Farmington, CT (June 21, 2013) – KBE Building Corporation (KBE) (www.kbebuilding.com) has won two awards at the 2013 Connecticut Building Congress (CBC) 17th Annual Project Team Awards Banquet in the Small Projects (under $10 million) category. The awards were presented for two projects:
- · First Place Award for Major Renovations and Expansions, Connecticut College’s Science Center; and
- · Award of Merit, University of Connecticut’s McMahon Dining Hall.
Connecticut College’s Science Center
The $15.3 million, four-story project at New London Hall consisted of a 26,000 square-foot renovation and 14,000 square-foot addition. The building – which also won The People’s Choice Award and an Award of Merit from Connecticut’s Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. (CT-ABC) – combines spaces for teaching, research, and administration. It provides students with classrooms, seminar rooms, and laboratories for botany, biology, and computer science classes.
Recently, KBE and Payette Architects achieved LEED Gold certification for the building. The science facility includes many sustainable design features, including:
- a modernized greenhouse with precision climate controls;
- a geothermal system reaching that provides 100% of Tempel Green’s heating and cooling;
- reinstallation of the wooden trim from the doors of the original building;
- energy- and water-saving features, including high-efficiency frame hoods, lighting, heating, cooling, and plumbing fixtures; and
- the repurposing of wood from a nearly 90-year-old black oak tree near New London Hall, which was removed for safety concerns posed by its declining health.
The project was completed in August, 2012.
University of Connecticut’s McMahon Dining Hall
The $7.1 million project consisted of 14,000 square feet of renovations, including a 5,500 square foot addition, a new dining facility with all new kitchen equipment, and the removal of a storefront. The existing building was composed of two seven-story towers and a two-story dining and lounge area. The project was completed in September 2012 and subsequently awarded LEED Gold.
The project architect was Prellwitz Chilinski Architects.