Stiles is responsible for more than 27 million sq. ft. of office, industrial and retail space throughout the Southeast.

Walter P. Moore Wins Award for OCCC Phase V Expansion Work

The Florida Institute of Consulting Engineers has awarded Walter P. Moore's Orlando office with a Grand Award in the 2004 Engineering Excellence Awards Competition for its work on the Phase V Expansion of the Orange County Convention Center.

Opened in October 2003, the expansion made the convention center the second largest in the United States. Designed and constructed in 42 months, the new 3 million sq.-ft. expansion doubled the existing facility. Walter P. Moore served as structural engineer-of-record for the $748 million project.

Tilt-Con Awarded South Florida Projects

Tilt-Con Corp. of Altamonte Springs has been awarded the contracts for Weston Commercial Center in Weston, and a City Furniture expansion in Tamarac. Tilt-Con will serve as a sub to US Construction Development for the Weston Commercial Center project. Stiles Construction is the general contractor for the City Furniture project.