Forrester Construction. Keep Building.

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September 3, 2009 – Forrester Construction has been awarded the Robinson Nature Center in Howard County, Maryland. This project will involve the construction of a new $10 Million, 30,000 SF Modern Nature Center with customary indoor exhibits and displays, along with outdoor interpretive trails. The Center will be built for LEED™ Platinum.

Gary J. Arthur, Director of the County Department of Recreation and Parks, said “Forrester Construction of Rockville was chosen to be the contractor, in part for the firm’s experience in eco-friendly and energy-efficient design.” The main objective of the Robinson Nature Center is to bring people together with nature, to learn, to experience nature and the environment around them, and to promote an ethic of stewardship of the land.

The Center will have a large Discovery Room specifically designed for children’s activities with many “hands-on” exhibits and activities to educate them about their natural environment. The exhibits and activities will be based on sound environmental science, while at the same time, offering an exciting and enjoyable learning experience. The Center willl also have a 150-seat auditorium; two rooms for classes or meetings; a main exhibit room for both permanent and changeable exhibits relating to nature, resource management, and local history; and a 50-seat digital planetarium.

This will be the first nature center to be owned and operated by Howard County Government. The Architect is GWWO Architects of Baltimore, Maryland. Construction is scheduled to begin this month and finish in October 2010.

May 21, 2009 – Forrester Construction has been awarded the Fort McHenry National Education and Administration Center in Baltimore, MD. This $6 Million project involves a new 17,000 SF Education and Administration Center, which will provide critical visitor services such as education and orientation needed to successfully and safely visit the park.

The facility will include exhibits, classroom, auditorium, consolidated staff offices, bookstore, library, conference / multipurpose rooms, partner group office space, and accessible restroom facilities. The new building is designed to achieve at least silver-level LEED (Leadership in Energy Environmental Design) Certification.

In addition to being larger and capable of handling more visitors than the original center built in 1966, the new building will feature better exhibits that are more relevant to a younger audience. An engaging audiovisual presentation will feature multiple screens, computer graphics, and high tech audio. The outer façade of the building will be comprised of two sweeping elements – one of strong red brick like the fort and the red stripe in the Star-Spangled Banner, the other of polished metal symbolizing the white stripe.

The Owner is the National Park Service and the Architect is GWWO, Inc./Architects of Baltimore, MD. Construction began May 11, 2009 and is scheduled to finish in July, 2010. The new facility will be ready to commemorate the Bicentennial of the War of 1812.

March 25, 2009 – Forrester Construction Company has been awarded the $14 Million Design Build Hubbard Hall Project at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. The project involves the Restoration and Modernization of Building 260 (Hubbard Hall), which is the historic home of the United States Naval Academy’s crew teams. Building 260 is a three-story boathouse built in 1930 and accommodates over two hundred athletes for their daily training regime.

The project includes hazardous material abatement; interior reorganization; repairs to the existing building and building enclosure; complete replacement of all heating, cooling, electrical, and plumbing systems; and construction of a new indoor rowing tank. It also involves repair of deteriorated foundation pilings, construction of a temporary tension fabric boat storage “shed”, and repair and expansion of the existing wharf and floating docs.

The project was awarded under Forrester’s Multiple Award Construction Contract with NAVFAC Washington. The Architect of Record is Muse Architects of Bethesda, Maryland. The project is expected to be completed by January 2011.

February 13, 2009 – Forrester Construction has completed construction on the “Provide Accessibility and Improve Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site” Project. This project won three Washington Building Congress (WBC) Craftsmanship Awards, which will be presented at an Awards Banquet on March 27, 2009 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel.

This national historic and cultural site produces musicals and plays reflecting family values in American life in the historic theatre in which Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.

Forrester has now become a part of the history of this site, as we expanded the theatre to access three additional structures- the 517 Building, the Back L (or North Annex), and the Star Saloon. The project involved underpinning and excavation; interior and exterior demolition; up-to-date lighting and audio-visual technology; installation of new air handling equipment, ductwork, and electrical systems; upgrade of building systems; new finishes including ornamental plaster; new slate roof; historic preservation work; and state-of-the-art theatrical equipment.

In addition, the project involved extensive structural work including restoration of the structural integrity of the circa 1800 masonry walls and the setting of 25 tons of new gridiron steel above the stage with electric tuggers. Forrester encountered many project challenges as a result of working in this historic structure built in the 1800’s, including asbestos and lead abatement delays and numerous structural changes.