Patrick Henry Building Renovation Wins
Best Project Award
STATE WINS TOP HONORS FOR BUILDING RENOVATION PROJECT Patrick Henry Building Wins Best of 2005 Awards
The Department of General Services renovation of the Patrick Henry building wins top honors in Mid-Atlantic Construction magazine’s Best of 2005 awards program.
The renovation of the Patrick Henry building is being recognized as the 2005 Project of the Year in the category of Adaptive Re-Use and as the Overall Project of the Year across all 18 categories. Held by Mid-Atlantic Construction , the annual competition recognizes construction and design excellence in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, eastern Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia. Judged by an independent jury of industry experts in design and construction, the jury awarded projects based on entry criteria including achievement of goals set out by the team, overcoming the challenges of the job, and exhibiting extraordinary teamwork and innovative execution.
“We 
are thrilled to receive this type of recognition,” said James T. Roberts, Director of the state Department of General Services. “With this historic building one of our challenges was converting floor areas and adjusting floor heights that were once ‘stack’ areas for books into offices. We [DGS] wanted to preserve and restore what we could, provide much-needed state office space, and create a beautiful building to enhance Virginia’s Capitol Square.”
Built in 1939 as a Public Works Administration project and originally designed for the State Library and Supreme Court of Virginia, the $32 million renovation included replacing all the building systems; repairing the exterior masonry; installing new elevators, windows, and roof; waterproofing and installing new fire alarms, sprinkler systems, and bathrooms; providing entrances and other features accessible to the disabled; and preserving and restoring the old Supreme Court Chamber, entrance lobbies, and the library’s former grand reading rooms. The oak walls in the lobby, 80 original light fixtures, the terrazzo-lined floor, the granite on the walls in the entranceways, and the American walnut inlaid with ebony in the Supreme Court room were all preserved and restored.
Dedicated and named the Patrick Henry Building in June 2005, the building houses the Governor’s office, Cabinet secretaries, and the Departments of Planning and Budget and General Services. During the 2006 Virginia legislative session the building will serve as temporary House and Senate chambers while the Capitol building undergoes renovation. The renovation team directed by the DGS was comprised of Hillier Architecture, a Richmond-based architecture firm BCWH, and W. M. Jordan as Construction Manager.
Mid-Atlantic Construction is one of 12 regional construction magazines published by the McGraw-Hill Companies throughout the country. The magazine covers all aspects of the commercial construction industry in Virginia, Maryland, D.C., Delaware and eastern Pennsylvania. The winners will be featured in the December 2005 issue and will also be honored at an awards ceremony at the Marriott Baltimore Waterfront Hotel in Baltimore, Md., Wednesday, November 30. In this competition the jury could award one “Project of the Year” and multiple “Awards of Merit” in each category or they could opt to not award any projects in a category. The 18 different categories in the competition included the following: Adaptive Re-Use, Airport, Cultural/Museum/Entertainment, Environmental, High-Rise Residential, Higher Education, Institutional, Interior Fit-Out, K-12, Office, Park/Site/Landscaping, Public Works/Facilities, Rehab/Restoration, Renovation, Retail, Small Projects, Sports Facilities, and Transit. The jury then selected an overall “Project of the Year” across all categories.
For more information about Mid-Atlantic Construction and the Best of 2005 awards program go to http://www.midatlantic.construction.com/.